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Paring knife

Utensils & kitchen tools · Knife

Paring knife

A small, short-bladed knife for peeling, trimming and detailed cutting in the hand.

Essential in most kitchens · Manual · 11 recipes

Photo: Donovan Govan., via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

A knife with a blade around 7–10 cm, pointed or with a curved 'bird's beak' tip. Its small size gives control for work held in the hand or on the board, where a chef's knife is clumsy.

What it’s for: Precise small tasks: peeling, coring, hulling, scoring and trimming.

How to use it

  1. Hold food in one hand and the knife in the other, thumb resting on the food.
  2. Draw the blade towards your thumb in small controlled strokes for peeling.
  3. Use the tip for coring, deveining and scoring.
  4. Work on a board for anything that does not need to be held.

Good to know

Tasks
peeling fruit, hulling strawberries, deveining prawns, scoring meat and bread, trimming vegetables, segmenting citrus
Materials
stainless steel, high-carbon steel, ceramic
Care and cleaning
Wash by hand and dry. Sharpen like a chef's knife; ceramic blades need a diamond sharpener.
Limitations
Too short for slicing large foods.

Safety

  • When cutting towards your thumb, use short movements and keep it out of the blade path.

If you don’t have one

Equipment guide

How it works: A short, narrow blade gives fine control close to the hand for in-hand and precision cuts, where a large knife would be clumsy.

MaterialGoodWatch out
Stainless steelEasy care and holds a decent edge.Softer steels dull faster.
Carbon steelVery sharp.Rusts.
CeramicStays sharp.Brittle tip.
Spear-point paring knife
General use.
Bird's beak (tourné) knife
Curved blade for peeling round fruit.
Sheep's foot paring knife
Flat edge for board work.

Buying guidance

Starting out: A 8–10 cm stainless paring knife.

  • Blade length 7–10 cm
  • Sharp, fine tip
  • Comfortable grip for in-hand work

No brands or prices — check current reviews before buying.

Techniques:Knife skillsMise en place

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