Specialty Knives – What Special Purpose Kitchen Knives Should I Own?

Specialty kitchen knives may not have been acquired if you were just starting out and setting up a kitchen on a budget. They should, however, be one of the first acquisitions after you’ve set up a rough kitchen for cooking. Having the right knife available to use is like taking a step up in the world of cooking.

Most people are big believers that each knife has its own place in the kitchen. Just like you would not use a jam knife to cut into a fish, you simply would not use a paring knife to cut into a cooked steak. There are many different kinds of knives on the market right now and for good reason as you are soon to learn!

The reason each knife has its own place in the kitchen is because of the way it is designed and manufactured. For something like a boning knife these are usually very thin metal so that they can slice down the fish back, around the gills and cut out the bones.

This same knife probably could not be used to cut a big hunk of meat because it would break! So, let us take a look at a few of the most egalitarian specialty kitchen knives you should have in your kitchen – especially if you are in your kitchen cooking daily and you are cooking a variety of foods!

- First off, is the Chefs Knife. This is the quintessential knife and one of the most essential knives you should have in a kitchen and will be used for cutting, dicing, chopping, mincing and slicing veggies and fruits, and even cutting bones.  All other knives just WISH they could be this versatile! It is naturally the all-purpose knife because its versatile, it is easy to use, and it is comfortable to use. Most of these specialty kitchen knives will start at about 6 inches, but the default size is about 8 inches.

- Next, you have the paring knife. This somewhat looks like the specialty kitchen knives above mentioned, but this is a much smaller such, usually around 4 inches long. This will be used for smaller items that the big Chef knife would not be used for such as deveining shrimp, cutting small peppers, removing seeds from veggies and fruits, etc. Unlike the Chef knife, this paring knife will usually have a smooth edge.

- Thirdly, you have the ever popular carving knife. No home kitchen is complete unless you have one of these especially if you have a lot of dinners or special occasion dinners at your home like Easter (ham), Thanksgiving (turkey) or Christmas (duck). The craving knife is a pretty large knife usually around 9 to 16 inches long and is much thinner than the Chef knife. It can be used to cut all kinds of meats from chickens and ducks to hams and roasts. These knives will also usually have a riveted edge to slice through whatever meat you are cutting.

- Fourth, you have a REAL specialty kitchen knife. This is great for more of a commercial product rather than a home product. It is the Tourner knife. If you have ever been to a fancy restaurant, you may have seen something on the menu called “tourne”. Maybe tourne of zucchini or carrots. These are little football shaped cuts that are used mostly for garnish. These specialty kitchen knives may also be called a bird’s beak knife because of the shape of the knife!

If you are shopping for specialty knifes for your kitchen, why not pick up an additional set for a loved one? These make an excellent and much-appreciated gift for a wedding present or for a couple’s first anniversary.

When looking online you can literally find dozens upon dozens of knives for all sorts of cooking tasks in the kitchen. Make sure you choose the right one. Even if you are only cooking for yourself, there is nothing more prideful than cooking an amazingly beautiful and yummy meal all on your own. And by using some of the specialty knives available on the market, they will help you accomplish this!