A chef’s knife is most probably the best knife when it comes to cutting large pieces of chunky vegetables, meat or cutting herbs into mince. However when it comes to performing detailed work like coring fruits, hulling strawberries, trimming the silver skin on a roast or scraping vanilla beans, then you will most certainly need the best paring knife.
Ultimate Guide to the Best Paring Knife to Perform the Intricate Cutting Tasks
Paring Knives – Easy to Cut, Easy to Peel
Paring knives are the most commonly used knives in the kitchen irrespective of where you stay or what you cook. This knife easily cuts and peels the fruits and other vegetables making your life in kitchen easier. Paring as by name means ‘trim anything by cutting away its outer edges or cut off the outer skin’. Thus, aptly says the name, this knife helps in paring or peeling off anything. It is smaller in size as compared to the kitchen knife.
The best paring knife will have plain edges that help in easily peeling or paring fruits and certain vegetables. These knives are also helpful in mincing small amounts of parsley, de-veining shrimps, skinning fruits and vegetables, removing seeds from Jalapeno pepper, creating roses from tomato peels, coring an apple and other intricate works done in the kitchen. This all purpose knife though smaller than chef knife is extremely useful. It has blades which can be 5 inches long and 2¾ inches stumpy. It is also available in various shapes.
Different Kinds of Paring Knife
The various types of paring knives are:
- Spear Point Parer: This knife is similar to the chef’s knife and is used for light chopping.
- Bird’s Beak Parer: This knife is used to trim small, spherical shaped vegetables.
- Miniature Boning Knife: With an S-shape, this knife is used to bone the small bird’s meat.
- Sheep’s Foot Parer: This knife is in the shape of an animal hoof and is used for paring and peeling.
- Clip Point Parer: This knife has a cutting edge with upward curves used for cleaning the unwanted parts of vegetable and fruits.
How to Find the Best Paring Knife for Your Kitchen?
There are numerous paring knives available in the market and each knife has its own pros and cons. To complete your kitchen task with precision and perfectly, here are a few tips that will help you select the best paring knife.
- Grip of the knife: Knives are used on an everyday basis and thus it is very important to consider its grip while purchasing it. The first thing you should look for in it is its grip. An ideal knife should have a good handle which will automatically give a good grip. The handle of the knife should not be heavy and should have a good balance between the knife and the handle.
- Well Shaped Blade with Pointed Tips: Since there are numerous paring knives, you should always consider the work you want that knife to do and then search for the perfect blade that has pointed tips. Each knife has a different blade and performs different tasks.
- Warranties and Guarantees: Prior to buying the knife, you should always look into its manufacturer warranty and guarantee. There are various knives that come with lifetime guarantee and thus are the best ones to buy it.
- Tang of Knife: One thing that people should never neglect while purchasing the knife is its tang. Tang is the extension of the metal plate in the handle and comes in three types – full, partial and rat tail.
The Best Paring Knife to Make Your Work Easier
There are various paring knives available in the market but the best paring knife is the one that will make your work easier and simpler. Here are a few paring knives that have high demand in the market:
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00005MEGH” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”icamerarev006-20″ cart=”n” localize=”n” popups=”n”]Wusthof Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife:[/easyazon_link]
This knife is one of the best paring knife available in the market. It has an overall length of 12.4 inches with a 9.6 inch blade that is extremely sharp and pointed. As compared to other knives, it has a sturdier feel with good proportions and comfortable to use. It is best known for peeling, cutting and precision; however lacks in edge retention. It means that the knife would need sharpening more frequently as compared to the forged steel knives. The forged steel knives are softer than the stamped knives, though they are heavy in weight.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00004RFMO” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”icamerarev006-20″ cart=”n” localize=”n” popups=”n”]J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Classic 4-inch Paring Knife:[/easyazon_link]
This knife is small and light in weight offering versatility. It helps in peeling, cutting, garnishing and cleaning vegetables and fruits. It is made of high-carbon German stainless steel with hot-drop forged bolsters and blades. With a full-tang triple-rivet handle, this knife offers easy work in kitchen and is safe to be washed by hand with a lifetime manufacturer warranty.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00BQ83CBY” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”icamerarev006-20″ cart=”n” localize=”n” popups=”n”]Shun VB0700 Sora Paring Knife:[/easyazon_link]
This knife has a 3-1/2 inch blade for coring and paring fruits and vegetables. It also features a VG 10 cutting core along with stainless steel thereby creating a san mai edge which offers stain resistance. The blades of this knife have a mirror polished Japanese 420J blade upper and a 16 degree cutting edge. It is made with a conventional handle design.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B000P1R9QW” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”icamerarev006-20″ cart=”n” localize=”n” popups=”n”]Kyocera Revolution Series 3-1/7- Inch Paring Knife:[/easyazon_link]
This paring knife is also preferred by users when it comes to value for money. Though the other knives are better but this series offers two different white coloured knives in one set. It offers a 3 inch paring knife and 5-1/2 inch Santoku knife known for its ceramic blades that never rusts. Strong and durable blades, this knife is the best gift to any woman in the kitchen as it allows easy cutting and peeling. It has a uniquely shaped and ergonomically designed resin handle which helps in reducing fatigue during repetitive cutting. It is impervious to substances like oil, acid, juices and other elements which prevent rusting.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B008JCGJE2″ locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”icamerarev006-20″ cart=”n” localize=”n” popups=”n”]Chicago Cutlery DesignPro Parer Knives:[/easyazon_link]
This parer knife offers an innovative grip that offers you superior cutting and control. It offers effortless cutting due to its ultra sharpness and has superior quality Japanese steel blades. The bolster has laser etched dots which helps you to know where to place your fingers and how to hold the knife. It also provides you with full array of knives needed for chopping and other cutlery needs. it offers you the control to trim and cut small vegetables and fruits.
