What is a Paring Knife ?

The paring knife blade is at its best when working in small spaces.  Peeling apples, de-stemming strawberries or turnips, deveining shrimp, and seeding bell peppers are just a few of the jobs a paring knife excels at.  Its short and thin blade allows for exceptional control that it so important when manuevering in tight spaces.  The sharp tip is also useful for removing potato eyes and other such tasks. A paring knife has a shape profile similar to a chef knife but on a smaller scale.  It is an essential knife to have in the kitchen when intricate cutting jobs present themselves.

PARING KNIFE SHAPE

The ideal paring knife is short with a sharp tip.  Shorter blades are easier to manuever, especially when moving in a circular motion.  A sharp tip allows for easy piercing of tough skin on vegetables or fruit.  The blade can be straight or curved.  For general use a straight blade is preferred as it is more versatile.  Curved blades are ideal for peeling onions or shallots but less effective on straight cuts.  Once you get comfortable with a straight blade there is no need for a curved blade paring knife.

PARING KNIFE SIZE

Paring knifes come in different lengths.  The shortest length (3″ or 7.5 cm) is the essential length to have.  Its size and perfectly balanced shape – combined with the benefits of lightweight ceramic blade – give it special practical and ergonomic advantages.

WHEN TO USE A PARING KNIFE

At its best in tight spaces and when circular motion is required.  Use it for de-stemming, de-seeding and removing blemishes with precision.  Its agility is its strength which makes it ideal for taking apart shrimp or peeling and pitting an avocado.

BEST PARING KNIFE

When looking for the ideal paring knife look for one that fits comfortably in the hand.  This is important in order to manipulate the blade effectively with intricate jobs like peeling cherries or olives.  The D-grip handle on the Kikusumi Paring Knife is ergonomically designed for the hand.  The second point is the blade should be short enough to manipulate easily – remember the longer the blade the more difficult it is to manouver..  3 inches (7.5 cm) is the ideal length of the blade.  The Kikusumi Paring knife is the go-to knife for de-stemming and cutting small fruits and vegetables into beautiful shapes.