The Best Paring Knives You Can Buy Right Now

Most professionals, myself included, will argue that you just actually solely want three knives to finish most kitchen duties: a chef’s knife, serrated knife, and paring knife. (In fact want and need are two various things!) However you’re right here, studying this put up, so you understand I’m going to give attention to that final knife for now: the tiny-yet-mighty paring knife. 

Paring knives are nice for prep duties, like slicing fruit, cheese, shallots, and extra. And due to their small, skinny blades, they’re exact, making them very best for deveining shrimp, coring tomatoes, peeling apples, and hulling strawberries. If you need accuracy and dexterity, a paring knife is the proper alternative for the job. 

Not all paring knives are the identical, although. Some are larger than others. Some have giant handles or barely-there grips. And a few are far too boring, even proper out of the field. Which is why I rounded up dozens of paring knives from a number of the high manufacturers on the market and put them to the take a look at. I evaluated how sharp the knives had been, how maneuverable they had been, and the way snug they had been to carry. Right here’s what I came upon. 

I’m the Instruments Editor at Kitchn and a professional kitchen equipment tester. I beforehand labored at America’s Check Kitchen and my critiques on subjects like stand mixers, induction burners, toaster ovens, and multicookers have been revealed in Prepare dinner’s Illustrated, Prepare dinner’s Nation, and on the America’s Check Kitchen web site. My work has additionally been featured on America’s Check Kitchen’s and Prepare dinner’s Nation’s tv applications. I even have a slight obsession with kitchen knives.

For kitchen duties that require precision, like mincing shallots, deveining shrimp, and peeling fruit, you need a knife that’s sharp and stays that means. To gauge how initially sharp the knives had been, I held a bit of copy paper tightly in a single hand and tried to slice by way of it with every knife (getting a brand new piece of paper every time, after all). A pointy knife ought to simply glide by way of the paper. I repeated this take a look at on the finish of testing, too, to see which knives retained their edge. 

One of the best paring knives are razor-sharp and keep that means. They can not solely cleanly slice paper, but additionally tomatoes with out squishing the fruit. They need to additionally be capable to peel apples, and peel and phase oranges. Additionally they have sharp, pointed ideas that simply hull strawberries. 

An awesome paring knife must be nimble, too, to match the small duties their stature excels at. The size of the blade has quite a bit to do with this. I discover knives which have 3.25- to three.50-inch blades to be the best size. Something shorter and it’s too small to simply slice by way of an entire tomato; something bigger and it’s too tough to peel fruit or hull strawberries. 

There are another components that additionally affect dexterity: the lightness of the knife, flexibility of the blade, and the thickness and width of the blade. So far as I’m involved, the lighter the paring knife, the higher and simpler it’s to make use of. A blade that’s barely versatile can also be useful, because it actually hugs the curve of fruit and is ready to match into tighter, exact areas. A thick knife blade provides weight and makes the knife really feel unwieldy in hand. And a wider knife blade is simply too giant for delicate duties, like hulling strawberries or peeling apples. 

Amongst the entire paring knives I attempted, there have been a variety of completely different deal with types. Some have large, thick handles, whereas others have squared corners or super-slim handles. Of those, I just like the latter probably the most, as they really feel probably the most snug in hand. Thicker and/or longer handles make the knife really feel much less dexterous and add weight. Nevertheless, that is additionally a matter of private desire — as some folks (like my 6’8” husband) dislike the texture of a featherlight paring knife in hand, and would somewhat have one thing a bit bulkier to carry onto.

I judged the entire paring knives on the next standards, on a scale of 1 to five (1 being the worst and 5 being the perfect).

This knife is cheap, tremendous sharp, and, greenback for greenback, the finest paring knife you should purchase. It has a skinny, nimble blade that simply slices by way of tomatoes and peels apples and peels and segments oranges. It additionally has an agile, pointed tip that simply hulls strawberries. Its skinny, pretty lengthy plastic deal with feels snug in palms of all sizes and is simple to choke up on and securely grip. It’s ergonomic and feels prefer it was molded simply on your hand. Is it fancy? No. Nevertheless it works extremely nicely.  

Who it’s finest for: Anybody in want of a nimble, cheap paring knife. 
Good to know: This knife is also available in enjoyable coloured handles, like pink, orange, inexperienced, and yellow — all of that are lower than $9. 

Like virtually all World knives, this paring knife has a dimpled deal with. This type could be polarizing — and I discover folks both actually like or actually don’t prefer it. Personally, I like it. Whereas the knife is heavier than the Victorinox, the deal with is tremendous grippy and has an inlet that’s snug on your fingers to relaxation in. It’s additionally extremely sharp and works nicely for slicing, peeling, and hulling. Should you’re a fan of World knives, you received’t be upset by this man.

Who it’s finest for: Those that are followers of World knives or want to check out a deal with that’s completely different from the norm.
Good to know: This knife is also available in a 3-inch dimension.

I additionally need to name out this knife, which is completely completely different in comparison with the World choice above, however remains to be extremely snug to carry. It has a skinny, rounded deal with that’s soft and grippy. It’s light-weight, sharp, and nimble and it’s straightforward to slice and peel with. Its tip curves barely upwards, which implies it takes extra finesse to hull strawberries and that the blade feels a bit brief for slicing tomatoes. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless an extremely nimble, unbelievable paring knife. 

Who it’s finest for: Should you’d like a light-weight paring knife with a rounded, snug deal with.
Good to know: This knife’s deal with is available in some cool colours, like Lilac Gray and Blue Gray. If you need a set of knives with matching handles, Materials additionally makes a serrated knife and chef’s knife.

For individuals who would favor a heavier, extra substantial-feeling paring knife, this is a superb alternative. Its blade is wider and its deal with bulkier, which makes it tougher to maneuver throughout extra dexterous duties, like hulling strawberries. Nevertheless, you could nicely like a knife with slightly heft. And that being stated, it’s nonetheless super-sharp, pretty light-weight, and nimble. And whereas it’s not practically as low-cost because the Victorinox, it’s moderately priced at $30. I additionally actually just like the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro 3-Inch Paring Knife, which has a shorter and barely wider blade, however is in any other case just like the Misen when it comes to design. 

Who it’s finest for: Should you’d choose a knife with some heft over one which’s featherlight. 
Good to know: This knife is obtainable as a part of a knife set. 

When you’ve got giant palms and discover shorter paring knives too, ahem, brief (or simply choose a much bigger knife) a barely longer paring knife could possibly be a superb match. This mannequin by Shun has a rounded, snug deal with that feels snug in hand and grippy. Its blade is wider, however nonetheless nimble, and it has a pointy, pointed tip that’s nice for hulling strawberries. As a result of it’s longer, it feels much less maneuverable at instances. Nevertheless, its barely bigger dimension means it simply slices by way of complete tomatoes. This knife is also available in a 3 1/2-inch blade, which is worth it to take a look at, too.

Who it’s finest for: Should you’d choose an extended paring knife as an alternative of, or along with, a shorter one.
Good to know: This knife is certainly a splurge price-wise, however I’ve had a Shun paring knife for about 7 years and am extremely pleased with its high quality. (And it’s my husband’s go-to!)