Paring and utility knives

The short paring knife (most often a "petty" but there are other shorter utility knife shapes) is for jobs like peeling fruit and vegetables, intricate tasks and working with smaller ingredients are a useful sidekick and often paired with an all round chef's knife to cover a wide range of jobs.

Most commonly ranging from 75 - 150mm in blade length, the compact size and scaled handles provide a secure grip and are easy to use on both a cutting board and for other tasks when you might hold the ingredient in hand.

Frequently Asked Questions about Paring and utility knives

Why do I need a paring knife (or a short utility knife)?

For many of our customers, both professional chefs and passionate home cooks the smaller paring or utility knife (which include the petty, ko-bunka, ko-santoku and sabaki shapes) are useful peeling knives and ideal for working on small ingredients and doing intricate tasks that a longer chef knife might not be ideally suited for.

Should I buy a stainless or carbon steel utility knife?

There is a huge variety of steel choice available in all Japanese knives and paring and utility knives are no different. Some prefer the traditional carbon steel core for edge retention but with many modern powder steels there are also a wide range of excellent stainless steel blade options that won't react with the acids and moisture in your foods for easier care and maintenance.

How are petty, utility and paring knives made?

In common with many Japanese knives, the petty, utility and paring knife style is made from a variety of carbon steels such as Shirogami, Aogami and high quality stainless steel including popular steels such as Ginsan, SG2, VG10 or a mix of both to ensure the knife's sharpness and durability in use are always reliable the performance precise.

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