Best Paring Knife

Best Paring Knife A good paring knife is used for tricky jobs such as orange segmenting, mincing segmenting an orange, deveining shrimp or prawns, very fine cut of onions or shallots. A paring knife is also used for peeling fruits or vegetables when a sharp paring knife is needed. In fact, there are unlimited used for this knife and it is the most used knife. Basically all kitchen chefs have at least one maybe more.

Unlike other kinds of knives, this knife comes in a variety of styles of blades. It could be curved, serrated, and there is also one with a hooked blade. However, regardless of the blade style their use remains the same. Its primary use is to tackle complicated or delicate preparation work that larger knives are not designed to handle. Features such as a reinforced handle, extra strength steel, or good balance aren’t really as important in a paring knife, because most of the work is done primarily with your hand. Since they come in several shapes, sizes, and styles, it’s a good idea to know what each style does. I am sure that sounds confusing but really it’s not. There are basically four general styles for many tasks.

What to Look For in a Paring Knife

They are the chef paring which does general task not assigned to the others. Then, there is the Sheep’s Foot. This knife is used for trimming or peeling fruits and vegetables. The deboning knife is self-explanatory but it is really a scaled down version of the big boning knife only used for small game birds such as Quail or Cornish Hens to debone. The Wavy Edge cuts hard skinned fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumber easily. Another, the Bird’s Beak that has a forward curved edge blade which is a perfect choice for peeling apples, potatoes, or fluting. Pitting olives or other small fruit or vegetables can be made easier with the Clip Point, but this one is rarely used in homes. It is designed mainly for big scale professional use. As you can see, there are several styles but the generally refer to the size or style blade on the paring knife. However, there are some features that would be desired on a good quality paring knife, regardless of size, blade, or style.

Full Tang

First, let me explain what a Tang is. It is the metal part of a knife that runs through the handle. The best Tang is a full one. If you can see it in the middle of the handle all the way to the back of it, it represents a better quality of knife. However, there are many paring knives of excellent quality with only partial Tangs.

Weight

Another quality to look for is the weight of the knife. In some cases, heavy is what not to look for. Weight can be a limitation. When it comes to precise cutting and tedious tasks, you want one as lightweight as possible. That way, it can move around in your hand without difficulty as you move around to cut. However, it is best to pick the weight that feels good to you in your hand.

Handle

The quality of the handle is a specifically important point to look for in a paring knife, especially if you are a commercial chef. It should be durable, snug fitting, and give you good grip.

Paring Knife Reviews

Miyabi Japanese Paring Knife

The Miyabi knife is by far the best quality of paring knife. The 5G micro-carbide powdered steel Tang is visible throughout the beautiful Damascus flower designed Karelian Birchwood handle. The handle feels very comfortable in the palm as you glide smoothly through peelings.

It is lightweight and effortless to do precise tasks. It is handmade made in Japan and razor sharp. This knife’s razor sharpness does not dull when coated with mineral oil periodically either. Although not as important as some qualities, this knife has good balance and on looking at it at first, it looks like the handle would slip out of our hand, but it doesn’t. It feels really good and is easy to hold. Very good quality for the price. You will not be disappointed in buying this knife.


Wusthof Straight Paring Knife

This paring knife, dubbed the “Kitchen Workhorse” can be used for dicing, slicing, and chopping with ease. It is also razor sharp and did not need sharpening either after repeated tasks. It comes with a full Tang as well as triple riveted handle and the air pockets along the edge push food off effortlessly for easy cleaning.

It is forged out of a solid piece of high carbon stainless steel that is tempered for resilience. As an added bonus, this knife has a finger guard for extra protection. If you are looking for good quality at an affordable price, this knife is your go to. It is very affordable and boasts the same qualities as its more expensive competitor. It seems to meet the very strictest quality standards in every feature. You can’t go wrong with this best value knife.


Global 3.5

The Global paring knife is ideal for peeling, paring, and coring you favorite fruits. It is ergonomically correct with an especially easy grip made of a dimple pattern. Even if your hands are wet, it has a great grip.

The handle is hollow and you would think at first glance to be cheaply made, however, they are very good quality knives at a lower price. It is perfectly balanced, even though it has a small Tang and has a nice rounded handle for excellent grip and maneuverability. These knives are the budget pick of the group but they are well worth the amount you would pay for them.

They stood up to the hype about them. I would buy these knives again at this low price as they have very good quality built into them.


ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Paring Knife

This paring knife is very economical with enhanced precision and comfort. It is designed for the Western style of rocking while cutting.

This guarantees that the full blade can be used for cutting but requires it to be sharpened after several tasks. It becomes dull very easy but with care, it would make a useful knife. The bolster is curved for improved cutting precision for intricate dicing as well as and id forged from a single piece of no stain steel which may be why it is significantly weightier than the more expensive paring knives.

I am not sure about the precision quality of the cuts from this knife because of this. Seems to have a wider feel in the palm than the other three as well. For an all-purpose, small kitchen knife, the size and quality are quite good. The price is very reasonable which a good pitch for this particular knife.


Mac Knife Professional Paring Knife

The Mac Knife is known as one of the sharpest brands of knives today with a lightweight Pakka Wood handle and 2 millimeter thick full Tang blade.

This paring knife is used for very delicate maneuvering while cutting such as melon balls or taking out small seeds. I could not tell if it had Full Tang or not. It was not visible and the box didn’t say it. Also, it is not the kind to wash in the dishwasher, however. Hand wash only to protect the finish. It is not stain resistant. This one stayed sharp longer for me but it did not come sharp. First cut felt dull. I had to sharpen it immediately, however it did stay sharp for a long time.

But, it was balanced well and felt good on the palm but for the price, I expected more out of it. For this reason, I probably would not buy this one. Especially, since the brand boasts they are the sharpest in the world. The Zwilling was sharper out of the box and at a comparable price.


Zelite Infinity Paring Knife 4 Inch

The Zelite-Infinity Knife is also a good knife at the comparable price of the Mac Knife. This knife has very striking looks. It has insignificant slicing resistance and Full Tang is evident. Riveted slim, lightweight handle felt good in my hand. It is made of premium Japanese steel. It is also non-stick and stain resistant.

It is ergonomic and there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee with it, which is a plus. I did like the flat sided heel. I feel this knife had better quality than the Mac but not as many features as the Zwilling or the Global.


Dalstrong Paring Knife

This knife has a somewhat longer blade than most blades so it can be also used as a utility knife. It is good for just about any chore you would want to perform on vegetables and could also be used for detailed pattern carving.

A woven fiberglass handle fused to a continuous Full Tang tapered blade ensures durability and somewhat good balance. I was impressed that this knife was from steel made in America. As an added bonus, it includes a leather sheath for added safety. The handle was somewhat weighty for my taste but it would fit nicely in a bigger hand. This knife was sufficiently sharpened and remained sharp through repeated tasks and is dishwasher safe.

It was non-stick and onions sliced nicely with it. However, this knife was a little more pricy than the last two with less strong features for the cost.


Final Thoughts

In conclusion, all of these are good knives for any type of chef. All but one met the full Tang and even though the Global did not have a Full Tang, it still performed admirably. Most also met the weight criteria with the exception of one. The handles on all were also nice. You could not go wrong if you chose any one of these.

The Miyabi, by far was the absolutely best knife out of all of these. It is a very well-made, good, quality knife with many excellent features. It performed every task perfectly. The price was somewhat pricy compared to the rest, but it would be well worth the price. Absolutely the best, especially for professional chefs.

The Wusthof-Straight was the next absolute best. This knife met all criteria with added features such as ergonomic, reduced friction, and a full bolster and finger guard. It was also stain resistant.

The Global surprised me the most. At first glance, it looks like it would be heavy and not perform any tasks, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was lightweight, razor sharp, ergonomic, and the Tang was small with a molded handle. Yet, it was well balanced, cut beautifully, and performed admirably. And, the best was the price. Well below the Miyabi, and did almost all of the tasks just as well. In fact, it was one of the lowest prices in this group, yet it outperformed all of the others in many ways.

The Zwilling, Zelite, Mac, and the Dalstrong were all good knives at a very reasonable price. Compared to the others, if I were to choose one over the others, it would be the Global. This knife was impressive at a good budget price, if you are on a fixed budget. But I have to say, the absolute best for performance and features was the Miyabi. It was so impressive with so many good features that it is absolutely worth the amount you would pay for it. You won’t be disappointed in quality craftsmanship if you choose this knife.

Jerry Peterson, Editor In Chief
Jerry Peterson

Jerry is a 34 year old blogger. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and is currently working for a communications company in New York. In his spare time he likes to program computers, go hiking and make knives. Read more about him.

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