Chef Knives - Glossary

	Boning knife	A knife with a blade approximately six inches long, thinner and shorter than the chef's knife used to separate raw meat from bones.
	Bread knives	Usually 8-9 inches long with serrated edges used to cut bread.
	Chef's Knife	All purpose knife used for chopping, slicing and mincing. The blade is 8-14 inches long
	Cleaver	A knife with a rectangular blade heavy enough to cut through bone, used for chopping.
	Deba Knife	Used in Japan for butchering fish and chopping hard vegetables, these knives have a broad blade that is thick at the back and tapers sharply midway down.
	French Knife	All purpose knife for chopping, slicing and mincing. It will usually have a blade of 8-14 inches long.
	Filleting Knife	A Knife with a flexible blade used for filleting fish. It's size is similar to a boning knife.
	Palette knife	A long-handled wide knife with a rounded blade and blunt sides, made from metal or plastic or a combination of the two. It us used to remove portions of food from baking trays, turning food that is being cooked in a pan or spreading icing or whipped cream evenly over a cake.
	Paring knife	A short knife with a 2-4 inch blade used for paring and trimming vegetables and fruits.
	Sashimi knife	It has a long, extreme thin blade for preparing sashimi and sushi.
	Tako knife	It has a long, thin blade with a blunt tip used in eastern Japan for precisely filleting and slicing fish.
	Slicer	This knife has a long blade with a round or pointed tip, which can be flexible or rigid. It may be taper-ground or have a fluted edge. It is used for slicing cooked meat. Some cooks make a distinction between a heavier, thicker carving knife (for cutting through joints) and a lighter, thinner slicing knife.
	Tourne knife	A knife with a curved blade, the size of a paring knife.
	Usuba knife	Japanese equivalent of the Chinese cleaver, used for precise cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing.
	Santoku knife	Japanese equivalent of a European chef's knife but has a shorter, narrower blade, low tip instead of a point and a straighter edge. It is ideal for slicing vegetables.
	Utility knife	A chef's knife that is 5 to 6-1/2 inches long, and sometimes has a serrated edge it can grip tomatoes and soft-skinned fruits. The serrations make them less useful for making clean cuts.
	Yanagi knife	The western Japanese equivalent of the tako, but has a pointed blade.