How to Choose the Best Paring Knife
Blade
The hidden gem of every cook's kitchen- the paring knife. Hopefully you find its usefulness as grand as we do, so we can help you choose the perfect paring knife to fit your specific needs. When choosing a paring knife, the blade type definitely matters. This knife may be dainty, but you want it to serve its purpose without needing to replace it due to chips, breaks, and constantly dull edges. This is why we recommend a quality stainless steel high-carbon blade, as featured in our recommended knives below. A stainless steel high-carbon blade is rust and stain resistant, and it will keep a sharp edge long after you purchase it, or sharpen it. Keep in mind, paring knives should be able to cut through nuts, easily core and deseed vegetables, and mince small herbs and veggies painlessly. Opting for a high quality blade is always worth it, and a paring knife is no exception.
Length
Depending on the style, paring knives vary in length from about 3 to 4 inches. A great feature of their small blade length is being able to cut in the air, off the cutting board. This makes peeling onions and garlic and slicing strawberries and citrus a breeze. You'll have optimal control with such a small blade, and the smallest amount of fatigue (if any) you've ever felt while chopping.
Handle
Since paring knives are so small and light weight, you want a handle that will match those features. A thin handle with grip works best with a paring knife. You definitely won't want an oversized heavy handle, that will just throw off the balance and comfort of the knife- defeating the purpose of the paring knife completely. Our knives listed below feature a thin, gripped handle that is easy to clean and has an impervious blade to handle NSF seal. No matter the style of handle you choose, you want to keep grip and longevity of the material in mind. A wood handle is not going to last as long as a durable plastic handle would, and wood is known to trap water and harbor bacteria over time.
Style
As listed below, there are many styles of paring knives. For starters, the serrated edge is a great beginners paring knife. It offers you more control than a non-serrated edge would. If you don't want or need the added control of serration, there are many other non-serrated options available. Classic or spear tip paring knives, like the iCut-PRO paring knife listed below, are great for small precise cuts that a chef knife could not do due to its size. After all, its blade shape mocks that of a chef knife- it is just a much smaller in comparison. A straight edge paring knife with no "belly" like the classic style, is similar to the spear tip paring knife but its straight edge offers more surface area to cut. You are able to make long thin slices in one cut with this knife, compared to using a rocking motion with the food placed in the middle of the blade with the classic style. Similar to the straight edge paring knife is the clip point paring knife. The added benefit of the clip point paring knife will allow you to easily maneuver the knife to confidently skin small fruits and vegetables. If you find a classic or straight edge paring knife just doesn't cut it when you're trying to peel or carve certain fruits and veggies, add a clip point paring knife to your collection.