Knives & Cutting

Paring Knife

Small, nimble blade for peeling and detailed in-hand work

A short, agile blade for peeling, hulling, and delicate in-hand tasks the big knife is too clumsy for. The fine point handles intricate work like deveining shrimp or coring tomatoes. Keep it razor sharp — it's a precision tool.

A paring knife is the chef's knife's nimble little sibling — a short blade, usually 7–10 cm, made for the close, controlled, in-hand work that a big knife is too clumsy to manage. Peeling an apple held in your palm, hulling strawberries, deveining shrimp, supreming citrus, coring tomatoes, trimming mushrooms, scoring dough: anywhere you need fine precision and an off-the-board grip, the paring knife is the tool. It's the second knife most cooks should own, right after the chef's knife, and it handles a surprising share of small daily tasks.

Because it's used so close to the hand and for such delicate work, sharpness matters even more here than on a big blade — a keen point glides where a dull one tears and slips toward your thumb. Most paring is done in the air rather than on a board, with the fruit or vegetable in one hand and the knife guided by the thumb, so control and a comfortable, secure grip are everything. Keep it razor sharp and treat it as the precision instrument it is.

Types & varieties

Spear-point (straight)

The all-purpose paring shape with a centered point and gently curved edge. The most versatile and the one to buy first.

Bird's-beak / tourné

A curved, hooked blade for peeling round produce and the classic tournéed (barrel-cut) vegetables. Specialized but lovely for curved cuts.

Sheep's-foot

A straight edge with a blunt, dropped tip — stable for slicing small items on a board with less risk from the point.

Serrated paring

A tiny toothed blade that grips slick tomato and citrus skins; cheap and handy, though it can't be honed sharp like a straight edge.

Bird's Beak (Tourné) Paring Knife

Short paring knife with an inward-curving concave blade that hugs round produce, made for tourné cuts, peeling citrus, and hulling strawberries.

How to use it

Most paring happens in your hand, not on a board. Guide the blade with your thumb for control and keep your cutting motions small and deliberate.

Hold the food in one hand and the knife in the other, steadying and guiding the blade with your thumb
Cut away from yourself where possible, with short, controlled strokes
Use the point for hulling, coring, and deveining; the edge for peeling and trimming
For curved produce, let a bird's-beak follow the contour rather than fighting it with a straight blade

Care and safety

A small blade used near the hand is most dangerous when dull or fumbled. Keep it sharp and store the fine tip safely.

Keep it razor sharp — a dull paring knife slips off skins toward your thumb
Hand wash and dry immediately; the dishwasher dulls and corrodes the fine edge
Store it with a blade guard or on a strip so the delicate point doesn't bend or chip in a drawer
Mind your thumb's position when cutting in-hand; keep it behind, not in front of, the edge's path

Common uses

Peeling apples, pears, and small produce in-handHulling strawberries and coring tomatoesDeveining shrimpSupreming and segmenting citrusTrimming mushrooms, beans, and stemsScoring dough and decorative cutsRemoving seeds, eyes, and blemishesFine slicing of garlic, shallots, and chiles

Tips & pitfalls

It's the second knife to own after a chef's knife — together they cover the vast majority of prep.
Keep it sharper than you think you need; precision work punishes a dull edge.
A bird's-beak makes quick work of peeling round fruit and decorative cuts, but the straight spear-point is the daily driver.
Use it in your hand for peeling and hulling — that's its whole reason to exist.
Don't use it as a tiny chef's knife for board chopping; it's too short and you lose the leverage and safety.