Specialty Knives You Didn't Know You Needed

If you are a novice cook, basic knives like chef knives, utility knives and paring knives allow you to get a lot done. But, sometimes you need a certain knife for a specific job and once you use it you’ll realize that there are some specialty knives that are invaluable.

I think I have mentioned before that prior to coming to Cutco (20 years ago) I didn’t enjoy food prep. I used hand-me-down cheap knives that couldn’t even cut butter. When I think back on it, I wonder why I put up with it for so long.

Eventually I got my Cutco knives and continued to practice chopping, slicing and dicing. Once I got the hang of the basic knives, I graduated to some specialty knives that, today, I couldn’t live without.

Here is my breakdown of specialty knives that you didn’t know you needed.

Specialty Knives You Didn’t Know You Needed

Butcher Knife: Features a heavy-duty, sharp blade with a wide belly and slightly curved blade for precision cutting.

• Section meat
• Disjoint chicken
• Slice watermelon
• Cut winter squash

Gourmet Prep Knife: Features a hefty sharp, Double-D® edge and pointed tip for slicing through thick-skinned foods.

• Cut small melons
• Slice hard salami
• Core cabbage
• Cut florets from cauliflower

Boning Knife: Features a sharp, thin, flexible blade with a pointed tip for working around bones, slicing and trimming.

• Remove bones from chicken
• Butterfly pork loin
• Trim fat from beef
• Slice venison

Salmon Knife: Features a long, sharp, flexible blade for smooth slicing of delicate flesh.

• Remove salmon skin
• Slice smoked salmon
• Cut tuna fillets
• Fillet seabass

Traditional Cheese Knife: Features a sharp, Micro Double-D(TM)-edge blade for easy slicing, and a perforated blade to prevent foods from sticking.

• Cut cheese
• Halve grapes
• Slice tomatoes
• Slice lemons and limes

Whether you’re choosing your starter knives or ready to add some specialty knives to your collection, take into consideration the knife edge. Straight-edge knives are for more controlled, clean cuts of food like onions, carrots and herbs. Cutco’s Double-D® and Micro Double-D(TM) edges are generally for cutting foods with harder outsides than insides, like tomatoes, grapes and bread.