Kitchen Knives

Different Types of Kitchen Knives

Chef Knife

Chef knives are commonly crafted with a pointed tip and a distinct edge design characterized by a gentle curve (belly), promoting a fluid rocking movement. This rocking action enables you to maintain a continuous cutting motion without the need to lift the knife from the cutting board's surface. This reduces user fatigue and lessens prep times across your kitchen preparation. Chef Knives are typically found in lengths of 8 to 12 inches. Good for various food prep duties like slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing, and disjointing large cuts of meat. You can check out REC's selection of Chef knives.

Santoku Knife

Santoku knives, hailing from Japan, are typically characterized by their shorter, lighter, and more slender profile when compared to Western-style chef knives. They typically boast a blade length of 6-7 inches, in contrast to the standard 8-inch size of a home cook's chef knife. Santoku knives excel at precision slicing, capable of creating exceptionally thin food slices. However, they are not the go-to choice for tasks such as cleaving large meat bones, cutting through soft breads, or handling peeling duties. To explore Santoku knives.

Nakiri Knife

The Nakiri knife, a traditional Japanese-style blade, is primarily designed for precise slicing, dicing, and chopping of vegetables. Its distinguishing feature is the straight and symmetrical blade, which encourages a particular cutting technique. Nakiri knives can be likened to the Western-style counterpart of a single-edged Japanese usuba or vegetable knife. They are often employed for tasks such as creating Julienne, Brunoise, and Allumette cuts, and are particularly adept at transferring chopped vegetables seamlessly from the cutting board into pans. REC offers a fine selection of Nakiri knives.

Paring Knife

The humble Paring knife, a ubiquitous presence in kitchens worldwide, is often considered the linchpin of any kitchen toolkit. A Paring knife is a diminutive blade, typically measuring under 8 inches in length, sporting a non-serrated curved blade, usually less than 4 inches long. Its nomenclature reflects its supreme ability: "paring," which means stripping or peeling. This versatile knife is your go-to tool for a myriad of smaller kitchen tasks. It excels at handling petite vegetables, peeling fruits, effortlessly slicing irregularly shaped items, mincing delicate ingredients like garlic and onions, coring tomatoes, preparing fruit for salads, halving avocados, or segmenting fruits for snacking. What sets Paring knives apart is their remarkable utility in situations where you need to keep a firm grip on the food you're cutting, and they shine in scenarios where a cutting board isn't a necessity.

Cleaver

A kitchen cleaver, in stark contrast to the petite Paring knife, is a veritable giant in the kitchen with a hefty, broad rectangular blade that dwarfs most other knives. Typically measuring between 6 to 8 inches in length, this culinary behemoth is as imposing as it is utilitarian. The hallmark of a cleaver is its weighty, blade-forward design, making it almost feel like it's eager to tackle demanding tasks. Cleavers shine in situations where an up-and-down chopping motion is needed to get the job done. These robust blades are the undisputed champions when it comes to breaking down meat and bones. They can deftly slice through thick cuts of beef, lamb, or pork and make quick work of separating ribs or hacking through joints. Cleavers can also take on the task of unyielding vegetables. Looking to mince a butternut squash, pumpkin or cabbage? A cleaver is the proper tool. Not to mention they are just super fun to use.

Bread Knife

Bread knives are unsung heroes in the world of kitchen cutlery, often overlooked but genuinely transformative when it comes to the delicate art of slicing soft, fresh-baked goods. These knives boast a unique and clever design with serrated teeth that play a pivotal role in the process. In between those pointed edges, you'll find scalloped areas that handle the softer, more delicate breadcrumb. This duality is where the bread knife's genius truly shines. While the serrated teeth grip and fracture the tough exterior, the scalloped areas provide smooth and clean slicing through the tender interior. The result? Perfectly uniform slices of bread with a contrast of crispy crust and soft, fluffy crumb, just as it's meant to be. Looking to keep your warm loaves intact? Explore our bread knives. Just remember to warm your butter so Aunt Sue doesn't mutilate your Rosemary bread scraping cool butter over her slice.

Carving Knife

Carving knives are like the graceful conductors of the kitchen orchestra, sporting long and slender blades that are tailor-made for the art of carving and serving meats. But their talents don't stop at meat alone; they're also versatile enough to handle the slicing of fruits and vegetables when the need arises. While the Chef's knife rocks a broader blade and is your go-to tool for chopping mountains of ingredients, the carving knife opts for a more refined path, favoring precision and elegance. With its lean and lithe frame, the carving knife excels at carving up a variety of meats, whether they're in their raw, uncooked state, or roasted to perfection. It allows you to create those flawless, paper-thin slices that elicit oohs and aahs at the dining table. Carving knives should be spared from any bone-hacking or encounters with tough, hard materials. Their blades tend to be flexible, which is a strategic feature when dealing with denser meats. This flexibility ensures delicate, surgical precision, allowing you to effortlessly carve that Thanksgiving turkey or your Sunday roast into impeccably uniform servings, worthy of a standing ovation. Explore carving knives!

Kitchen Accessories

From BBQ sets, Shears, Honing Steels, Camellia Knife Oil, sharpening systems, and more. REC has you covered for all of your kitchen cutlery needs. From apartment kitchens to professional back-of-house needs. Explore kitchen accessories. We look forward to helping you.

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Shun

Shun Sora 9" Combo Honing Steel - VB0790

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The Sora Combination Honing Steel is used to hone your knives, that is, to gently realign the cutting edge of your Shun cutlery. With each use of your knife, the edge naturally bends over just a tiny...
Shun

Shun Sora 3.5" Paring Knife - VB0700

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Shun

Shun Sora 6" Utility Knife - VB0701

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A utility knife is between a chef's knife and a paring knife, but its blade is narrower and straighter. This makes it perfect for a multitude of small tasks where more precise cuts are needed,...
Shun

Shun Sora 6" Chef's Knife - VB0723

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The Shun Sora 6-in. Chef's Knife is particularly lightweight and highly maneuverable. Of course, like all chef's knives, it is an all-purpose blade ideal for a wide variety of cutting tasks—slicing,...
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Shun Premier 7" Asian Cook's Knife - TDM0760

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In Japan, this knife style is known as a gyuto and is the Japanese equivalent of the chef's knife. It's an all-purpose knife ideal for meat and fish, yet it also performs beautifully on vegetables...
Shun

Shun Premier 6" Chef's Knife - TDM0723

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A chef's knife is a personal choice. That's why Shun offers so many different lines and blade lengths. For instance, in the same way that some cooks prefer a longer chef's knife, others prefer a...
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Shun Premier 9.5" Slicing Knife - TDM0704

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Cut thin, even slices every time. With the Shun Premier Slicing Knife's longer length, narrower blade, and Shun-sharp edge, you can make long, even slices without tearing or sawing. This kind of...
Shun

Shun Premier 9" Bread Knife - TDM0705

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If you bake or buy whole loaves of bread, a bread knife will be one of the most-used knives in your kitchen. Whether you love wonderfully crusty or delicately tender bread, the Shun Premier Bread...
Shun

Shun Premier 8" Chef's Knife - TDM0706

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Your chef's knife will be the most-used knife in your kitchen, so you'll want to find the one that feels like an extension of your arm. The beautiful Shun Premier 8-in. Chef's Knife could be the one...
Shun

Shun Premier 7" Santoku - TDM0702

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The Shun Premier 7-in. Santoku is a beautiful, Asian-inspired chef's knife that many cooks today have added to their kitchen favorites. A knife of many talents, a santoku easily handles all the basic...
Shun

Shun Premier 6.5" Utility Knife - TDM0701

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A good utility knife is the third member of your must-have kitchen knife line up. In size, it's between a chef's knife and a paring knife, making it the perfect size for all those in-between tasks...
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Shun Premier 5.5" Santoku - TDM0727

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All cooks have certain tools that really work for them. That's one of the reasons Shun makes so many different types of kitchen knives; so you can always find the ones that work best for you. The...
KAI USA

KAI Pro 7" Cleaver - HT7067

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The Kai PRO 7-inch Cleaver has a big, thick blade suitable for cutting larger cuts of bone-in meat or breaking down whole poultry. Use it to separate spareribs or break down chicken or turkey. Chop...
KAI USA

Kai Pro 10" Chef's - HT7078

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The 10-in. Kai PRO Chef's Knife is the choice for cooks who simply prefer a longer knife. The additional blade length gives you more cutting leverage and is especially handy when it comes to...
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Kai Pro 7" Asian Utility - HT7077

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KAI PRO Asian Utility Knife The PRO Asian Utility Knife is made with versatility in mind for just about every kitchen task. Use the sharp tip for peeling and the long, straight edge for portioning...
KAI USA

Kai Pro 6.5" Boning Fillet - HT7070

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Kershaw PRO 6.5" Boning/Fillet Knife The PRO Boning/Fillet Knife delivers exactly what the name promises with a narrow, sharp, curved blade that gets in close to the bone for easy separation of meat...
Spyderco

Spyderco K20PBL Counter Puppy Blue Plain

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Counter Puppies are an exciting new concept in kitchen cutlery. Their injection-molded high-impact plastic handles are shaped like the stylized body and legs of a puppy. This novel design allows them...
Spyderco

Spyderco K20SPR Counter Puppy Purple Serrated

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Counter Puppies are an exciting new concept in kitchen cutlery. Their injection-molded high-impact plastic handles are shaped like the stylized body and legs of a puppy. This novel design allows them...
Spyderco

Spyderco K20SBL Counter Puppy Blue Serrated

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Counter Puppies are an exciting new concept in kitchen cutlery. Their injection-molded high-impact plastic handles are shaped like the stylized body and legs of a puppy. This novel design allows them...
Spyderco

Spyderco Murray Carter Wakiita Gyuto Chef Knife K19G

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Translated as "cow blade," the Gyuto is the Japanese equivalent of the Western chef's knife. Its versatile design is suitable for slicing, carving, chopping, an