Within a cutlery set are many different types of knives. For someone not familiar with the different shapes and blade types, knowing when and how to use the various knives can be quite confusing. You can buy the knives individually depending on your needs, or get an entire set for one price. Many people choose cutlery knife sets because they can then have everything they may need to prepare foods for cooking. Understanding the different knives will make the investment even more beneficial to the beginning chef.

Paring Knives

Paring knives are probably the most basic knives used in found in cutlery knife sets. They offer a straight edge that is good peeling fruits and vegetables, as well as cutting the softer foods that you may prepare. The blade is smaller than most other knives, being about 2-3 inches long depending on the maker. Another form of cutlery, known as the utility knife, is basically the same thing as a paring knife, only its blade is typically longer at 4 inches.

Chef's Knives

A chef's knife is seen as an all-purpose cutlery utensil, as it is long and sturdy enough to do many different tasks regarding food preparation. The blade is generally straight edged, and may be 5 to 10 inches in length. These types of knives can chop vegetables, cut meat off a whole chicken or other bird, slice beef, peel fruits and vegetables, and do many other jobs that knives call for. Most sets come with two of these knives, in case one becomes wore out or there are two people working in the kitchen at the same time.

Boning Knives

Boning knives feature long, skinny blades that are good for what the name suggests: removing bones from animal meat. There are two typical varieties of these knives found in cutlery sets: carving knives and fillet knives. Carving knives are geared towards cutting beef and chicken, while fillet knives offer flexibility that work well with cutting the meat off of the bones of fish.

Serrated Knives

Serrated knives have very long blades. Their length makes them good for slicing meats, bread, fruits, and vegetables. If you purchase this one separately, you will not want to invest a good deal of money on them. Serrated blades are generally not sharpened after they wear out, as they are easier just to replace. If you purchase a cutlery set, you may receive 3-4 of these serrated knives just for that reason.

As you can see, cutlery knife sets can offer a number of cutting utensils that you can use in the kitchen. It is helpful to understand the functions of each knife in order to use them to their best abilities. Having one knife for every job can lead to poorly prepared food, or even injury to your fingers or hands. For this reason, it is important to use the different knives for their own purposes when preparing foods to be cooked.