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Which one should you buy?

A light, thin paring knife with a 3 to 3½-inch blade and a handle you can grip comfortably. It doesn't need to cost much at all.

Pick	Why	Price
My pick Victorinox 3.25-inch Paring Knife, Large Handle	A straight-edged spear-point blade on a fuller, grippy handle that's easier to hold for bigger hands. Light and inexpensive.	About $16 (October 2026) See it on Amazon
On a budget Victorinox Swiss Classic 3.25-inch Paring Knife	The same blade length on a slimmer, lighter handle. Brilliant value, and thin enough for nimble work in the hand.	About $8 Check the price
Step up Mercer Culinary Renaissance 3.5-inch	Razor-sharp and comfortable in most hands. The handle can feel slippery when wet.	About $26 Check the price

Your chef's knife does most of the work in the kitchen, but it's too big for the fiddly jobs. That's where the little paring knife comes in. It peels and cores apples, hulls strawberries, trims beans, segments an orange and tells you when the potatoes are tender.

It's one of the three knives I think every kitchen needs, alongside a chef's knife and a serrated knife. And because good ones are so inexpensive, it's easy to have more than one.

What a paring knife is for

A paring knife is built for control rather than power. The short blade keeps your hand close to the tip, so you can make small, precise cuts. You'll use it in two ways.

On the board, for small jobs like trimming beans, mincing a shallot or deveining shrimp.
In the air, holding the food in one hand and the knife in the other, for peeling, coring and hulling.

That second way is why the handle matters so much. When there's no board underneath, you need a grip that feels secure, even with wet fingers.

Spear point or sheep's foot?

A spear point, like my pick, has a tip that sits in the middle of the blade. It's the all-rounder, good for piercing, coring and peeling. A sheep's foot has a straight edge and a rounded back that drops to meet it, which suits work on the board. If you're buying one, buy a spear point.

Victorinox Large Handle paring knife at a glance

What	Detail
Blade	3.25 inches
Edge	Straight (not serrated)
Tip	Spear point
Handle	Large black handle, fuller than the Swiss Classic version
Care	Wash and dry by hand

What to look for in a paring knife

Blade length. 3 to 3½ inches is the sweet spot. Longer blades are harder to control for close work.
A thin blade. It slips under apple skin and around a strawberry hull without tearing.
A comfortable handle. Often you'll hold it in the air rather than on the board, so it needs to feel secure.
Light weight. Easy to steer for small, careful cuts.
A sharp, fine tip for coring and detailed work.

The Victorinox ticks all of these. If you have smaller hands or want the lightest knife possible, the Swiss Classic is the same blade on a slimmer handle for half the money.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for you if

You peel, core, hull and trim fruit and veg
You want a cheap, light second knife to go with your chef's knife
You have larger hands and find tiny handles awkward

Skip it if

You already have a petty or utility knife you love (they're longer, about 5 to 6 inches)
You want a sharper, sturdier step up: look at the Mercer Renaissance

How to get the best from it

Peeling in the hand

Hold the fruit in your non-knife hand. Grip the knife with your fingers wrapped round the handle and rest the pad of your thumb on the fruit, below and out of the line of the blade. Make short, slow strokes, drawing the blade towards your thumb but never all the way to it. Go slowly until it feels natural.

Anything round or hard goes on the board

Cutting a hard potato or a slippery onion in your hand is asking for trouble. Put it on the board, cut a flat side so it can't roll, and work from there.

Hulling strawberries

Push the tip in at an angle beside the stalk and turn the strawberry, not the knife. The green top lifts out in a neat little cone.

Is it cooked?

Slide the tip into a potato or a beetroot. If it goes in with no resistance, it's done.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand straight after use. Don't leave it in the sink, where you can't see it and someone can grab the blade.
Keep it out of the dishwasher. Knives knock against other things and dull quickly in there.
Hone and sharpen it along with your chef's knife. Check your sharpener's manual for the shortest blade it can handle.
Store it safely, on a magnetic strip or with a blade guard, never loose in a drawer.

The one rule

If it rolls, it goes on the board.

Questions people ask

What size paring knife should I buy?

A blade of 3 to 3½ inches. Long enough to be useful, short enough to control.

Does a paring knife need to be expensive?

Not at all. Good ones start at under $10. Spend your money on your chef's knife instead.

What's the difference between a paring knife and a utility knife?

A utility or petty knife is longer, about 5 to 6 inches, and sits between a paring knife and a chef's knife. A paring knife is for small, precise jobs.

Can I sharpen a paring knife in an electric sharpener?

Usually, yes. Check the manual for the shortest blade it can take.

Spear point or sheep's foot paring knife?

A spear point is the all-rounder, and the one I'd buy first. A sheep's foot suits board work.

Learn more

See how it fits with your other knives in my Knife Skills lesson, and keep it keen with an Electric Knife Sharpener.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.