Best Paring Knives Review in 2023

Nowadays, paring knives are often used to clean shrimps, peel onions and even slice bigger pieces of food such as mangos. Moreover, best paring knives are often made from steel. However, this could mean almost five types of stainless steel. When you go shopping for the best paring knife, try to look for the ones that are stamped from stainless steel meaning they have been fully cut from the stainless plate using a pre-designed shape.

These knives tend to be the most durable and long lasting regardless of whether you hand wash it or toss it in the dishwasher. Plus, some paring knives could also be made from forged stainless steel. Forged knives mean that they were handcrafted by skilled artists over a long process involving several processes such as heat treating the knife for added strength and flexibility.

These knives are considered to be the premium paring knives however with the quality the price also goes up hence you must be prepared to spend at least a few hundred dollars for an authentic forged paring knife from durable stainless steel.

Top 9 Best Paring Knives Review in 2023

Victorinox Swiss Classic Paring Knives

Beautiful Victorinox 4 inch paring knife made from durable stainless steel blade and ergonomically designed handle for added stability and balance. The blade is very sharp and great for small and accurate cuts, especially on meat and vegetable slices.

The handle is made from light material that does not absorb smells, bacteria or microbes thus requiring minimal anti-bacterial cleaning. High quality has been noted by customers who have bought this 4-inch paring knife as well as its ease of cleaning.

ZYLISS Utility Paring Kitchen Knife

A beautiful and sleek paring knife manufactured by Zyliss, it will become a great choice for quick kitchen tasks such as chopping, slicing, and cutting all sorts of meat, vegetables and fruits. The blade is stainless steel that is coated with carbon and customers have reported that it is fairly easy to sharpen it.

Not that you will have to as this paring knife arrives very sharp straight out of the box. The handle is made from textured plastic that helps it stay in place and not slip during use thus causing potentially serious injuries. Plus, the design is ergonomic with slight rubber balls on the handle hence your hand will not get tired.

Also, the packaging comes with a blade guard so as to protect it from getting blunt, scratched or scuffed. Lastly, the manufacturer has offered a whopping 5-year warranty on this knife so that you can buy with confidence that it will last you years to come.

DALSTRONG Gladiator Series Paring Knives

Dalstrong Gladiator 3.5 inches paring knife is made from high-carbon German steel blade while the edge has been made to be a bit edgier thus attracting fewer food bits from sticking onto the blade and making your life a bit easier. This is a world-renowned knife manufacturer, it creates great filleting knives as well as some of the best paring knives on the market.

This particular paring knife has the most of the weight balanced in the middle of the knife thus making working with it easy and less tiring. The handle is covered in a synthetic plastic material that has a textured finish and thus is anti-slip. The brand has even won an award last year for their high quality German stainless steel blades and serrated edges.

Victorinox 45508 Paring Knife

This knife is available in several lengths and blade edge including a fully serrated one, thus when you decide to purchase one make sure to think about what type you exactly require. Moreover, just like with other Victorinox knives the blade has been coated with carbon to increase its durability.

Unfortunately, this makes it unsuitable to be washed in the dishwasher but considering its fairly small size you could always wash it under the running tap water with dish soap. Plus, the knife has an anti-slip handle making it easy to hold and control during vigorous use.

MC Genesis Forged Paring Knife

Mercer Culinary paring knife blade, as well as the handle, has been created from one seamless piece of stainless steel thus this is a full tang knife which means that they are very unlikely to break apart during use and you could use for a variety of tasks.

It also means that there is no space between the blade and the handle of the knife thus eliminating a possible breeding ground for bacteria that can gather and multiply, making cleaning a much quicker and simpler task.

Instead of creating a protective bolster between the handle and the blade to keep your fingers from sliding forward, Mercer Culinary has chosen to create a small section of pinched metal. This section of pinched metal will allow you to get a firm, comfortable grip for small tasks, such as mincing garlic and herbs.

J.A. Henckels Classic Paring Knife

ZwillingHenckels International is a Spanish manufacturer of different types of knives including this 4-inch paring knife made out of imported stainless steel and textured plastic handle. The imported stainless steel comes from Germany and titanium coated for added durability and flexibility hence you do not have to worry about the blade bending at the tip.

Moreover, the knife is fully forged meaning that the transition between the stainless steel blade and the handle is completely seamless. The handle is made out of plastic but will not melt in the dishwasher thus you can easily toss the knife into it.

Plus, the seamless design also ensures that no food gets trapped in the seams as this can potentially become the breeding ground for bacteria and germs. But above all, this knife is highly loved and recommended because it comes with a lifetime warranty.

WÜSTHOF Gourmet Pairing Knives Set

Wusthof knives are known around the world by amateur and professional chefs alike because they produce some of the best knives in the world including paring knives. This particular set contains three different paring knives that differ in style and length, however, all of them are made from carbon plated stainless steel blades that will be easy to sharpen.

The handles are ergonomic and made of out of textured plastic so handling them should become a breeze. However, they are not dishwasher safe and could rust or corrode if you put them in it so instead just wash it under the running tap water with little soap but make sure to immediately dry it afterwards.

OXO Good Grips Peeler & Parer Set

The set contains a paring knife that has a 3.5-inch serrated blade and an ergonomic plastic handle for easy handling. Moreover, the blade has been reported to be very sharp right out of the box and only seldom requires resharpening. Plus, this paring knife can also double as a bread knife as it has 3.5 inches serration that will cut right through the bread without mashing it up.

As for the peeler, it has been also reported to be comfortable and useful around the kitchen, however, both will need to be washed right after handling food ingredients with strong odours as the plastic handles were reported to absorb the odours. On the good side, the user can simply toss them in the dishwasher for easy cleaning as the plastic used is kitchen grade and will not melt on high temperatures in the dishwasher.

OXO Good Grips Pro Bread Knife

Beautiful kitchen paring knife from one of the best kitchen knives manufacturer, this OXO Good Grip paring knife is fairly small compared to other models as it is only 8 inches in length. However, it is sharp and will do the trick of cutting all sorts of foods such as bread, vegetables, fruits and even meats.

The handle has been specifically designed to be easy to use and not cause any fatigue in the wrists, fingers or the palm. Moreover, it also comes with a safety guard for added blade protection plus you can choose from different blade length if required.

Sadly, this OXO paring knife can only be delicately hand washed with little soap otherwise it might show signs of rust and corrosion. Under no circumstances try and wash in the dishwasher or under the running tap water with harsh chemicals that can damage the carbon finish.

How to Properly Store and Care for Your Knives?

Sadly, some individuals still store their knives in the cupboards with the rest of the utensils. Firstly, by keeping your knives with the rest of the kitchen utensils you are greatly risking cutting your finger when you will reach out to pick something else in that cupboard and with such sharp knives such as Santoku or paring, you could potentially suffer a cut finger.

Secondly, if you keep your knives together with other utensils they will scuff against one another. Essentially, this will cause nicks and dings to show up on the blade, and you’ll end up with a dull blade.

Key Considerations

It might not be a bad idea to know a thing or two about the product you want to buy in any field of life. A little research goes a long way! If you don’t know much about why things are done the way they are, then you may be left stranded when it comes down to choosing an excellent product for your needs in particular.

There are a few key considerations when it comes to knives that you might not want to let slip by; we’ve done the research, now all you need to do is decide which factors are most important to you.

Blade Type

You’re looking for something for general all-terrain cutting and slicing, then a standard spear tip blade might be the best option. If you are a person who takes pride in delicately detailed slicing, then a bird’s beak tip is the way to go.

If you don’t like wastage and want to limit it as much as possible when peeling or slicing, then a sheep’s foot tip would be perfect. The only option left is the serrated blade which will do you many favors when it comes to cutting larger fruits or vegetables.

Hardness Rating/ Steel Type

This is a standard key factor for all knives, so we have to mention it a bit more. With paring knives, one of the essential things is sharpness. The knives are smaller, so you have less leverage when cutting, so you’ll probably want to go for something in the HRC range of 57 – 59. A couple of steel types that would work wonders for you are Japanese VG-10 and High Carbon German Stainless steel.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What Is the Best Length for a Paring Knife?

A: Anything between 3″ and 5″ will be fine for most basic tasks. If you’re going to be cutting up larger vegetables, you might consider sticking closer to the bigger 5″ blades.

Q: Can a Paring Knife Be Used in the Same Way as a Chef’s Knife?

A: Not really. In some ways, yes, but for the most part, no. A chef’s knife has similar functions for cutting small vegetables and fruit, but a paring knife will offer more precision and accuracy for more delicate, detailed cuts. A paring knife is also a lot less effective at cutting long meat pieces and might not cut through bone very well. So, in short, you shouldn’t interchange these two knives.

Q: What Does Hardness 58 Mean?

A: Steel can be tested to see how hard it is and is rated accordingly. 45 means the steel is soft and does not retain sharpness very well, whereas 60+ means it’s tough and will stay sharp for a long time but might be more brittle.

Q: What Exactly Does Paring Mean?

A: Paring refers to the process by which slices are peeled away from a surface.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has helped you decide what knife is the best paring knives currently on the market moreover, we hope you have understood the importance of buying a separate sheath or box for storing your knives away from the rest of the kitchen utensils.

The best solution that most chefs recommend is buying a magnetic rag that you can fix on your kitchen wall, this way you can always see your knives and be sure that they will not get scratched. Lastly, always examine the instructions that the manufacturer included, so you can decide whether you should hand wash the knife or put it in the dishwasher.

Regardless of you clean your knives, always dry them up right after the washing because otherwise, they can start forming rust or corrosion. Once in a while, rinse your knives with a vinegar solution for disinfecting purposes especially if you often work with meat such as pork and fish.