Utility Knives: The Blades Every Kitchen Needs

by Chef Maryam Ghargharechi March 04, 2018

A utility knife is an invaluable asset for any kitchen. Sometimes, an all-purpose tool that is versatile enough to be put to any use is just what you need to get your cooking going. Like any handy tool you will find anywhere, a utility knife is designed for a variety of tasks. Its usefulness goes far beyond just cutting and opening packages. You can utilize it for any food-related chore; think of it as a jack of all kitchen activities.

Sometimes, a chef needs all the tools s/he can lay their hands on, one that is excellent at handling everyday tasks. A utility knife typically measures 4-7 inches in length, which makes it larger than a paring knife. Nevertheless, it is still smaller than a conventional chef knife.

Hence, you can use a utility knife to tackle items that are too small for a chef knife, yet too large for a paring knife to handle. As a result, you can use it for jobs such as butchering animals, cleaning fish, scraping hides, as well as cutting hides and cordage. Besides these, you need a utility knife for things such as:

Slicing sandwiches: Sometimes it takes the right tool to pick the right spots in a way that leaves everyone impressed. Utility knives are often referred to as “sandwich knives” because of how great they are in cutting sandwich. Sandwiches that are packed with bacon, vegetables, cheese, etc. require cutting in half/quarters to make for an easier bite. You will find a utility knife to be very effective in handling this job.
Slicing tomatoes: utility knives are offered either as a serrated or straight-edge blade. You can use the serrated variant to cleanly slice through tomatoes of any size.
Slicing zucchini and cucumber: utility knives are great for cutting cucumber and zucchini.
Slicing cheese: If you are the type that likes slicing cheese, soft or hard, you will find a utility knife to be very useful.
Slicing/cutting apples: You can use a utility knife to peel or cut apples.
Slicing sausages: Individuals who like to slice their sausages before dishing them would do well to get a utility knife, as it facilitates the slicing process.
Slicing small citrus fruit: Are you looking to slice lemons and limes? If yes, then a tool like Vie Belles’ Classic Utility Knife will make a great addition to your cutlery collection. Its long, thin blade makes the knife great to handle and slice through fruits.
Slicing boiled eggs: Few knives slide through boiled eggs the way utility knives do.
Splitting small peppers: A utility knife should be on your shopping list if you split small peppers very often.

Overall, a utility knife makes a great complement for more specialized cutting tools like a paring knife, butcher knife, carving knife, slicing knife, as well as a bread knife. Think of it as the younger sibling to a chef knife.

Which kind of knives do you have? How is your experience with the knives? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.