“A kitchen without a knife is not a kitchen.” – Masaharu Morimoto
Restaurant kitchens rely on a range of knives, each designed to excel at their specific tasks. Test how sharp your knife identification skills are by taking our quiz!
#1. This knife breaks down primals and subprimals, portions steaks and roasts, and slices large cuts of meat.
Correct answer: Butcher knife
Pictured: Dexter Russell S112-10PCP Sani-Safe® 10″ Butcher Knife
#2. This knife is commonly found at sandwich, deli, and garde manger stations for slicing, plus trimming and light prep when a chef’s knife is too large.
Correct answer: Utility knife
Pictured: Dexter Russell SG156SCB-PCP SofGrip Black 6 In Scalloped Utility Knife
#3. A Japanese all-purpose knife named for its “three virtues” of slicing, dicing, and mincing, and used with a straight up-and-down chop.
Correct answer: Santoku knife
Pictured: Wusthof 4182-7 Classic Carbon Steel 5″ Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
#4. This small knife is useful for hulling strawberries, peeling, trimming, coring, segmenting citrus, and performing garnish work.
Correct answer: Paring knife
#5. When chefs need to separate meat from bone, remove silverskin and sinew, or trim fat, they reach for this knife.
Correct answer: Boning knife
Pictured: Dexter Russell P94821 Basics® Narrow 6″ Stiff Boning Knife
#6. This long, serrated knife is useful for sawing through baked goods with a hard exterior and a soft interior.
Correct answer: Bread knife
Pictured: Dexter Russell S47G10-PCP Traditional 10″ Scalloped Bread Knife
#7. This knife is designed for chopping through bone, joints, and cartilage with a striking motion.
Correct answer: Meat cleaver
Pictured: Dexter Russell S5387PCP Sani-Safe® 7″ S/S Meat Cleaver
#8. This knife is used in restaurants to chop, dice, mince, slice produce and herbs, portion and trimming protein, and crush garlic with the flat. It also goes by the name “French knife.”
Correct answer: Chef’s knife
#9. This double-bevel Japanese knife is used for quickly chopping vegetables with clean, precise cuts.
Correct answer: Nakiri knife
Pictured: Wusthof 4193-7 Classic Carbon S/S 6-1/2″ Nakiri Knife
#10. This knife makes short work of a fresh catch.
Correct answer: Fillet knife
Results
Your results suggest a cleaver may be mincing chives in your kitchen.
Redeem yourself here:
Quiz: Can You Read a Menu?
