Knives are generally indispensable in a kitchen. This means that the efficiency and functionality of a kitchen partly depend on the knives present in the kitchen. Hence, the knife is a chef’s most important tool. Kitchen knives are often made in a similar pattern; a sharp blade made of carbon or stainless steel, and a handle made of plastic, wood, light metal, etc.
If you wish to operate a successful kitchen, you must have a variety of knife sets at your disposal for different cutting tasks. Certain kitchen knives are considered a must-have in the kitchen because of their importance, and the paring knife is one such knife. This article highlights the various uses of paring knives, and how to shop great Paring knives today.
Paring knives do not need any introduction in the kitchen, as it is an essential cutting tool that is always present in both big and small kitchens. And whether you are a beginner or an expert chef, the paring knife should be a must-have in your kitchen knife collection. Here’s a quick review of the basic uses of a paring knife in the kitchen.
Basic Uses Of A Paring Knife
The paring knife gets its name from its most essential use; paring. To pare means to remove the skin or outer covering from fruits and vegetables by cutting it off. Although a lot of people feel a handy vegetable peeler can perform this task faster, the paring knife is unique because it offers more detailed, intricate, and precise cuts which make the results way better when compared to that of a vegetable peeler.
Moreover, a vegetable peeler can only remove the outermost skin at best. So what happens with the core? Your guess is right, and the task will still be at the mercy of a kitchen knife. This only goes to say that you may need several tools to effectively carry out a task that one paring knife does comfortably. Other uses of a paring knife include;
- Mincing and Slicing: Yes, a chef’s knife is the most appropriate tool for this task. But when the items to be sliced are too small for the chef’s knife, the paring knife can step in comfortably. For instance, a chef’s knife may be too big for garlic and small onions, but the chef’s knife is perfectly sized to work on these items.
- Segmenting: If you want to remove bitter piths from oranges so that you can have clean slices for salads or garnishes, you may need to segment the orange. And a paring knife is most ideal for this task.
- Scoring: Scoring has to do with cutting thin slices on the surface of food and fruit items like bread, pies, meat, etc. This is an essential kitchen skill, and the paring knife is most ideal for this task.
Conclusion
Paring knives are very useful in the kitchen because of the utility services they offer. They are also perfect for intricate tasks like hulling strawberries, trimming pepper, and deveining shrimps, among others.
