A paring knife is a small, non-serrated knife with a sharp tip that has a razor-sharp edge for doing small precise kitchen tasks. It is an essential tool in any kitchen and is used for intricate or precision work ranging from dicing a shallot to delicately peeling an apple. Here are some common uses of a paring knife:

• Peeling: Paring knives are great for peeling apples and potatoes, mincing small amounts of garlic and onions, and coring tomatoes. They are useful when working with small or tender vegetables and fruit like ginger, strawberries, garlic, and shallots.

• Trimming: Paring knives are great options when coring or peeling fruits like apples and citrus. They also help to remove the peel on garlic and onions, trimming the long roots on radishes or cleaning radish stems.

• Slicing and dicing: Although a paring knife won’t replace a carving knife, fillet knife or boning knife, a high-quality blade can offer great versatility with slicing, dicing, and mincing ingredients like shallots and garlic cloves.

• Segmenting: A sharp paring knife is just the right tool for stripping the peel off an apple, potato, or tomato in one long, curly strip.

• Hulling: Paring knives are great for hulling strawberries or removing strings and ends from fresh beans.

Paring knives are small, typically under 4 inches, and resemble a miniature chefs knife. They are ideal for handling smaller tasks in the kitchen, like cutting small vegetables, peeling fruits, or slicing awkwardly-shaped ingredients. It is important to use a relaxed but firm grip that keeps the knife from slipping with the thumb high on the flat side of the blade to give you the most control over your blade.