A paring knife is a small, versatile knife with a short, non-serrated blade that is usually under 4 inches long. It is ideal for intricate or precision work, such as peeling fruits and vegetables, dicing shallots, mincing garlic and onions, coring tomatoes, and slicing small or tender ingredients like ginger, strawberries, and shallots. Paring knives can perform many of the same tasks as a chefs knife, but are better suited for smaller tasks in the kitchen. They are also useful for trimming the leaves and stems from carrots or celery, removing fat, excess bones, or tendons from chicken or seafood, and other cleaning tasks such as trimming away the stems and lower leaves of Brussels sprouts and artichokes, coring fennel, removing the ribs and membranes from peppers, and trimming extra fat and/or skin from meats like pork, beef, and chicken. A paring knife is not suited for harder vegetables like carrots, beets, and squash, as applying force with a paring knife can cause injury. A relaxed but firm grip that keeps the knife from slipping with the thumb high on the flat side of the blade is best for handling a paring knife, but a variety of techniques sometimes require moving the grip further up the blade.