Useful knife

Our Useful knife section includes the small everyday knives, the ones you always keep within reach to peel, trim, slice or cut up. Practical and versatile, these short-bladed knives have their place in professional kitchens as well as in the home. They complement the kitchen knife range alongside more specialised models.

Types of useful knives

• Paring knife — the short, precise blade ideal for peeling, trimming and detailed work.
• Tomato knife — the serrated blade that cleanly cuts through the skin of tomatoes and other delicate foods.

Leading brands

• Opinel
• Victorinox
• Arcos
• Paderno
• Pradel Excellence

Choosing your utility knife

Paring knife or tomato knife?

The plain-edged paring knife covers most small kitchen tasks: peeling, trimming and fine cutting. The serrated tomato knife is designed to cleanly slice foods with smooth skin and tender flesh. Many cooks own both.

Which blade and which steel?

A stainless steel blade offers a good balance between sharpness and easy upkeep. A utility knife is generally between 8 and 12 cm long: short enough for precision, long enough to stay versatile.

Which handle for which use?

The synthetic handle, easy to clean, suits intensive use and frequent washing. Wooden handles provide a pleasant grip, suited to regular domestic use.

How do you maintain a utility knife?

Regular sharpening preserves cutting quality and safe handling. Find the right tools in the cutting accessories of the kitchen knife range.

The Useful knife section includes models from Opinel, Victorinox, Arcos, Paderno and Pradel Excellence, including the best-selling SwissClassic collection as well as the Opinel Carbone and Inox ranges and the Mon Premier Opinel collection. To complete your equipment, also discover the chef's knives & slicers and the knife sets & blocks on AZ Boutique.