A knife is a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade attached to a handle. Stainless steel knives may be used as table wares or for varied cutting purposes in the kitchen. They may have handles made of riveted plastic, ergonomic stainless steel, non-riveted plastic or wood.

Kinds of Knives :
Boning and Fillet Knives
Use a boning knife to butterfly a leg of lamb, to "French" a crown roast, or remove a whole chicken breast from the bone. Use a filet knife to divide a rainbow trout into filets for two.

Carving Knives and Forks
Slicing knives are designed to cut through every kind of cooked meat, poultry, and fish. Use one to carve a juicy roast turkey, to slice a braised pot roast or to make paper-thin slices of smoked salmon.

Chef's Knives
A chef's knife is used to dice onions, mince parsley, core a pineapple, or quarter a chicken. It is the most basic of knives, an essential tool for the cook.

Cleavers
A hefty tool that will quarter a chicken destined for a sauté. Use the flat side to smash a clove of garlic or to pound meat for scaloppini.

Paring and Peeling Knives
Parers function as an extension of your hand to peel an apple, core a pepper or flute a mushroom cap. Think of a parer for precise cutting tasks like mincing a shallot.

Serrated Knives
A serrated knife is used to slice through food that is hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Use it on a crusty loaf of bread or the resistant skin of a tomato and avoid crushing the fragile interiors.

Utility Knives
Sometimes called a kitchen knife, a utility knife is a paring knife on a larger scale. Its longer blade is perfect for peeling a mango, removing the rind from a cantaloupe or slicing a poached chicken breast.