6 Weird Kitchen Knives and How to Use Them

When it comes to kitchen knives, you’re no doubt familiar with the most common ones. You know, the chef’s knife, paring knife, and bread knife. If you’re one to spend even more time in the kitchen and enjoy cooking, you probably also know about specialized ones like a santoku knife and the cleaver. 

But the world of kitchen knives is wide and can get a little weird. Yet all have their purpose, and with a bit of know-how can help you be a better cook and bring more enjoyment to your cutting and slicing tasks. Here are six knives you might not know about, and how to use them.

1. Scimitar

If you’ve ever wanted a kitchen knife that looks like a sword, well, this is it. The scimitar’s name is derived from the scimitar sword, and though it looks like a miniature version of that weapon, it will still likely be the biggest knife in your kitchen. The blade on mine is 10 inches, and the entire knife stretches some 15 inches across.

So, what do you do with such a big knife? A scimitar kitchen knife is designed to slice through large cuts of meat. I bought mine back in culinary school for the express purpose of a butchering class, where we learned to cut primals. Primals are large sections of meat, the kind butchers will process into smaller cuts sold at the store for retail.

The scimitar’s long blade shines in this application because a longer blade means less slicing. Less slicing means cleaner cuts. In all honesty, unless you break down large cuts of meat and game at home or perhaps are a hunter, the scimitar has limited use for most home cooks. Or, perhaps if you cut a lot of watermelon or other large fruits, it’s useful there. I used one for breaking down a massive watermelon in my video showing four ways to juice a watermelon.

2. Sheep’s Foot Paring Knife

This interesting little knife is also known as a flat-cut or possibly a vegetable knife.

Most paring knives mimic the shape of a chef’s knife with an angle that is ideal for rock chopping, as you might remember from my video on a chef’s knife vs a santoku knife.

But we don’t really rock chop with a paring knife. We cut or slice with it, similar to how we use a santoku knife. And like a santoku, the sheep’s foot paring knife has a straight edge that’s thin. That makes it ideal for the kind of prep work we do with paring knives, such as chopping small vegetables or mincing garlic – the blade makes the most of its size by being completely flat on the cutting board.

If I could only have one paring knife, I’d probably go with a sheep’s foot knife. I encourage trying one out in person at a store that sells them, such as Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma. In fact, I encourage trying a knife in person in general. Yes, it’s fun to browse online, but just like trying on shoes or a dress, testing and experiencing a knife in person is the best way to know if its ergonomics, weight, and materials work for you.

3. Bird’s Beak Paring Knife

Here’s another animal-named paring knife, this one not a “foot” but a “beak.” The bird’s beak paring knife has a small, distinct downward-curved blade like, yes, a bird’ beak.

Why would you want such a knife, and how would you use it? Bird’s beak paring knives are ideal for slicing curved fruits and vegetables. Whether you’re removing the skin off citrus or “turning” a potato so it resembles a perfect oval, these knives can do the job better than a standard paring knife.

4. Sandwich spreader

I must confess to liking this unique device more than I probably should. It’s just so convenient, especially if you eat as many sandwiches as I do, and have an affinity to putting thick spread on them. That’s because a sandwich spreader is a dual-purpose wonder that is remarkable in its simplicity: With one side of the broad blade you can spread mayo, mustard, peanut butter, etc., and with the other serrated side you can then cut the sandwich in half.

5. Offset bread knife

Here’s another device that makes so much sense once you use it. Bread knives are great for slicing bread, but not so great for knuckles, which can bang and clang against a cutting board. That’s because traditional bread knives have handles that are directly in line with their long blade.

Not so with the offset knife, which gets its name because the handle is offset — in this case raised above — the blade. Because the handle sits higher than the blade, that means no more banged knuckles as you slice to the bottom of your bread, fruit, etc. Genius!

6. Grapefruit knife

You’d be forgiven if you saw this knife and thought it was in an accident. Just look at that bent tip. This is no accident. Grapefruit knives have a distinguished angled tip. This allows them to — kind of like that bird’s beak knife above — contour to the fruit it is intended for.

In this instance, once a grapefruit is sliced in half, you use a grapefruit knife to dig in and segment and separate each piece of grapefruit from its tough pocket. I honestly just use a grapefruit spoon for this most of the time, but grapefruit afficionados or knife nerds like me might still appreciate one of these.

PS: If you’re wondering what that beautiful cutting board is that’s hosting these knives, it’s a True Board, a company I’ve partnered with. Check them out, and use coupon code iwanttocook for 20% discount: https://thetrueboard.com/ref/156/