What Is the Ideal Kitchen Knife Set?

Paring Knife

• A staple in the kitchen, paring knives make easy work of peeling and cutting smaller vegetables and fruit. The short, straightedge blade resembles a small chef's knife. Paring knife blades typically measure between 2 1/2 to 4 inches in length. Its compact size makes the paring knife ideal for exacting jobs, such as hulling tomatoes and de-veining shrimp.

Utility Knife

• The indispensable utility knife, a slightly larger version of the paring knife, tackles mid-size foods -- those too small to cut with a chef's knife and too large for a paring knife. The 4- to 7-inch blades of the utility knife come in straight and serrated edge versions.

Boning Knife

• A small knife with a sharp point and narrow blade, the boning knife removes bones in meat, fish and chicken. Boning knives measure 5 to 6 inches long and come in flexible and rigid varieties. Flexible blades work well for filleting fish and de-boning poultry. Rigid boning knives are better suited for denser meats like beef and pork.

Chef's Knife

• One of the largest knives in a cook's arsenal is the chef's knife. A multi-tasking utensil, the chef's knife performs a wide range of jobs in the kitchen. Chef's knives commonly come in 10- and 12-inch lengths. Used to chop, mince and slice, its substantial blade also handles tough cutting tasks like jointing meat cuts.

Steak Knife

• Knife sets sometimes include steak knives. Unlike food prep knives, steak knives function at the dinner table. Designed to cut cooked meat for eating, they feature a straight or serrated blade that measures between 4 to 6 inches.

Carving Knife

• Particularly useful during the holidays, the large carving knife makes precision slices in cooked roasts, ham and poultry. A carving knife resembles a chef's knife in shape and size but has a thinner blade.

Cleaver

• A clever comes in handy for home chefs who purchase larger cuts of meat. The thick, 6-inch rectangular blade separates joints and easily chops through raw meat and bones.

Bread Knife

• Bread knives feature a long, thin blade designed to cut through breads with a sawing motion. The serrated blade penetrates tough bread crusts and slices through the bread without compressing the loaf.