Kitchen Knives & Scissors

Different types of kitchen knives

Knowing your kitchen knife means getting the job done better. Here's a rundown of the most common knives and their role as kitchen accessories:

And remember: Always pair chopping and cutting with a chopping board for safety, hygiene and to protect your kitchen bench surfaces.

Cook's knife

One of the most versatile of kitchen knives, a cook's knife (sometimes called 'chef's knife') is perfect for the widest variety of food preparation requirements. If you're willing to pay extra for a top quality knife or kitchen knife set, make it for this knife.

Utility knife

Similar to a cook's knife, utility knives are great for chopping and dicing smaller fruits, vegetables and foods, or anything that can be a little bit fiddly.

Bread knife

With their longer, serrated blades, bread knives are purpose-built for slicing through big, doughy and/or crunchy loaves of bread. Most importantly, the serrated edge helps them grip the crust of the bread to properly cut without crushing it.

Vegetable knife

While your cook's knife and utility knife can also cut vegetables, a vegetable knife is specifically made for this task. If you're someone who likes a full knife set, this is one you'll want to include.

Cleaver

A cleaver looks like a mini axe with a broad blade, and is heavy-duty enough and most useful for chopping into meat and bone.

Santoku knife

Even though santoku knives originated in Japan, they have become popular around the world. The word 'santoku' means 'three virtues', which reflects the knife's versatility and ability to slice, dice and mince any food item you could think of.

Cheese knife

Cheese knives come in various shapes and forms to accommodate the density and textures of different styles of cheese and complement your cheese board. Many cheese knives will have a hook on the end so you can spear the cheese and place it on a cracker after you've cut it.

Boning knife

With their sharp, thin blades, boning knives enable you to get as close to the bones of poultry, fish and meat as possible, removing bones while removing the minimum amount of flesh.

Peeling knife or paring knife

Peeling knives - sometimes called 'paring knives' - are the smallest of the kitchen knife family. But don't let that fool you! They have rigid, sharp and sturdy blades so you can easily peel off the tough skins of vegetables, like potatoes, and fruits, like apples.

Carving knife

The 'granddaddy' of knives, carving knives have long, wide blades designed to glide through cooked meats, such as roasts, so they can be placed as slices on your dinner plates.

Knife safety tips

Safety should always be your top concern with knives. In the kitchen, you can develop good safety habits by always placing the blade on a flat surface with the handle facing outwards and the sharp edge of the blade facing away from your cutting hand.

If you have to walk around the kitchen with a knife in your hand, hold it by the handle with the blade tip pointing downwards and the sharp edge pointing behind you. Cut away from yourself and, if you drop the knife, let it hit the ground (never catch it).

For more tips on caring for your kitchen knives, take a look at our buying guide.

Find the right kitchen knives and scissors at Spotlight

Ready to buy? Shop through our extensive range of kitchen knives and scissors and buy online. But first, you might like to browse our buying guide on how to choose the essentials in kitchen tools and utensils.

Alternatively, head into a Spotlight store to check out the different cleaning accessories available and speak with one of our friendly customer service team who'll be happy to answer your questions.