WESTERN TRADITIONAL
These are the traditional style knives used by most Americans and Europeans. These knives are generally not task or food specific like the western specialty knife.
BONING KNIFE
A stiff boning knife is better for boning beef while a more flexible one is better on poultry. The narrow blade makes it easy to get into small spaces and remove the bones off poultry or meat.
BUTCHER KNIFE
Medium to heavy duty blade between 6 and 12 inches long curving up slightly at the end. Used for cutting large hunks of meat and slicing steaks.
CARVING / SLICING KNIFE
Long and thin, this knife is use is for slicing meats such as roasts, poultry and ham into very thin slices with one pass of the blade. The more flexibility / thinner the knife, the thinner slices that can be cut.
CHEF'S / COOK KNIFE
Used for slicing, dicing and chopping. The blade is slightly curved to allow rocking the knife on the cutting board.
CLEAVER
The thick heavy blade of the cleaver is for cutting bones and splitting chicken and ribs. The cleaver's thick edge is designed so it will not chip easily.
FILET KNIFE
These are flexible knives having a long thin narrow blade, similar to a boning knife. These knives are used for filleting fish and chicken. They are designed to remove the meat from around the bones. The blade ranges from 6 to 11 inches, allowing them to move easily along the backbone and under the skin of fish.
FLUTING KNIFE
These have a small blade that is very straight. Fluting knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling.
PARING KNIFE
Used for tasks like peeling and coring. If you are only buying a few knives, consider the longer paring knife as it can also be used as a utility knife for light chopping and boning chicken. It is a small utility / all purpose knife.
TRIMMING KNIFE
Usually about 2 to 3 inches long, a trimming knife has a small, curved blade that is shaped somewhat like a boning knife. Trimming knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling
UTILITY KNIFE
General purpose knife with a narrower blade ranging from 4 to 7 inches long. Can be used for a variety of jobs. Used for cutting and slicing fruits and vegetables as well as light chopping.