Paring knife

How it is used

Every cook's knife roll has one next to the chef's knife. Used for coring tomatoes, peeling, turning vegetables and checking whether potatoes are cooked. To pare means to remove the outer layer thinly.

Example sentences

1. Use a paring knife to take the core out of the tomatoes.

2. Stick a paring knife in the potatoes; if it slides out easily, they're done.

Common collocations

• small paring knife
• use a paring knife
• paring knife and peeler
• knife roll

Related terms

• chef's knifeA large all-purpose kitchen knife with a broad, slightly curved blade, usually 20 to 25 cm long, used for most chopping, slicing and dicing.
• peelTo remove the skin of a fruit or vegetable. As a noun, peel is the skin of fruits such as oranges, lemons and potatoes.
• cutting boardA flat board made of plastic or wood on which food is cut. Professional kitchens often use boards of different colours for different types of food.
• zestThe thin, coloured outer layer of the skin of citrus fruit, full of aromatic oils, grated or cut off to add flavour. As a verb, to zest means to remove it.

More terms: Knife Skills & Cuts

• chop
• dice
• slice
• mince
• julienne
• brunoise
• fillet