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Knife guide – choose the right knife for your kitchen tasks

Whether you’re a home cook or a professional chef, your knives are possibly the most used (and important!) tools in your kitchen. In this guide we’ll cover the many different types of knives available and what they are used for, so you can find the knives that fit your needs.

Cook's knife
Vegetable knife
Utility knife
Paring knife
Other knives

Materials
Popular knife series
Cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife blocks

IKEA365ナイフ

Cook’s knife

The cook’s knife is the star of the kitchen tools. Designed to be multi-purpose, the cook’s knife is sturdy enough to handle meat and large root vegetables, but delicate enough to slice fruit and mince fine herbs.

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A stainless steel IKEA 365+ cook's knife
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The sharpness you’ll love to use again and again

The VARDAGEN santoku knife is a versatile all-rounder, ideal for cutting many different ingredients in the kitchen. “Santoku” means “three virtues” in Japanese, referring to its three main uses: it handles meat, fish and vegetables, and is perfect for slicing, chopping and dicing. Well-balanced and comfortable to hold, it has a dark walnut handle, while the dimples on the side of the blade help food release more easily. A knife packed with advantages.  

View the VARDAGEN knife series
A stainless steel/walnut VARDAGEN santoku knife
View the VARDAGEN knife series

Vegetable knife

The vegetable knife is particularly useful for shredding, mincing and cutting all sorts of vegetables into strips. The broad blade makes the knife extra stable to use. The blade has a special design with indentations that lets air into the cutting surface so the food you slice does not stick to the blade.

Discover all vegetable knives
木製のまな板の上に置かれたステンレススチール製のベジタブルナイフ。その隣にキッチンクロスにのっているトマト。
Discover all vegetable knives

Utility knife

The utility knife is slightly smaller than the cook’s knife but is just as versatile. It’s a handy companion for virtually all food preparation needs, like slicing fruit, vegetables, cheeses etc.

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A black VÖRDA utility knife
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Paring knife

The paring knife is more agile compared to large knives when it comes to more detailed work, like cleaning and peeling fruit and vegetables. This small, light knife works almost like an extension of your hand when you use it.

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A stainless steel IKEA 365+ paring knife in the kitchen
See all paring knives

Other knives

A stainless steel IKEA 365+ bread knife in the kitchen

Bread knife

The bread knife is designed to cut all sorts of bread, as well as soft vegetables, with ease. The serrated edge means you can saw as cleanly through tomatoes, as you could through hard crusts.

A black VÖRDA cleaver in the kitchen

Cleaver

The cleaver makes light work of dividing up large pieces of meat as well as shredding vegetables. The blade is thick and broad (perfect for pounding and tenderising meat), and the heavy weight of the cleaver gives you more power when using it for preparing food.

A black VÖRDA chinese chopper

Chinese chopper

The Chinese chopper is for slicing and chopping vegetables and meat. The knife has a large high blade which gives good stability for chopping and slicing vegetables and meat. A particular favourite among chefs specialising in Asian cuisine due to its multi-purpose capabilities.

Materials

Stainless steel

 Highly wear-resistant and easy to care for.

Ceramic

Stays sharp longer than ordinary stainless steel knives.

A black ASPEKT knife sharpener in the kitchen

Sharpen your knives and keep them cutting beautifully

Using a knife sharpener is highly recommended to make cooking safer, more efficient and more enjoyable. A sharp blade is less likely to slip, so it’s safer to use. Good sharpness also makes food prep smoother and saves time. By sharpening your knives regularly, they last longer and are more economical.

View all sharpening tools