The Professional Kitchen Knife Guide

As a supplier of products for professionals, we understand how essential a professional kitchen knife is, whether you work in catering, butchery, fishmongering, or cheesemaking. Slicing, mincing, dicing, cubed, or sliced—many tasks require a specific, high-quality knife. Follow our guide to help you find the perfect knife for your needs!

Professional kitchen knife: a closer look at the different types

Let's start with the basics and look at the different types of kitchen knives . The list below is not exhaustive but includes the knives most commonly used by professionals.

The chef's knife

Its wide, smooth blade typically measures around 20 centimeters. It's the ultimate all-purpose knife. Its size allows you to slice most foods, even large ones. You can use it for everything from chopping vegetables to mincing meat or slicing onions. Its versatility makes it the first knife chefs equip themselves with. Its design allows it to easily cut a wide variety of foods while remaining comfortable to use with a rocking motion.

The paring knife

The paring knife will be your ally for all your small kitchen tasks. Its blade measures 8 to 10 cm, and its small size makes it easy to handle and practical for use on small foods. It's ideal for mincing garlic, peeling onions, slicing cheese, or cutting carrots. This type of knife is found in practically every French kitchen, both at home and in professional kitchens.

The santoku

Of Japanese origin, the santoku knife is characterized by its slightly curved blade, measuring 16 to 18 cm. The word santoku literally means "three virtues." For Japanese cooks, this signifies that it can be used primarily for three things: meat, fish, and vegetables. It is perfect for chopping spices and herbs. The shape of its blade seems perfectly suited for this purpose. This knife, which originated 150 years ago, has become popular worldwide, with top chefs vying for this professional kitchen knife.

The slicing knife

The slicing knife is also called a carving knife or carving knife. Its long, thin blade is perfect for slicing meat. It's used for slicing legs of lamb, roasts, poultry, or steaks. Its blade is about 20 centimeters long and allows for precise slicing without damaging the food's appearance. It can also be used to slice ham or even smoked salmon.

The axe

The cleaver is a knife with an extra-wide blade for slicing or chopping meat. It can also be used to pound it. Its heavy blade also allows you to cut bones. It is also known as a butcher's knife.

The boning knife

This knife, also called a boning knife, is essential in a butcher's shop. Its thin, curved blade allows you to remove all the meat, bypassing the bone. The boning knife can also be used for skinning and removing fat and tendons. Be careful of its extremely sharp blade; it's best to wear cut-resistant gloves!

So here is the list of the main types of knives. To this, we could add the salmon knife, the fish knife, or even the more specific bleeding knives and skinning knives.

The main types of steel used in a professional kitchen knife

It's important to choose a steel grade that suits your needs and intended use, especially for a professional knife . Here's an overview of the main steels used in professional cutlery .

VG10 steel

This alloy is probably one of the most renowned internationally. It's a stainless steel, but one with a significant carbon content. In fact, it contains 1% carbon, which is 0.5% more than the average stainless steel. This carbon content provides significant hardness, making sharpening more durable. However, be careful not to soak the steel in water for too long, as this can damage it. The core is covered with a softer steel to make the piece stronger overall, since hard steel can be brittle if not used properly.

European-style steel

These steel grades have rather unwieldy names made up of a series of letters and numbers like this: X50CrMoV15. This series often begins with the letter X, which stands for stainless. Cr is for chromium, the element that provides the stainless properties. Mo stands for molybdenum, a component that enhances strength and resistance to corrosion. Finally, V stands for vanadium, a flexible material that provides additional protection by reducing the brittleness of hardened steel.

Cromova steel for a professional kitchen knife

This Japanese steel has a relatively high carbon content (0.8%) and is used by the Global brand. Its advantages are that it offers good hardness while remaining easy to sharpen. With this alloy, your professional knives will last for many years!

Damascus steel

Damascus steel is made up of several layers of steel laid on top of each other. These layers form patterns that most often resemble waves. This process allows for a blade that is both flexible enough to withstand wear and tear and hard enough for a razor-sharp edge. The result is equally impressive in terms of steel quality and appearance.

Overview of the main brands for a professional kitchen knife

Fischer-Bargoin: the French professional kitchen knife

Fischer-Bargoin is a family business founded in 1859. The Fischer-Bargoin range comprises a diverse selection of specialized products for professionals. You will find knives as well as all the essential accessories for butchers, fishmongers, cheesemakers, and cooks.

Sabatier knives, French quality

The Sabatier brand, renowned internationally for its French cutlery, needs no introduction. A large portion of their products are manufactured in Thiers, the French capital of cutlery. Sabatier offers the finest cutlery, whether you're looking for a professional kitchen knife or one for your personal use!

Deglon Cutlery: Between Innovation and Tradition

Based in Thiers, the Deglon company offers you both quality knives and innovative utensils that will improve your daily life in the kitchen.

Arcos: low prices for very good quality

Arcos is a Spanish manufacturer specializing in the production of professional knives for three centuries. Within the Arcos knife range, you will find a wide selection of models that are both robust and efficient, all at very affordable prices.

Dick, the German professional kitchen knife

Dick Cutlery offers a selection of specialized knives for professionals. Butchers will find highly effective bleeding knives, boning knives, and skinning knives. Fishmongers will find their salmon knives indispensable, as well as their renowned sharpening steels.

Pradel cutlery accessible to all

Pradel offers a wide range of affordable products to provide you with the essentials for cooking. Pradel kits contain the essentials for both students in vocational training programs and professionals in the food industry.

Samura: Japanese-inspired knives

Samura knives, as aesthetically pleasing as they are efficient, these Japanese-inspired knives will delight Japanese knife enthusiasts.

Find the professional kitchen knife you need from the best brands on our Manelli website!

For a professional kitchen, choosing the right clothing that combines comfort, safety, and style is essential. A quality chef's jacket , whether for a head chef or a kitchen assistant, is indispensable for working efficiently while maintaining a professional appearance. Pair it with comfortable and practical chef's trousers for long workdays in the kitchen. To complete your outfit, opt for a kitchen apron that protects your clothes from splashes and stains while adding a touch of style. Don't forget non-slip kitchen shoes to ensure your safety in an environment where floors can be slippery.