Damascus paring knives

What makes a paring knife?

The paring knife is the smallest knife in the kitchen. Its short, pointed blade can be guided very precisely with your fingers. You usually work in the hand: the food in one hand, the knife cutting towards your thumb with small movements.

What is a paring knife used for?

• Peeling potatoes and vegetables: thinly and evenly, with little waste.
• Preparing fruit: peeling and coring apples and pears, hulling strawberries, segmenting citrus fruit.
• Fine work: removing potato eyes, cleaning mushrooms, cutting garlic.
• Turning: cutting vegetables into even, rounded shapes.

What to look for when buying

• Blade length: 8 to 11 cm. Shorter blades are safer when peeling in the hand.
• Tip: a fine tip matters for cores and potato eyes.
• Handle: it shouldn't slip even with wet hands. Wooden handles feel warm and grippy.
• Sharpness: a sharp paring knife is safer than a blunt one, because you need less pressure.

Our paring knives at a glance

• KAYA: 10.6 cm blade with 67 layers around a hard steel core, olive wood and buffalo horn handle.
• ORIBU: 10 cm blade of 73-layer damascus powder steel with an olive wood handle.
• NAMI: blade of around 10.5 cm with a hammered surface and octagonal ebony handle.

For slightly bigger tasks on the board, a utility knife of 12 to 14 cm is the ideal addition.

Sharpening and care

The small paring knife is also best sharpened on a whetstone at about 15 degrees per side. Because the blade is short, it's quick. After peeling fruit, give it a quick rinse (fruit acid attacks the steel otherwise) and dry it straight away. With us you get a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 5-year warranty on every knife.

We don't award our own test seals, and we don't call ourselves a "test winner". You're the best judge of whether a paring knife suits you: with our 30-day money-back guarantee you can try it out at your leisure in your own kitchen.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a paring knife be?

Between 8 and 11 cm. Our paring knives have a blade of around 10 cm: enough for apples and potatoes, short enough for safe work in the hand.

What's the difference between a paring knife and a peeler?

A peeler only peels. With a paring knife you can also core, clean, cut small pieces and remove potato eyes.

Is a damascus paring knife worth it?

Yes, if you use it often. The hard steel stays sharp for a long time, and a sharp paring knife is safer because it doesn't slip.

How do I sharpen a paring knife?

On a whetstone at about 15 degrees per side, just like a large knife. With the short blade it's even quicker.

Paring knife with a curved or straight blade?

Paring knives with a curved blade (tourné knives) specialise in rounded shapes. For everyday use a straight blade is more versatile: you can peel, clean and cut everything with it. Our paring knives have a straight blade.