What is the primary use of a utility knife?

Author: Tyrese Schiller  |  Last update: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes. Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with durable cutting edges suitable for rough work such as cutting cordage, cutting/scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish scales, reshaping timber, and other tasks.

What is primary general utility knife used in food preparation?

The Chef's Knife

From slicing and dicing vegetables to chopping herbs and even carving meat, this versatile knife is a true workhorse in the kitchen. Today, the chef's knife is the primary general knife for most cooks in the Western world.

What do you cut with a utility knife?

It is designed for light-duty activities such as cutting cardboard to medium-duty activities such as cutting drywall, carpet, and other materials. To ensure you can complete your project safely and accurately, it's important to understand what a utility knife is and what materials it is used for.

What is the primary use of a filleting knife?

As the name suggests, a fillet knife is a kitchen knife that primarily aids in removing the fish flesh from the bones. It has a defining thin profile and often uses a trailing point whose backward edge curves upward gently.

What foods are utility knives used for?

Some of the best uses for a utility kitchen knife involve prepping fresh fruits and veggies. This handy knife is perfect for cutting produce with soft-to-medium firm skins or rinds like tomatoes, potatoes, apples, citrus fruits, cucumbers, zucchini and more.

Learn the Basic Uses for Utility Knives

What is the main use of utility knife?

Designed to be lightweight and easy to carry and use, utility knives are commonly used in factories, warehouses, construction projects, and other situations where a tool is routinely needed to mark cut lines, trim plastic or wood materials, or to cut tape, cord, strapping, cardboard, or other packaging material.

Can I use a utility knife to cut bread?

Every home cook will utilize a utility knife. The blade is generally 5 to 6 inches, which is shorter than the average bread knife, but the serrated utility knife is still a great choice for small loaves.

What is the best inexpensive fillet knife?

This Rapala Hawk Fillet Knife is arguably the cheapest fillet knife that does a good job. It's made of stainless steel with a medium flex blade. It holds a decent edge and comes with a plastic sheath.

What is the purpose of a fillet?

A fillet is a rounded corner or transition between two surfaces in engineering and design. They are typically used to smooth out sharp edges and corners, improve the appearance of a part, and reduce stress concentrations in areas where two surfaces meet.

What is a serrated knife used for?

At its most general, a serrated knife refers to any knife that is equipped with a jagged blade. The serrations on these blades are usually deep and pointed, allowing them to slice through thick crusts and other tough foods. Like all knives, serrated knives come in a wide range of sizes.

What is the advantage of a utility knife?

Efficiency: With a utility knife, you can quickly and easily cut through a wide range of materials, saving time and effort compared to using scissors or other cutting tools. Portability: Utility knives are compact and lightweight, making them easy to carry with you wherever you go.

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

Utility knives are a mix between chef knives and paring knives. A utility knife's blade is longer than a paring knife and narrower than a chef knife to provide precision for cutting jobs where a chef knife may be too bulky to use and a paring knife too small.

Is a utility knife good for cutting meat?

Utility knife:

These knives are smaller than chef's knives but larger than a paring knife, making them good for miscellaneous tasks. While they're not specialized for meat, they can come in handy for cutting smaller pieces of cooked meat or tackling other tasks like slicing fruit or sandwich meats.

Is a utility knife necessary?

Utility knife blades are an essential tool for practically every organization. Whether you run a restaurant kitchen, commercial factory, manufacturing warehouse, or office space , a good utility knife with a sharp blade and sturdy handle is an absolute must-have!

What is the best knife for self-defense?

Best Self Defense Knives Breakdown
  • Best Value Knife. Kershaw Emerson CQC-7K. Amazon: $43.
  • Best Fixed Blade. Giantmouse GMF1. Giantmouse: $135.
  • Best Tactical Knife. CRKT Provoke. Amazon: $175.
  • Best Auto Knife. Benchmade Claymore. Benchmade: $260.
  • Best Overall Knife. Spyderco Para Military 2. Amazon: $200.

What is the difference between a prep knife and a utility knife?

Western utility knives most often look like long paring knives. They have a pointed tip and a narrow blade, making them highly nimble. Prep knives are the exception, as they often look like a small chef's knife. Japanese-style: Japanese-style knives prioritize sharpness.

Do I need a fillet knife?

Breaking down a whole fish can seem challenging for the home cook, but using the right tool makes it considerably more manageable. A long, skinny fillet knife is an essential tool for seafood, with a highly maneuverable blade that gives you lots of control.

Why is beef fillet so expensive?

Limited Availability and High Demand

One of the primary reasons behind the steep price of filet mignon is its scarcity and the strong demand it garners. This cut is extracted from the tenderloin area of the animal, a relatively small muscle that produces only a small portion of meat per animal.

What is a chamfer for?

In machining a chamfer is a slope cut at any right-angled edge of a workpiece, e.g. holes; the ends of rods, bolts, and pins; the corners of the long-edges of plates; any other place where two surfaces meet at a sharp angle. Chamfering eases assembly, e.g. the insertion of bolts into holes, or nuts.

What knife stays sharp longest?

Carbon steel blades are also well-known for having high wear resistance, which enables them to keep their edges sharp for longer than stainless.

What is a Santoku knife used for?

The Santoku knife is an all purpose Japanese knife, adept at slicing, dicing, and mincing. The name santoku means 'three virtues' for the knife's ability to cut fish, meat and vegetables equally well.

Is a straight or curved fillet knife better?

A curved blade is best for removing bones from fish. This is the most common design for fillet knives.

What is the best lame for dough?

The Breadtopia Bread Lame was our overall best pick, performing well across a variety of dough styles and shapes. However, beginners might appreciate the straight orientation and blade security of the Wiremonkey Goose Lame.

Which knife is best for dicing an onion?

When you dice or chop an onion, using the right knife is essential. To get concise, clean cuts, try using a chef's knife rather than a serrated knife.

What is the use of a utility knife?

A utility knife is a useful tool for camping, hiking, or other outdoor activities, where it can be used for tasks such as cutting rope, preparing food, or building shelters.

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