The blade of a boning knife is the main factor that sets it apart from others in your knife block. Thin, semi-flexible, and with an ultra-sharp, tapered tip, the blade is explicitly designed for separating flesh from joints or bones with maximum precision and minimal waste.
Boning knives are used for deboning, trimming, and slicing all kinds of animal (or fish) proteins. Their narrow blades can range from rigid (for cutting through thick cartilage) to flexible (for bending between bones and the surrounding meat). The knives can be straight or curved upwards at the spine.
A boning knife looks a lot like a filleting knife and vice versa. The names are often also used interchangeably.
A scimitar or breaking knife is good to have(if you have a knife obsession) however even a chef knife can be used for the purpose you need. What the chef knife/butchers knife/scimitar/breaking knife can't do however is what a boning knife would do. A boning knife and chef knife would get the job done a 100%.
Blade Length
You can also use a fillet knife for jobs like deboning large cuts of meat and even breaking down whole chickens.
It's common for these knives to be used interchangeably, though the results would not be optimal. You can use a fish fillet knife to separate meat from bones, but that would only really work with small fish bones. And you can use a boning knife for filleting, but its rigidity would likely get in the way.
Our favorite is the Zwilling Pro 5.5" Flexible Boning Knife, which made quick work of all the fussiest tasks we gave it. For slightly less, our Best Buy is the Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro Boning Knife.
The Boning Knife
A utility knife can take the place of a boning knife. A boning knife is used for what you might imagine: deboning poultry, meat, and fish. Its long, thin blade makes it valuable for working around cuts of meat without damaging the meat itself.
Using a boning knife to prepare meat
A boning knife is the go-to knife for preparing meat. The shape of the blade allows you to manoeuvre around bones while the sharp tip is great to braking up cartilage in joints.
Cleaver: to cut through bones and tendons
If bones and/or tendons need to be cut, for instance, when cutting spareribs, it is best if you use a cleaver. Because of the thick blade the edge won't be damaged. The amount of weight helps when cutting through the bones.
When it comes to Japanese boning knives, three popular types are the honesuki, deba, and hamokiri. Each knife has its own unique design and purpose, making them valuable tools in the kitchen.
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.
The blade length of a boning knife can vary between 5 to 7 inches (12.7 to 17.8 cm) and can be straight or curved. Longer, straighter boning knives make removing large portions of meat easier, while the slimmer, curvier boning knives offer more precision and preferred by professional butchers.
Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series. I saw this same knife being used by Aaron Franklin, famous BBQ. He thought highly of this Dexter-Russell boning knife so I decided to buy the same knife even though I have more than enough boning knife in my kitchen.
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades. The Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife, handcrafted in Japan, is Bobby Flay's recommendation for the best chef's knife. He's talked about the Shun brand many times, and says he uses this particular knife for most everything.
The curvature makes it easy to separate skin and bones away from the flesh. Moreover, when handling delicate meat (e.g. quail), curved boning knives are your best option. On the other hand, a straight blade is better suited for detaching chunks of meat such as beef.
One of our longtime favorite Western-style chef's knives is the Wüsthof 8-Inch Classic Chef's Knife, which is super-sharp and easy to handle. Invest in it and it will serve you well for years to come. For an editor-favorite, Japanese chef's knife, we recommend the Misono UX10.
Nakiri are vegetable knives, though they can be used to slice meat and fish, too. While they can handle sturdy produce like sweet potatoes and honeynut squash, super thick-skinned produce (lookin' at you, kabocha) is best avoided lest you chip the blade.
The blade of a boning knife is the main factor that sets it apart from others in your knife block. Thin, semi-flexible, and with an ultra-sharp, tapered tip, the blade is explicitly designed for separating flesh from joints or bones with maximum precision and minimal waste.
Blade Design: While both blades are thin, boning knives are thicker, sturdier and straighter than fillet knives. They share a sharp and curved tip, but fillet knives are more flexible and have a unique slender design that makes them ideal for removing scales and tiny bones from fish.
A boning knife needs to be razor-sharp. A dull knife will rip through the meat instead of slicing it, which will have you wasting meat and affects your food presentation. A blunt blade also poses a safety hazard since you use extra force, which can easily slip and harm your hand.
As early as the Case Brothers began making knives in upstate New York during the late 19th century, they were also methodically scrawling symbolic designs into their blades. These unique markings became known as "tang stamps".