Paring knife

The short blade gives good control for work done in the hand rather than on a board. Bakers use a paring knife to peel and core apples, hull strawberries, score bread dough, trim pastry edges and split vanilla beans to scrape out the seeds.

A sharp paring knife is safer than a dull one because it needs less force and is less likely to slip. It should be washed by hand and stored in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a sheath to protect the edge.