The 4 Best Paring Knives of 2024, According to Our Tests

Our Favorite Paring Knife

Our favorite paring knife overall is the Global 3.5-inch Paring Knife. I loved how easy maneuvering was no matter what I was making. The all-metal construction also made it incredibly easy to clean, and it stayed looking new. The Shun Classic Paring Knife was another favorite and our Splourge pick. Its wood handle is exceptionally comfortable, and the blade stays razor sharp longer than its competitors.

How We Tested Paring Knives

We compared 35 popular paring knives, putting each knife through a series of tests and incorporating them into our daily tasks. We assessed the size, shape, weight, sharpness, and durability and used the below metrics to evaluate each knife:

• Sharpness: To test sharpness, we used each knife to slice through a sheet of paper from top to bottom. A sharp knife should glide effortlessly through paper without snagging, and you shouldn't have to rock or see the blade back and forth.
  
• Functionality: To test weight, feel, and functionality, we used each knife to peel and mince shallots, a common task for which paring knives are often used. A good paring knife should have a sharp tip that easily slices through smaller fruits and vegetables, and it should be easy to grip with one hand when peeling the skins off things like onions and garlic.
• Weight: We considered how heavy each handle felt and how the handle felt compared to the blade weight. Though some knives were heavier than others, we didn't necessarily see weight as a problem as long as the handle and blade felt balanced. However, some were too heavy and more difficult to maneuver as a result.
• Balance and Grip: We peeled shallots off the cutting board to see how each knife felt mid-air. By peeling the shallots in-air, we could assess how easy the handles are to grip, how heavy they are, and how comfortable or cumbersome they might feel over time. We then minced the shallots against the cutting board to determine how sharp and balanced each knife felt, from handle to tip. We also used the knives to hull strawberries and various other quick prep tasks.
• Durability: We considered any brand promises or specific manufacturer instructions when assessing each knife. If a knife was labeled dishwasher-safe, we ran it through the dishwasher on five cycles and then repeated the paper test to determine if dishwashing affected the blade's sharpness. If a knife was not labeled dishwasher-safe, we washed it by hand with soap and water between each use to determine if washing affected functionality.

Factors to Consider

Blade Length

Most paring knives come in blade lengths between three to four inches, and you will want a smaller blade to handle it efficiently if you have a smaller hand. Most paring knives fall in the middle at 3.5 inches, which is a good choice for most home cooks. 

Blade Sharpness

When choosing the best paring knife, it's essential to consider how sharp the blade is, how easy it is to care for, and how comfortable it feels in your hand. Like a chef's knife, a paring knife should feel sturdy and balanced with a sharp blade that doesn't dull quickly. There should be ample space to grip, and the blade's tip should be sharp. Behn prefers carbon steel because it holds better edges than stainless steel. 

Handfeel

Since a paring knife is used for more detailed work, you want to ensure it fits snugly into your hand for optimal control. It would help if you considered the overall balance in your hand when shopping around to ensure it rests properly in the middle of your palm.

Other Paring Knives We Tested

Strong Contenders

Made In Paring Knife ($69 at Made In)

During our tests, we felt confident maneuvering Made In's paring knife and appreciated its beautifully simple design. We liked that this knife is authentically full tang, which means that the blade extends to the end of the handle. This makes the blade more durable and sturdy than other options we tested. We noted that this knife has a straight grip, which could be slightly less comfortable to hold than a contoured handle and thus make large cutting jobs more difficult.

Misen Paring Knife ($44 at Misen)

We ranked the Misen paring knife as one of our favorites thanks to its sharp blade, easy-to-grip handle, and affordable price. The sloped bolster provides a place to rest your finger while peeling and makes for a comfortable pinch grip while dicing. A long handle and sloped bolster make this knife particularly easy to maneuver. The handle is slightly heavier than some of the others, which can make it feel awkward at times.

Wusthof Paring Knife ($115 at Amazon)

The knife feels sturdy enough to last for years and cuts precisely. During some tests, the knife took more effort to complete the cut, and minced pieces stuck to the surface. With sharpness, precision, and a comfortable grip, this paring knife performed well across most of our tests. We also noted the blade felt virtually indestructible and was effortless to use, whether mincing shallots or turning out orange segments. 

Tojiro DP 3.5-inch Paring Knife ($60 at Amazon)

This elegant Japanese-made knife is a nicely sized paring knife with a slight weight, which makes it comfortable to maneuver for slicing and dicing tasks. Although the knife looks and feels well-crafted and sturdy, we found the blade to be a bit too thin, and it also dulled. We noted our concern about potentially chipping or cracking the thin blade during our tests.

Shun Cutlery Premier Paring Knife ($169 at Amazon)

The Shun 4-inch paring knife is as elegant as it is functional. Consistently sharp from tip to belly, the blade has a hammered finish that helps reduce dragging and gives the knife a unique, eye-catching look. Although we love this knife's squared-off blade and overall precision, it was one of the most expensive knives we tested, and its longer blade is not ideal for small hands.

Wusthof Classic 3.5-Inch Paring Knife ($95 at Amazon)

The Wüsthof Classic Paring Knife was one of the best performers across our tests but was beaten out by the Henckels. It was incredibly sharp and easy to use. However, the handle might be too small for larger hands. It is still an excellent knife that keeps a sharp blade. 

Ryusen Bonten Unryu 3 VG10 Damascus 105MM ($210 at Strata Portland)

We like this pick as a special gift for someone who would get great use out of a quality paring knife. It's a knife that doubles as a work of art. It took on every task with ease and sliced cleanly, quickly, and without a single snag. During our tests, we found it had “terrific precision” and glided “like butter” through slicing tasks. However, at $210, this feels more like a luxury knife.

Masamoto Sohonten Molybdenum ($150 at Korin)

With a full-tang blade and rosewood handle, this knife is just the right size for slicing an orange. The heel catches slightly on some tasks, and it’s not the sharpest we’ve ever tested, but it’s great for slicing tomatoes and precision kitchen tasks. We found it elegant, heirloom-quality, and a great knife alongside a charcuterie board. However, its performance did not justify the $150 price tag.

What Didn't Make the List

The below knives didn't make our list due to their overall performance. Some knives felt slightly difficult to grip and maneuver, while other knives felt too heavy or unbalanced in the hand. We had difficulty with a few models that featured a curved blade, which prevented us from making even contact with ingredients on our cutting boards, as well as flexible blades, which made slicing hard foods difficult. In a few cases, we also noted significant rusting or dulling after our tests.

• Our Place Paring Knife (Our Place)
• Kuhn Rikon 3.5-inch Knife (Amazon)
• Material Kitchen the Almost 4-inch Knife (Material)
• Sasaki Matsuta 3.5-inch Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Zyliss 3.25-inch Paring Knife with Cover (Amazon)
• J. A. Henckels Classic Precision 4-inch Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Zwilling Twin Signature 4-inch Knife (Zwilling)
• MAC Chef Series 4-inch Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Opinel Carbon Steel 4-inch Paring Knife - Set of 2 (Opinel)
• Victorinox 3.25-inch Rosewood Paring Knife Straight-Sided (Amazon)
• Miyabi Kaizen II Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Victorinox 3.9-inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Victorinox 3.25-inch Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Kyocera Ceramic Revolution Series Paring Knife (Amazon)
• Farberware Paring Knife Set (Amazon)
• Farberware 3.5-inch Ceramic Paring Knife (Walmart)
  

Our Expertise

• Jennifer Zyman is a Testing Editor for Food & Wine and a recovering restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. To write this story, she used testing results and expert advice from Michael Behn, owner and head sharpener of Moshi Knives.
• Laura Denby also contributed to the research for the original article. She is a former chef who has spent years cooking in professional and private kitchens throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Hamptons.