Comparing Boning and Carving Knives

Having the right kitchen knives can help you accomplish various food preparation requirements. Though your chef's knife is very useful, it has its limitations and might not be enough if you want more precise and cleaner cuts of meat. Adding a boning and a carving knife to your set of kitchen knives is important for precision cutting. Both knives are essential tools for special food preparation needs, such as when serving turkey or making your filleted meat.

At first glance, boning and carving knives may seem similar function, but they have subtle differences that could affect their function and purpose. The boning knife has a flexible and thin blade that is agile and sharp, so you have more control when removing the bones from certain meats like lamb chops, chicken breasts, and butterfly pork. On the other hand, the carving knife would either have a rounded or a pointed tip and a smooth, non-serrated blade meant for carving large, boneless pieces of meat like roast beef and ham.

A carving knife with a pointed tip is designed for cutting around a bone, making it seemingly similar to a boning knife. However, the difference lies in their size and purpose. A boning knife is typically 12cm to 17cm (about five to six inches) long with a narrower blade, and its purpose is to remove the bones of meat, poultry, and fish. Boning knives can pass through holes and perform deeper cuts, so you can be sure that most bones can be removed. Stiff boning knives are recommended for removing the bones of pork and beef, and a flexible boning knife is recommended for fish and poultry.

The purpose of a carving knife is to cutting pieces of meat from their source. Hence, it may not be as efficient and precise as a boning knife for filleting. A carving knife has a longer blade usually about nine inches or longer to reduce the sawing motion when slicing back and forth.