It would help to have the right knife to get the most from your fruit. Use the wrong type of knife or one that’s too blunt or dull, and instead of finely cut chunks or slices, you’ll end up with mashed lumps and juice everywhere.
These are some of the best knives for cutting fruit to help you get the best cut, whether thin slices, cubes, or just peeling a fruit using a sharp blade.
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The Best Paring Knife Options for Peeling Small Fruits:
A paring knife is a short-bladed knife with a straight blade or curved blade. The knife is typically around 3.5-4 inches, but it can be smaller and designed for finer cutting or peeling. They can easily dice smaller, softer fruits too.
Use a paring knife if you have a fruit you want to peel or for deseeding fruits. They’re suitable for other softer vegetables but don’t use them on tougher vegetables that can blunt the knife quickly. Also, they won’t be efficient in getting through more problematic foods.
PAUDIN 3.5 Inch Paring Knife
This precision knife is made from high-quality German stainless steel, with a sharp edge that helps you finely peel or chop your fruits. It’ll last a long time, and the handle is ergonomic and comfortable, so you won’t slip or hurt yourself while using it.
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Shun Classic 3.5 Inch Paring Knife
This supremely high-quality Japanese knife can handle many tasks and is professional grade, made using VG-MAX core steel that is exceptionally durable, with an edge that’ll stay sharp for longer. The simple design is clean and comfortable, whether peeling in your hand or on a cutting board, and will work well for slicing, chopping, and deseeding.
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When to Use a Utility Knife for Chopping Fruits:
A utility knife is longer than a paring knife at 4 and 7 inches but not quite as long as a chef knife. The blade can be straight edge or serrated, designed to be all-rounders. They’re suitable for slicing fruits thinly or chopping up tougher flesh.
Because they’re longer, they work best on a chopping board instead of peeling in hand. Their length means they can be used for larger fruits with ease, but make sure to use a knife sharpener if you want to use it with smaller fruits to keep the blade moving through softer flesh without squashing it.
Steinbrucke 5 Inch Utility Knife
Forged from high-carbon German stainless steel, this sharp, straight-edge knife can handle precise cutting tasks easily. It’s sharp enough to cut tomatoes with ease but can also get through tougher flesh. With a super sharp edge, making thin slices for a fruit platter is simple.
Shun Classic Blonde 6-Inch Utility Knife
Another Japanese knife from Shun is this sleek utility knife with a high-carbon VG-MAX core surrounded by 34 layers of Damascus steel cladding for a great blade. Most importantly, it works incredibly well. The blonde PakkaWood handle is easy to grip for right- and left-handed users.
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Why a Ceramic Knife Can Reduce Browning:
Some fruits react with oxygen in the air to start browning quickly. Avocados are famous for browning quickly, but it also happens to other super fruits. And the iron and copper in stainless steel knives can hasten that reaction.
That’s why it’s worth getting a ceramic knife. A ceramic blade will stay very sharp, unlike other alternatives like plastic. Still, it won’t speed up the browning process like steel knives.
Jonbyi Hippo Shaped Cover Paring Knife
With a cute hippo cover and comfortable handle, this durable paring knife makes peeling fruits or cutting through tougher flesh much more manageable. It’s also easy to clean and comfortable to use, making it a perfect first choice for a fruit knife.
Kyocera Advanced 7 Inch Ceramic Knife
For a longer ceramic blade, this chef knife is ideal. It will make light work of tougher vegetables and fruits, with its ultra-sharp zirconia blade keeping its edge up to 10x longer than stainless steel options. It’s a delicate knife that should be hand-washed only, but it’s lightweight and comfortable.
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Large Fruits that Need a Carving Knife:
Some larger fruits would benefit from a long knife to make peeling and slicing easier. A chef knife will work well, but a carving knife combines a bigger blade with precision cutting for fruits like pineapple, so you can peel it without losing the excellent quality flesh.
A bread knife can also work, but a carving knife is better for more accurate control – they’re designed for thinly slicing meat. Hence, the blade edge cuts fruit flesh without making a mess.
Kessaku 14 Inch Carving Knife
This super-sharp stainless steel carving knife is well-balanced, lightweight, and effortless. The blade is exceptionally durable, with a straight edge that provides neat, clean cuts, whether peeling tough skin or effortlessly gliding through softer fruit flesh.
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Specialty Knives for Fruit:
As well as your main knives, you may want two other knives in your kitchen if you regularly prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.
A tomato knife is a short, serrated blade designed to penetrate the fruit’s skin without damaging the inside. Fresh tomatoes are easy to crush with a dull knife accidentally, so picking up a tomato knife is worthwhile if you often make fresh sauces or salads. These knives are sometimes referred to as cheese knives.
TUO 5.5 Inch Tomato Knife
This sharp serrated steel blade has forked tips that allow you to lift tomato slices easily. It has a perforated blade too, which prevents food from sticking to it once you’ve cut it.
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A peeling knife has a curved blade that bends inwards. This gives you more of the edge when peeling fruits and vegetables toward yourself in your hand. Their sharp point is also helpful for deseeding fruits once they are peeled.
TUO 2.5 Inch Peeling Knife
This ‘bird-beak’ knife has a short blade that makes it really easy to control, which is vital when using a sharp blade. The ergonomic handle prevents it from slipping while in use too.
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In Conclusion
It’s good to have a variety of knives in your home for cutting fruits if you can. But if you’re on a budget, the best knives for cutting fruit are usually paring knives – they’re precise enough for smaller, softer fruits. Still, they can do an excellent job on more challenging foods too. So start with a paring knife and add a larger blade when you can – ideally, one should be ceramic too.
