A well-equipped kitchen depends on the right cutting tools. Each tool is designed for a specific task, whether you’re slicing vegetables, preparing meat, or handling delicate fruits. Understanding how these tools work makes cooking faster, safer, and more accurate. The list below covers essential cutting tools along with their roles, so you can choose the right one for any job.
List of Cutting tools used in kitchen with names
- Chef’s knife
- Paring knife
- Utility knife
- Santoku knife
- Bread knife
- Carving knife
- Boning knife
- Fillet knife
- Cleaver
- Nakiri knife
- Tomato knife
- Cheese knife
- Butter knife
- Steak knife
- Oyster knife
- Clam knife
- Peeling knife
- Mincing knife
- Mezzaluna
- Mandoline slicer
- Vegetable slicer
- Julienne cutter
- Spiralizer
- Food chopper
- Meat slicer
Cutting tools used in kitchen with pictures
A large, versatile knife used for chopping, slicing, and dicing.
It handles vegetables, meat, and herbs with ease.
Every kitchen relies on it because of its balance and speed.
Paring knife
A small knife used for peeling, trimming, and precise cuts.
Ideal for delicate work like deveining shrimp or cutting small fruits.
It gives control in tasks where a bigger knife feels unsafe.
Utility knife
Mid-sized knife between a chef’s and paring knife.
Used for slicing sandwiches, fruits, and small vegetables.
Great for everyday cutting when you don’t need a large blade.
Santoku knife
A Japanese all-purpose knife known for its flat edge.
Perfect for chopping vegetables and thin slicing.
Its shape helps prevent food from sticking to the blade.
Bread knife
A long knife with a serrated edge.
Used to slice bread without crushing it.
Works well for cutting cakes and soft fruits too.
Carving knife
A long, narrow knife used to slice cooked meat.
It makes thin, even slices of turkey, roast, or ham.
Often paired with a carving fork for stability.
Boning knife
A flexible blade designed to remove bones from meat.
Helps separate joints and follow curves precisely.
Used for poultry, beef, and fish.
Fillet knife
Very flexible and thin blade.
Designed for filleting fish and removing skin.
Gives smooth, clean cuts without tearing the meat.
Cleaver
A heavy rectangular knife.
Used for chopping through thick meat and bones.
Also useful for smashing garlic or cutting large vegetables.
Nakiri knife
A Japanese vegetable knife with a straight edge.
Great for clean, smooth vegetable cuts.
Its flat blade allows full contact with the cutting board.
Tomato knife
Small serrated knife made for slicing tomatoes.
Cuts through soft skins without squishing.
Useful for other delicate fruits too.
Cheese knife
Specially shaped blade for cutting soft or hard cheese.
Holes in the blade keep cheese from sticking.
Helps make neat slices without crumbling.
Butter knife
A dull-edged knife for spreading butter or spreads.
Sometimes used to cut soft foods like cakes.
Safe and gentle for everyday table use.
Steak knife
A sharp knife with a pointed or serrated edge.
Used at the table to cut cooked meat.
Ensures clean and easy slicing.
Oyster knife
Short, strong blade for opening oysters.
Built to pry shells apart safely.
Essential for seafood preparation.
Clam knife
A rounded, blunt-edged knife.
Used to open clams without breaking the shell.
Prevents damage to the meat inside.
Peeling knife
Small curved knife for peeling fruits and vegetables.
Great for detailed trimming and shaping.
Often used in garnishing work.
Mincing knife
A curved knife used with a rocking motion.
Perfect for chopping herbs and garlic.
Provides fast, consistent results.
Mezzaluna
A half-moon shaped knife with handles on both ends.
Used for mincing herbs or vegetables.
The rocking motion makes cutting effortless.
Mandoline slicer
A flat slicer for making even slices.
Adjustable thickness for vegetables and fruits.
Saves time and ensures uniform cuts.
Vegetable slicer
General tool for slicing vegetables quickly.
Often hand-held with adjustable blades.
Makes prep easier for stir-fries and salads.
Julienne cutter
Creates thin, matchstick-sized strips.
Perfect for carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini.
Used for garnishing and Asian-style dishes.
Spiralizer
Turns vegetables into spirals or noodles.
Popular for zucchini or carrot noodles.
Helpful for healthy, low-carb meals.
Food chopper
Manual or electric tool for quick chopping.
Ideal for onions, nuts, herbs, and vegetables.
Saves time when you need even cuts.
Meat slicer
A machine that slices meat into thin pieces.
Used for deli meats, cheese, and vegetables.
Ensures uniform thickness in seconds.
50 examples of cutting tools used in kitchen
- Egg slicer
- Pineapple slicer
- Apple slicer
- Watermelon slicer
- Herb scissors
- Kitchen scissors
- Heavy-duty shears
- Poultry shears
- Pizza cutter wheel
- Pizza rocker knife
- Dough cutter
- Bench scraper
- Fish scaler
- Meat tenderizer with blades
- Garlic press
- Ginger grater
- Microplane zester
- Box grater
- Nutcracker
- Can opener with cutting blade
- Vegetable peeler
- Y-peeler
- Serrated peeler
- Melon baller
- Corer (apple corer or general fruit corer)
50 Cutting tools used in kitchen and their uses
Egg slicer
Cuts boiled eggs into perfect slices.
Uses thin metal wires for clean results.
Great for salads and sandwiches.
Pineapple slicer
Removes the core and slices pineapple at once.
Produces rings quickly and neatly.
Makes handling large fruit easier.
Apple slicer
Cuts apples into equal wedges.
Removes the core instantly.
Saves time and gives clean portions.
Watermelon slicer
Curved cutter for slicing watermelon safely.
Reduces mess and gives even pieces.
Often comes with tongs to lift slices.
Herb scissors
Scissors with multiple blades.
Quickly chop herbs into small pieces.
Keeps cuts uniform without bruising the leaves.
Kitchen scissors
Strong scissors for general kitchen cutting.
Used for herbs, packaging, or trimming meat.
A versatile tool found in most kitchens.
Heavy-duty shears
Designed for tougher cutting tasks.
Used to cut bones, tough vegetables, and shells.
Provides leverage and control.
Poultry shears
Curved blades for cutting chicken and turkey.
Ideal for removing backbone or trimming fat.
Makes butchering cleaner and safer.
Pizza cutter wheel
Round blade that rolls across pizza.
Makes quick, clean slices.
Works for quesadillas and flatbreads too.
Pizza rocker knife
Wide blade used by rocking motion.
Cuts pizza evenly in one push.
Often used in professional kitchens.
Dough cutter
Flat blade with a handle.
Used to portion dough and scrape surfaces.
Helps keep the workspace tidy.
Bench scraper
Metal scraper used for cutting dough and lifting ingredients.
Helps transfer chopped items to pots or pans.
Useful for cleaning countertops.
Fish scaler
Removes scales from fish quickly.
Keeps the skin intact.
A must for preparing whole fish.
Meat tenderizer with blades
Multiple blades that pierce meat.
Helps break tough fibers and improves marinade absorption.
Results in softer, faster-cooking meat.
Garlic press
Crushes garlic through small holes.
Gives fine, even garlic paste.
Saves time compared to hand chopping.
Ginger grater
Small grater for turning ginger into paste.
Useful for sauces, marinades, and teas.
Creates fine texture without chunks.
Microplane zester
Long, fine grater for zesting citrus.
Great for cheese, spices, and chocolate.
Gives delicate, fluffy flakes.
Box grater
Four-sided grater with different grating options.
Used for cheese, vegetables, and zesting.
Offers multiple textures in one tool.
Nutcracker
Breaks hard shells of nuts.
Keeps nut meat mostly intact.
A simple but essential kitchen tool.
Can opener with cutting blade
Cuts open metal cans safely.
Some models smooth the edges.
Makes accessing canned food easy.
Vegetable peeler
Removes thin layers of skin from vegetables.
Fast and safe compared to a knife.
Works on carrots, potatoes, and more.
Y-peeler
Peeler with a horizontal blade.
Gives smooth, effortless peeling.
Great for long vegetables like cucumbers.
Serrated peeler
Peeler with tiny teeth on the blade.
Works well on soft or slippery skins.
Ideal for peaches, tomatoes, and kiwis.
Melon baller
Scoops round balls from melons or soft fruits.
Used for garnishing salads and desserts.
Makes neat, uniform spheres.
Corer
Removes the center of fruits like apples or pears.
Creates a hollow core quickly.
Useful for baking stuffed fruits.
