A carving knife is at times not included in the most required knife if not buying a whole knife set. The necessary knives are the chef’s knife, bread knife and paring knife. But a carving knife should also be included in the must haves since it will make any carving or slicing task easier.

Carving knives are distinguished because of their longer and thinner blades that is necessary to cut through roasts and to bend around bones and cartilages. Because of its name, carving knives are only thought to be good at carving turkeys during Thanksgiving. But in actuality is also good in slicing through fruits and vegetables as well as breads and other pastries.

A good carving knife has a sharp blade

This is a no brainer for a carving knife and all other knives. Not only a sharp blade will make it easier to carve, slice, cut and chop, a dull blade is actually more dangerous than a sharp one. In order to slice meat with a clean cut, a carving knife’s blade should always be sharp.

To check a blade’s sharpness, the tried and tested method of cutting a single sheet of paper works best. If the blade did not slash through the paper, it’s time to get it sharpen. If you are not used to sharpening your knife, have it done by a professional. Not only will this save you the trouble, it is also safer for you and your knife especially if it is an expensive knife.

A good carving knife has a long blade

Carving knives usually have long blades. Typically, they range from 8 to 12 inches but the best carving knife is usually in between. A shorter blade would need more sawing while a longer one would make it difficult to carve around meat bones.

But if you are looking to buy one for exclusive use on carving turkeys, choose a carving knife that is 9 inches or longer. Since you are dealing with a knife with a long blade, the handle must be firm and sturdy. The longer the blade is, the more tendency it will wobble when being used. So, when you are looking for a carving knife, be extra cautious with the handle as well.

A good carving knife has a comfortable handle

Chopping, slicing and carving could be strenuous for our hands and good knives are considered as such not only because of their sharp blades but also because of their comfortable handle. Not only that, a knife handle made out of non-slip material is safer to use compared to others that are not.

Imagine this; your hands are slippery from just handling cooking oil or butter and your hand slip from touching the knife. The knife might fall or slip and cut you because the handle is not made from moisture resistance material. For reference, handles made oof thermoplastic are your best bet for durable and non-slip knife handle.

When choosing knives not only should you check how easy it is to cut through meat, fruits and vegetables or how comfortable it is to hold or the price. Consider also its maintenance and if it is easy to store, clean and sharpen.