Are you looking for a knife that can release the meat from the delicate areas? A boning knife has a narrow blade that can scrape the meat from the bones without wasting. The blades are made of heavy-duty material but there are small differences that make each knife unique from one another. The thickness and flexibility of the knife is an important feature to look before buying the best boning knife for your kitchen.
Moreover, a compatible grip on the handles is necessary to bear in mind so that the knife does not slide off easily. Knives have finger guards tapered on both ends of the handle to protect your fingers. Some boning knives can be used for filleting and skinning. The most important thing about the boning knives is you need to hand wash them for a better and longer experience.
Best Pick
The Victorinox Fibrox Pro Boning Knife is our best pick on our list as it has a flexible blade with a pointy tip and sharp edges. It is a heavy-duty material made knife that is safe from rusting and an ergonomic handle ensures a soft but strong grip. It is a 6-inch light-weight knife that you can control easily without putting much effort. Moreover, the blades are of good quality and retain sharpness for a long time.
Budget Pick
Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition Paring/ Boning Knife is on our budget pick because of its soaked wooden handles and rust resisting blades. It is a very small knife with a 3-inch blade that makes it portable for outdoor gatherings. The wooden handle is the feature that is like most about this knife as it absorbs all the oil and water from your fingers and gives a strong grip. Besides cutting meat and fish, you can also use this knife for cutting fruits and vegetables.
Quick Comparison: Top 12 Best Boning Knives
1. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The 6-inch flexible sharp-edged boning knife is constructed with a composition of iron, 0.75% carbon, and 14% chromium. Chromium protects the knife from rusting whereas carbon makes the blade strong.
The feature we like about this boning knife is that it can be used for filleting as well. The knife is flexible so it can easily through the meat with its pointy tip. The straight edges help to release the meats from the bones. Additionally, the knife meets the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) grade that ensures the knife is safe for public use.
The knife is S-shaped and the ergonomic handle gives a great grip to control the knife. The handle is designed in such a way that it does not tire your hand for holding it for a long time. For cleaning, the brand advised cleaning with hand by placing them under running water and dry them immediately. Also for the best performance, hone your knives after using them 3 to 4 times.
2. Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition Paring/ Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The straight blade with a pointed tip is made of high carbon stainless steel that gives a smooth experience while boning. To create the ideal sharp edges, Chicago Cutlery uses a 25-degree taper grind on the edges. The blade resists rust, corrosion, stains, and strong enough to endure the pressure.
The handle is wooden which is contoured with walnut. As it has a full tang, the metal is riveted with brass on the handle. The feature we like about this knife is that it has a wooden handle to soak oils and wetness from your palms. Your hand can get sweaty if you are holding the knife for a long time and slip off causing a serious hazard.
However, the knife appears to be small for some people and they find it uncomfortable to hold it. Also, the knife has no flexible blade so it can break if you try to cover bending areas. Hand wash is advised by the brand as the water can damage the wooden handle.
3. Mercer Culinary Millennia Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
Till now, you have seen handles made of wood and plastic but Mercer Culinary builds handles with rubber. A combination of Santoprene and Polypropylene is used to engineer the handle to make it comfortable to hold. You will have the handles in different colors like blue, black, green, etc.
The texture of the handle is rough that resists slipping off and provides durability to the knife. You will a finger guard on the knife so that you do not cut yourself while boning the meat. Another feature about the knife is the blade is curved shaped which makes it easier to skin fish or poultry.
Nonetheless, the brand strictly advises not to use a dishwasher to wash the knives. The knife will stay good if it is hand washed and dried immediately with a dry towel. Also, you need to store the knife far away from heat because heat can cause damage to the handle. Moreover, it is better not to put too much strain on the blade as there is no mention if the blade is flexible or not.
4. Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
It is a 6-inch blade made of heavy-duty material high-carbon steel. Due to the presence of carbon, the knife is strong to endure pressure. The blade is curved and flexible which helps to cut through the fats and bones. The sharp edges help trim and skin fish.
One of the features we like about this knife is that the handle is designed uniquely. It has a grip-tex handle that makes it safe for the users. The knife is in total 11-inch long so the handle is 5-inch that gives enough space to get a good grip. Moreover, you will find the finger guard near the junction of the blade and handle.
After washing the knife, make sure to dry them with a dry cloth as it can get rust easily. Though high-carbon steel has carbon content to make the knife strong but no chromium on the mixture. Chromium protects the blade from rust and makes them durable.
5. UltraSource Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
If you are looking for a professional boning knife with great features, the UltraSource boning knife blade is curved and semi-flexible to serve all the purpose. The blade is also pointed on the tip and has the sharpness of a German steel blade.
The feature we like about this knife is that it has finger guards on both ends of the handle. Even the handle is made of anti-slip material, the finger guard gives double protection. It works great for cutting thick meat like beef, poultry, and fish.
The knife blade comes in 2 sizes, 5-inch and 6-inch. You can choose the one according to your requirements. The knife will be durable by drying them after washing as moisture can rust the blades.
6. DALSTRONG Crusader Straight Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The knife we have now on our list is a full tang with a seamless blade from tip to the handle. The entire piece is perfectly polished to provide a smooth finish. High carbon steel is used on the blade to give the strength to endure the pressure. Whereas, high-chromium stainless steel is used on the handle to prevent rust.
This knife from DALSTRONG got our attention because of its unique look and sleek design. You can get a thin slice of meat with this knife as it is hand sharpened to 16 to 18 degrees per side. It has a full tang blade which increases the strength and robustness of the knife.
Moreover, it comes with a magnet engraved hand-crafted blade sheath to store the knife securely. However, as this whole knife is made from steel, the handle can be too cold or hot to hold if you are living in a cold or hot region.
7. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S Flexible Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The knife is 5.5-inch long which is forged into one piece by the Sigmaforge process to improve the stability and look of the knife. This boning knife from Henckels is multi-tasking as it can be used for skinning and filleting meat or fish. This light-weight knife with a flexible blade is made from high carbon to increase the sturdiness of the blade.
The edges are sharpened with a laser and Friodur ice-hardening process so that it remains sharp for a long time. This sharpening process gives the blade a consistent angle for cutting and resists stains, corrosion, and rust. The blade is full tang the triple-riveted screws are visible on the handle.
Besides, the handle is made of polymer to give a strong grip and balance over the knife. Your fingers are protected as it has a finger guard on both ends of the handle. It is recommended by the brand to hand wash the knife for a greater cutting experience. Though the knife has versatile use, the blade is not curved so you have to twist your wrists to reach the delicate areas.
8. Shun Cutlery Classic Boning and Fillet Knife
Highlighted Features
If you want a traditional boning knife, Shun Cutlery builds the knives in Japanese technique to give you a classic boning experience. The knife is made of stainless steel that eradicates rust with its chromium content. The knife blade is curved and 6-inch long with a pointed tip to easily trim or skin poultry and fish.
This Japanese knife is different from other knives as the edges are sharpened at 16 degrees on both sides. VG-MAX steel is used on the knife that includes cobalt to enhance strength. Tungsten is used to make the edges extremely sharpen. Another feature we like about this knife is it is a light-weight product with a thin blade. Thin blades can easily pass through thick meat.
The handle is made of Pakkawood ebony-a dark colored wood. The wood resists wet and oil to give a solid grip. However, it has no finger guard to reduce slipping off. The brand provides some strict rules for cleaning and storing the knives which are the best way to take care of the knife.
9. TUO Osprey Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The brand TUO makes the knife in a unique process to create a professional boning knife. The blade is made of German stainless steel to ensure sturdiness, longevity, and free from rust. The knife has gone through hot and cold treatment so that it can endure the pressure of deboning and filleting.
The blade is flexible that does not waste a lot of time to prepare the meat and also reduces wastage. The thickness of the blade is .1-inch that helps to pass through thick meat without much effort. The steel is passed through nitrogen cryogenic tempering and vacuum heat treatment to ensure the hardness of HRC 56±2.
The ergonomic handle provides a secured grip and as the handle is wooden it won’t slip off easily. The combination of wood and steel gives a warm look to the knife that can enhance the appearance of the kitchen. The knife has a large bolster at the end of the knife to provide protection to your figures.
10. LedgeON Professional Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
The knife from LedgeON is professionally used in restaurants for great extreme sharpness. The blade hand sharpened at an 18 degree and tempered to make a thin blade. Thin blades are efficient in releasing the meat from bones without wastage.
The ergonomic handle is made of Pakka wood that provides a comfortable grip. This 6-inch visible blade is elongated to the handle and it is tripling riveted on the handle. Full tang increases the knife's capability for controlling and balancing it while cutting meat.
The feature we like about this knife is that the bolster to protect your fingers is tapered to make it safe and reduce the risk of sliding off. Meats and fish are wet and knives can slip easily if there are no bolsters to help you to get a strong grip. However, it is better to dry the handle as soon as possible. Moisture ruins the texture of wood and the knife might not be durable to use.
11. PAUDIN Super Sharp Fillet or Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
Manufactured with German stainless steel, this 6-inch knife is a multifunctional knife used for deboning, trimming, skinning, etc. The German steel is known for its great resistance to rust, wear, and corrosion. The blade is narrow that you can easily cut through rib cages and separate the meat from bones.
The wooden handle makes sure that you get an ergonomic grip and offers the perfect balance to control your knife. The Pakka wood is used on the handle and it gives a cozy look to the knife. The blade has sharpness like a razor blade that cuts meat without any effort.
Hand wash is recommended by the brand to avoid rust. Also, wiping the knife with a dry towel after cleaning is necessary. The brand also advised not to use the knife as a can opener as the edges will get blunt.
12. MOSFiATA Boning Knife
Highlighted Features
Lastly, the knife we have on our list is a 6-inch boning knife from MOSFiATA. The feature we liked most about this knife is that they provide an extra finger guard and knife sharpener along with the knife. The knife handle resists sliding off and the finger guard protects your hand from accidents. Honing a knife on a perfect sharpener can be difficult to find and the sharpener they provide makes work easy.
It is made from German stainless steel to ensure strength and durability. The steel also protects from rust and discoloration as chromium is one of the elements. The full tang metal is riveted on the polypropylene handle. The knife is light-weight and it is very easy to gain control over it.
The knife blade is curved for easy curving on the delicate areas. However, there is no mention of the flexibility of the knife so it is better not to hard bend the blade to reach the corners.
Things to consider before buying the best boning knives
To separate the meat from bones requires a knife that has a pointed tip and a narrow blade. If you are wasting a lot of time preparing meat, we think you need to change your knife. The knife blades come in different sizes and are made of various materials. Before deciding which one to buy you need to know some basic information about the knives.
Blade material
Blades do all the most important work of knives. As the boning knives help to remove the bones of meat and fish, they need to be pointy and constructed with a heavy-duty material. On the market, you will see brands using stainless steel, carbon steel, and high carbon stainless steel. Though all the materials provide sturdiness on the knife they are made of a different composite of carbon, iron, and chromium.
Stainless steel is a mixture of 14% chromium with carbon and iron. The presence of Chromium reduces the risk of rust and the edges of the knife remain sharp for a longer period. Most of the brands use stainless steel on their knives to ensure durability.
Carbon steel knife constitutes around .85- 1.5% carbon which is not found on other types of knives. The blades are strong due to the high content of carbon but they are not totally anti-rust material. These knives give great results if you are doing dome heavy-duty work.
High carbon stainless steel is a combination of .75% carbon and 14% chromium. This knife has both sturdiness and rust-resistant factors. Chromium helps to fight rust while carbon provides the strength to uphold the force of cutting the bones. These kinds of knives are professionally used by the chefs for their great service.
Blade design
The blades of the knives are designed in two different styles. You will find a straight blade and a curved blade. Straight blades have a pointy tip that helps to remove the fish bones without hassle. On the other side, curved blades on the knife help to cut meat or fish without moving the wrists. Skinning the fish or poultry is easier is a curved blade.
The grip of the handle
Knives can cause huge accidents if they are not handled properly. If you are not comfortable with the grip of the knife, it can slip off causing a mess in your kitchen. Handles of knives are found in plastic, steel, rubber, wood, etc. Whichever material is used on the knife you need to check if the knife gives you a proper grip. Moreover, wooden handles are not always water-resistant, so it might slip off if your hands get sweaty.
Plastic handles resist water and sweat efficiently compared to the wooden handle. But as the wood absorbs the wetness from your arms, plastic does not absorb. Moreover, if you are using the plastic handle for long hours, it can slip as they are not absorbing the sweat. Look for the moisture of your workplace before buying the boning knife so that you do not lose grip of the knife.
In a professional kitchen, chefs tend to use cooking gloves to maintain hygiene. Due to the collision between the gloves and the knife, the knife can slide off easily.
Flexibility in knives
Boning knives are helpful for cutting meat and fishes because of their narrow blade and pointy tip. However, flexibility is one of the most important factors to consider while choosing the best boning knife for your kitchen.
Stiff Boning Knives are the type of knives that do not bend even after applying force. This knife is useful for cutting thick meat like pork, beef, etc. You can also trim the skin of big fish like tuna with this knife. The knife is built to endure the pressure that is required to cut thick meat.
Flexible Boning Knives are flexible enough to bend the knives to remove the bones without breaking apart. With its sharp edges, this knife removes all the meat from the bone and fats. Sometimes, stiff knives can damage the soft piece of meat so to avoid such situations flexible boning knife can be of use.
Semi-Flexible Boning Knives serve the versatile purpose of cutting meat with its strong and flexible functions. This kind of knife is half stiff and half flexible so they do not break if they are bending. You can apply pressure for cutting thick meat or separate meat from the bones easily at the same time with this knife. It has multipurpose features, and we believe that it saves a lot of time to prepare food.
Size and thickness of the blade
Boning knife comes in a slim blade and pointed tip with a strong handle for a compatible grip. The size of the boning knife varies from 6 to 9 inches. It is actually a personal preference how long you want your knife blades but small blades reach the tiny areas to clean out the meat from bones and fat.
Furthermore, a single knife cannot always serve all the purpose. If you own a thin blade knife, they are ok to use for cutting delicate pieces of meat. Wherever a thick blade knife will not work efficiently in the case of thick meats. You need to keep more than one knife if you do not want to waste your time preparing the meat.
Tang
Tang is the part of the knife where the blade and handle are joined to create a usable product. There are partially tang and full tang knives.
Full tang knives can be durable because the blade is extended to the end of the handle giving you the support of putting pressure. The full tang knife usually has a single piece of the blade from tip to the end. As a result, there is no risk of bending or breaking of the blades due to force. A full tang knife ensures durability and steadiness while using them.
Partially tang knives have blades that cover half or one-third of the entire piece. The endpoint of the blade is attached to the handle with the help of epoxy so that they hold still while cutting poultry or fish. There are various types of partially tang knives like push tang, tapered tang, rat-tail tang, etc.
Weight
The blades do not affect that much weight as they all are around the same weight. The weight can differ due to handles as the wooden handle can be heavier than the plastic ones. The boning knives are light in weight and made of heavy-duty materials.
Handles on the knife help you to hold the knife stable. If the handles are slightly heavier than the blades you can place the knife on the meat or fish and have control over your knife.
Balance and Safety
Safety is important while working with knives. First, you need to make sure that you are getting a strong grip on your knife. Sliding off while working on meat can result in serious accidents. The boning knives are light in weight so it is hard to balance the pressure for cutting meat for those who are newcomers.
The blades of the boning knives are sharp and pointy so you might get a cut if you are not careful enough. Some knives come with finger guards called bolster to protect your fingers. A wooden knife absorbs wetness and gives a powerful grip for controlling the movement of the knife.
One more thing to keep in mind that the blunt should not be used for cutting. A blunt knife gives a hard time for cutting and if you are putting too much force on the knife, you can lose balance and cut yourself. Always check the sharpness of the knife before starting to work.
Maintenance and storage
The knives are made of heavy-duty materials such as carbon, iron, and steel. The blades with stainless do not stain and have no risk of rust as they contain 12% chromium in them. You can easily wash them under running water with mild dishwashing soap. The stainless steel does not stick food on the product. So, they are very easy to use, clean, and store.
However, carbon steel blades do not have chromium in their composition, which increases the risk of rust on them. You can keep them in good shape for a long time, you can dry them with a dry towel after washing them thoroughly.
Though most of the brands say boning knives are suitable to put in the dishwasher we advise to wash them with hands for longer service. Dishwashers spray water at a high speed that can create a collision of knives with other cookware. The collision results in blunt edges and scratch marks on the knives. Additionally, knives with wooden handles are discouraged to put on the dishwasher as the wood can get damaged.
FAQ
Are boning and fillet knives the same?
Boning knife and fillet knives are very similar to look at and have almost all the same function. A boning knife is used to remove meat from bones whereas a fillet knife is used to skin and remove meat from bones. Both the knives can be used for poultry and fish.
Is it necessary for the boning knife blade to be flexible?
You will get a better working experience if the boning knife blade is flexible so that you can remove the meat from the bones without wasting it. There are three types of knives like stiff, semi-flex, and flexible knives. Flexible blades can be bending necessarily which other blades can’t.
Can I hone my boning knife at home?
Yes, you can hone or sharpen your boning knife at home if you have the knife sharpener. Run the blade through the sharpener a couple of times at the same angle to hone your knives.
Conclusion
Boning knife makes cutting of poultry and fish easier with its pointy tip and narrow blade. Just not the layout of the blade will be helpful, the blade needs to be perfectly sharpened so they effortlessly cut through the meat. The thinner the blade, the less effort to cut through the thick meat. The blades are sharpened at a specific angle so that they can retain the sharpness for a longer period.
The knives are very light in weight that makes them portable if you are planning for an outdoor barbeque. The handles are ergonomically designed to provide a strong grip. In our article, we have elaborately discussed the characteristics of each knife that will help you to decide the best boning knife. Simply put, a boning knife saves a lot of time in preparing meat for cooking.