America’s Test Kitchen Paring Knife: Best Serrated Paring Knife, Best Value Paring Knife, and Best Overall Paring Knife

I didn’t know what I was missing until visiting my brother-in-law’s house, slicing a tomato as I helped with dinner preparations. We were having burgers, so we needed sliced tomatoes. The knife felt like it was custom-made to fit my hand. It sliced through the tomato like it was slicing through the air. The slices were thin, even, and as near perfection as an amateur can achieve. I didn’t know what I was missing until I experienced cutting with a real, high-quality knife. When I decided to buy my own, as usual, I searched best paring knife America’s Test Kitchen to start my research.

Buying Guide America’s Test Kitchen Best Paring Knife

Best Paring Knife America’s Test Kitchen:

• Victorinox 4 Inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife
• Victorinox Swiss Classic Paring Knife, 3.9 inches
• Kuhn Rikon COLORI Non-Stick Serrated Paring Knife
• Kuhn Rikon Straight Paring Knife Set of 3
• Wüsthof Classic Serrated Edge Paring Knife
• Wüsthof Gourmet 3 Inch Spear Point Paring Knife

Nothing improves the life of a home cook like a really great knife. Anyone who has ever attempted to slice a tomato with a low-quality knife understands the sense of defeat that comes with such an endeavor: squished, uneven, ugly slices. While tomatoes seem delicate, their outer skin can’t be penetrated with anything less than a razor-sharp blade.

Having the right knife for the job is also crucial. Slicing ginger or garlic with a chef’s or carving knife can result in a lost finger. These knives are made for large jobs, like cubing meat. For fine jobs, a small, agile knife is best. This is where an essential paring knife comes in. They are great for:

• Peeling-the thin skins of potatoes and apples can be easily removed with a good paring knife. For this job, you typically hold the fruit or vegetable in your hand while peeling it, allowing for the precision required to remove the minimal amount of flesh. 

• Mincing -you need a small, fine blade for this fine cut. While a chef’s knife can be great for dicing, the blade is truly too large and bulky for getting a fine mince.

• Slicing-again, a chef’s knife might be ideal for slicing large, hard vegetables like potatoes, but is unwieldy when slicing ginger, garlic, or strawberries.

• Segmenting-when preparing citrus fruits for a fruit salad, a forged paring knife is a great tool for removing the peel and pulp. A large knife would remove too much of the fruit, while a paring knife can skim the surface easily. 

• Hulling-trying to remove a strawberry stem with a chef’s knife would be an exercise in frustration. The small, spear tip of a paring knife makes the job quick and easy. 

• Deveining-a small-bladed knife is also ideal for deveining shrimp. This requires a light hand and a small blade that won’t cut too deeply while removing the vein.

• Scoring-bread dough often needs to be scored before baking. The paring knife is, again, the ideal tool for this job. Scoring needs to be precise and shouldn’t be too deep. 

The best paring knives will be small, with a blade 2.5 to 4 inches in length. You will want to find a knife that has a nice grip that allows you to have good control for precision jobs. The blade should be very sharp so that it glides as you peel. When you are peeling an apple or potato, you are holding it in your hand so you don’t want a dull blade that snags.  

The serrated blade knife allows a nice cut on bread like baguettes, while the straight edge is the most efficient peeler. Either blade will do the job, though. When looking for a paring knife, whether serrated or straight blade, you want to look for a sharp, pointed tip for piercing for hulling and coring. 

When it comes to buying knives, there are many options out there. We’ve narrowed down some of the best. 

Best Value Paring Knife

Victorinox paring knives fall under the Swiss Army brand. This little knife is a great bargain, costing just under $10. The Victorinox serrated paring knife also features the all-important spear tip and a reliable blade that can be sharpened. The handle has a nice grip with a finger guard to protect your hand from sliding towards the blade while peeling. As a bonus, you can get it in red.  

Victorinox Swiss Classic Paring Knife

The Victorinox also offers a 3.9 straight blade option at $8. This versatile knife offers durability with a high carbon stainless steel blade and a comfortable grip with a finger guard. You can’t go wrong with the quality of a victorinox paring knife at this price. 

Best Mid-Range Paring Knife

The COLORI paring knife by Kuhn Rikon is a tough little knife made from Japanese stainless steel. It boasts a serrated blade and non-stick coat, making for neat dicing. Its spear tip is contoured as part of the blade, making it sharp enough for piercing. The COLORI line boasts high marks in maneuverability and ease of grip. This line of knives comes in a wide variety of colors and costs just $14. 

If you’re looking for a straight-edge blade, COLORI has a lot to offer. This multi-pack is only $25 and offers three bright, colorful paring knives. They come with the same Japanese non-stick steel as the serrated option.  

Best High End Paring Knife with Serrated Edge

When it comes to high quality, Wüsthof knives are hard to beat. This line of knives is known for its edge technology which retains sharpness for 30% longer than other brands. The Wüsthof Classic Serrated Edge Paring Knife will yield precision and control with its 3-inch high carbon stainless steel blade. The serrated teeth will allow for sawing action good for cutting bread as well as fine herbs and garlic cloves. While this knife comes with a price tag of $85, it is an investment that lasts. 

Best Overall Paring Knife

If you’re looking for a classic, simple paring knife of top quality, the Wüsthof Gourmet 3 Inch Spear Point Paring Knife can’t be beaten. This is a straight blade paring knife with all the quality of a German blade. Like all Wüsthof knives, the Gourmet Paring Knife has a full tang, riveted in three places. The small blade is ideal for an agile paring knife. Wüsthof has been making knives for over 200 years. At $30, this little knife is not only a bargain but everything you want in a paring knife. 

America’s Test Kitchen Paring Knife Video Review