March 17, 2020

Fillet vs Carving Knives - What's the Difference?

On the surface, filleting and carving knives seem one and the same but there are several characteristics that set them completely apart.

What is a fillet knife?

A ‘fillet’ is a fleshy boneless piece of meat, so it only goes to say that a fillet knife is used for removing bones, cartilage, and skin from meat. You will often see many filleting knives with ‘flex’ to make it that much easier and quicker for your blade to navigate around bones and joints, and it slices exactly where you want it to.

The result? You’ll end up with more food and less waste.

Is a boning knife the same as a fillet knife? Not quite, a boning knife is designed with the function of removing bones from meat, whereas a fillet knife also covers removing the skin and cartilage from meat.

With either a straight or curved blade depending on its application, the blade is also thinner compared to a carving knife giving way for increased maneuverability to cut around bones and sinew.

Due to the good control when picking out bones and removing skin and cartilage, fillet knives are often used for filleting fish. The blade on fillet knives is typically 15-28cm long, making them perfect for moving easily along the backbone and under the skin of a fish.

Examples of a fillet knife

Shun Kai Classic Flexible Fillet Knife 17.9cm

F. Dick Premier Plus Fillet Knife

What is a carving knife?

They are designed specifically for carving out the exact quantity and quality of meat and are characterised by having a sharp point. With a long thin blade, this knife will cut through cartilage with relative ease in order to get as much meat as possible.

The blade on a carving knife is typically wider, making it easier to keep the direction of the cuts straight.

Carving knives are mostly used for food preparations as their large edges make it more quick and convenient to accomplish kitchen tasks. They are used to slice thin cuts of meat, including roasts, ham, poultry, and other cooked meats.