chef's knife

noun

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Definition of chef's knife

: a knife used for preparing food; especially : a large, general-purpose kitchen knife usually 8 to 10 inches long that has a blade curving upward along its length and ending in a narrow point

The chef's knife, usually 8 inches long, is … the workhorse of the kitchen. It is used for chopping, slicing, and dicing a variety of foods.
—Consumer Reports

See chef's knife defined for kids

Recent Examples of chef's knife from the Web

The other two from Kikuichi Cutlery are a Japanese take on a Western-style chef's knife known as a gyuto, and a six-inch bunka for finer work.

— josie colt, WIRED, "All the Gear, Gadgets, and Apps We Loved in May," 31 May 2018
The recurring theme is that the three key knives everyone must own are a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife.

— joe ray, WIRED, "You Need a New Kitchen Knife," 18 May 2018
Nothing is quite so nice as having a sharp chef's knife to prep your ingredients.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals you can find right now," 26 Mar. 2018
Peel onion and garlic with a paring or chef's knife.

— eric velasco, AL.com, "The best kitchen tools and how to use them," 27 Apr. 2018
Our favorite affordable chef's knife Any novice chef will know that a dull, cheap knife will lead to more work or worse, a cut finger.

— courtney campbell, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 Amazon deals you can get before the weekend," 13 Apr. 2018
There are certain kitchen tools that are must-haves: chef's knives, wooden cutting boards and sheet pans.

— becky krystal, ajc, "Five cheap kitchen tools that make cooking and cleaning way easier," 30 Apr. 2018
With sharp chef's knife, cut pork loin almost all the way in half lengthwise; open halves like a book.

— the good housekeeping test kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Cider-Glazed Pork and Apples," 22 Sep. 2015
For basic cooking equipment, Newgent recommends the following essentials: a large cutting board, a sharp chef's knife, a large saucepan with a lid, a silicone spatula and cooking spoon, and a large stick-resistant skillet.

— lisa drayer, CNN, "A New Year, new food resolution: Cook at home," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chef's knife.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.