How to Use Different Kinds of Kitchen and Non-Kitchen Knives

I don’t have to be the one to tell you that there is a kind of knife for almost any kitchen duty that you can dream of. Even outside the kitchen, there are a host of other specialty knives that you can EDC if that’s your thing.

As if that was not enough to confuse us all, manufacturers from Japan and other parts of the world introduced their kinds of fine knives. If you have checked my guide to ensuring you have a balanced knife, you know that you need to know how best to use these knives.

In this piece, I go over how to use different kinds of knives that you might come across (with videos where needed)

How to Use Cheese Knives in The Kitchen

Cheese knives are designed differently such that they can allow you to cut soft or hard cheese without damaging the knife, injuring yourself, or having cheese stuck to the knife.

There are different types of cheese knives such as the:

• Parmesan cheese knife;
• Soft cheese knife; and
• Hard cheese knife.

If you have not already checked that out, you should also read and understand why cheese knives come with holes in the blade sometimes. Once you know your different cheese knives, here’s a video from Wusthof showing different cheese knives and how to use them:

How to Use A Draw Knife for Woodworking

You probably won’t be using a draw knife in your kitchen anytime soon but if you are into woodworking, you’d want to check it out.

You might also be interested in this guide to knives for woodworking that I developed for beginners and as a refresher for existing woodworks.

That’s by the way.

Many users do not know that they can get different results with a draw knife when the bevel side is up or down. Depending on what you want to achieve, you should always make sure that the draw knife is cutting/ shaving the wood, not splitting it.

Here’s a perfect video on how to use your draw knife effectively:

In that video, you’ll observe how he:

• Holds the draw knife;
• Turns the bevel for different operations; and
• Advises how else to hold the knife for multiple outcomes.

Where to Buy Draw Knives

If you live in a neighborhood where woodworking is prominent, you should be able to find draw knives in the local hardware store. Otherwise, you might have a stroke of better luck with bigger stores (such as Walmart) in your area.

Another alternative is to check Amazon for a series of draw knives and options that you might like. The benefit of this method is that you can shop multiple options, check out picks that might not be carried in your local store and have them delivered to you at home.

The choice is ultimately yours.

How to Use an Ulu Knife Like A Pro

The Alaskan Ulu knife – or Ulu knife for short – is a strange-looking knife that deserves some attention. I like this knife because it can be used for quite several things while I also love the gripping style on the blade.

Likewise, you would find the natural curvature of the blade supportive of a rocking motion which aids better cutting.

An Alaskan Ulu knife is best used for cutting vegetables, mincing fruits, and dicing food items. Some chefs can use it in more extensive applications but you would have to learn the basics first before you get there.

Fortunately, I found a really short but helpful video guide for you on that:

In the video, you’ll learn:

• How to hold the Ulu knife;
• The best cutting motion for the knife; and
• How to use the Ulu knife to cut fruits, vegetables, and other food items.

How to Use a Nakiri Knife Like Chefs

The Nakiri knife is one of the best Japanese knife exports that I know.

It has a design that allows it to be great for cutting vegetables (and chopping meat, even if they don’t tell you that). I also love the height of the blade which allows it to glide through taller veggies like lettuce, always making a fine cut when they do.

The interesting part of the Nakiri knife is that it doesn’t come with a point so it’s safer to use. If you’d like one of the best, which is also used in the video guide below, check out the Shun knives review to get started.

How to Use A Shove Knife for Doors

I talked about how to open a door with a knife some time ago but the shove knife didn’t make it to that list. If you’re interested in learning how to open your doors with knives when you don’t have the key, you should go to that guide.

Shove knives have been around for a while and they offer a tailored experience to opening doors. I recently found that some firefighters use and carry it too, just like the amazing young man in this video:

I like that he talks about:

• How to use the shove knife on different doors;
• What doors the shove knife works on;
• What conditions the shove knife will work in; and
• Every other thing you need to know about using shove knives on doors.

That pretty much sums up a quick, easy, and effective guide for me.

How to Use a Karambit Knife for Self Defence

First, I would advise that you check your local knife laws to ensure you can carry a Karambit knife with you. Most of these knives are deemed illegal so you don’t want to get on the wrong side of the law here.

If you have seen the movie Extraction, you should have seen a Karambit in motion once. What better way to learn how to use such a specialty knife than from a martial arts master that knows what they are doing?

That’s why I went with the pick below:

He explains everything from:

• What the Karambit is – and why the unique design is that way; and
• Different kinds of Karambit knives to use; to
• How to use the Karambit knife safely.

What Are Karambit Knives Used For?

Karambit knives are combat knives that can be used in self-defense situations. The design of the Karambit knife also makes it highly applicable in knife fighting, helping to make the knife an extension of the user’s hand.

What Are Boning Knives Used For?

The name says it all already: they are used to remove bones from the meat pieces.

While you can do that with your chef knife too, the tip and blade of the boning knife are designed to get into the tissues and ligaments such that meat can be neatly separated from the bones.

One of the cleanest uses of the boning knife that I have seen is from a Victorinox chef who does some wonders like the one below:

I love how he gets into the meat and separates it firmly from the bone so you can work with the meat pieces only. Watch the video and I’m sure that you’ll learn a new thing or two about using these kinds of knives.

How to Use An X-Acto Knife on Paper

Due to how we call this knife and brand, a lot of us think that it is an Exacto knife.

No matter what you call it or how you spell it, that doesn’t take away the fact that this knife is great for cutting paper and making crafts. However, not all of us know how to use them well – or maybe we don’t know how to use them at all.

Arts and crafts are fun things so I decided to go with a fun video to show how to use this X-acto knife:

Some of the things you’ll like about the video are tips on:

• How to cut with an Exacto knife safely;
• How to ensure smoother cuts in your working area;
• What cutting angles to use for the best results;
• Mistakes to avoid when cutting; and more.

How to Use A Grapefruit Knife

Not all of us eat grapefruits enough to need a grapefruit knife. I know I don’t, but it’s nice to have if you indulge in grapefruits yourself, serve a lot of it and you want your presentation to be cleaner.

There are different types of grapefruit knives with some having everything you need on one end (like a normal knife) while others have two blades in a single handle.

The video below shows the latter kind, and how you can use it to prepare your grapefruits effortlessly:

How to Use a Hori Hori Knife

While it looks like an amazing bushcraft knife (some people do use it for that), the Hori Hori knife is a gardening tool.

It does look cool, can be fancy, and comes with a very fine blade so you might not want to limit it to gardening alone. When you see that it can do so much in the garden, though, you’d want to keep it there.

Here are some ways to use your Hori Hori knife better:

How to Use A Channel Knife

If you are a bartender, mixologist, or you just love to make your cocktails by yourself, a channel knife is something you need to have in your life.

These knives take your game to a whole new level, especially if you work with citrus fruits in your drinks.

You might have been carving your citrus another way in the past but you will get better success with a channel knife. Here is one of the best ways to use this knife, according to a mixologist:

How to Use A Butter Knife

If you have not already seen it, I wrote a piece around how table knives are different from butter knives and should not be used as the same. I also went in-depth to the master butter knife and how to use that too.

Look through that piece to find actionable insights on how best to use a butter knife.

How to Use A Gut Hook Knife

The gut hook knife is important for those who process small game, kill their animals, or are out camping.

I suppose you already know the reasons why you should carry a knife when camping or take a knife when hiking too.

With the gut hook knife, you can also ensure your kills last longer till you can get back to the campsite or where they are going to get processed.

Here’s a fine example of how to use these knives:

How to Use A Carpet Knife

There are different kinds of carpet knives out there. Some of the top picks are not even standalone carpet knives but utility knives that can cut carpet too. An example of that is the Stanley knife which can cut carpet as well as be used for other crafts around the house.

If you are interested in trimming your excess carpets, here’s how to do so with a carpet knife:

To cut larger parts of a carpet seamlessly, here’s another video that I found for you:

And There We Go

Is there any other knife that you’d like to learn how to use but I didn’t mention here? If it’s the santoku knife, here’s a guide to using one – and why they might be better than your chef knives too.

Otherwise, let me know in the comments and I might just update this piece with your selection.

For now, I hope you’ll become a better user of your knives, get more value for your money and stay safe from cuts while at it too.