Boning Knife VS Fillet Knife – Differences Explained!

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You can’t use your regular knife for both cutting chunks of meats as well as taking off fish scales unless you’re a Wolverine! It’s a misconception who thinks an ordinary knife can do it all. But no need to be worried! You’ve two outstanding options available, including a boning knife and a fillet knife. These might look almost the same, but their functions are totally different. So, to let you know every single difference between them, we’re here with the topic of boning knife vs fillet knife. Make sure to read the article from A to Z to know which one suits you and your needs.

Table of Contents

Boning Knife

The name speaks for itself, the boning knife is designed to remove the meats from bones in the best way possible. It equips a razor-sharp blade for cutting a variety of items way too smoothly. Since the blade it comes with is usually thicker, it’s one of the best options for cutting chunks of meats without dealing with blade-breaking issues.

Talking about usage, you can use a boning knife for the following purposes:

Taking out meat from bones
Carving cakes or pastries
Removing skin from meats
Cutting or slicing up fruits
Coring cupcakes and stuff like that

Fillet Knife

Unlike the boning knife, a fillet knife gets a thin blade with maximum flexibility. It means this one will be a great choice for separating the skin from meats, and that too within no time! The knife comes in an upward curved blade, enabling users to use it for steady and long slices. But unfortunately, the shape makes it uncomfortable to use the knife for some of the usual cuts. You already know a fillet knife is too flexible. So you should keep yourself far away from providing too much pressure on it while cutting or chopping up something.

These are some common uses of a fillet knife:

Taking off fish scales
Chopping up veggies and fruits
Trimming extra fat from meats
Carving fruits for decoration

Taking out the rind of citrus fruits

Differences Between Boning Knife and Fillet Knife

Knowing the differences between boning and fillet knife is the key to get yourself the right one. Depending on your needs and works, make sure to choose the perfect knife in order to get the maximum benefit from it.

So, sight tight and let’s see the common differences between them:

The Design

Usually, the boning knife is straight and includes harder and thicker edges to handle bones and such types of solid things. On the other side, a fillet knife has a curved blade that is pretty much thinner and flexible than the boning knife.

Length of Blade

In most cases, the boning knife’s blade is between 5 to 7 inches. It’s the standard size and suits almost every person’s palm. But no worries if your hand is extra-large! There are a couple of knives available at a size of over 9 inches.

Speaking of the blade of a fillet knife, it measures around 4 to 9 inches. But the standard size is about 7.5 inches, which is ideal for cutting mid-sized fishes.

Construction

You won’t find any difference between them at this point. Both are manufactured with top-notch stainless steel. A few models are built with carbon steel as well to make sure optimum durability and longevity.

But frankly speaking, both of these have some pros and cons. The blade manufactured with carbon steel is much sharper, but it requires a lot of maintenance compared to stainless steel. On the other hand, the stainless steel blade requires minimal maintenance, but unfortunately, it loses its sharpness too early.

Overall Shape

The blade of fillet knives are not straight, these are a bit curved upwards to let you slice meats and chop up veggies without much effort. When we talk about a boning knife, it looks pretty much similar to the regular knives out there. The thicker and longer shape makes it super-duper in terms of slicing up tough bones and meats.

Gripping Area

A handle helps you grab the knife in order to cut or slice several types of foods. Having a comfortable gripping area is essential if you want to keep yourself out of injuries while preparing something.

Both boning and fillet knives come in multiple types of handles. Some are equipped with wooden, others include plastic or steel handle. Always make sure to get your hands on the knife that packs a comfortable, durable, and water-resistant gripping area.

Durability

The boning knife takes the crown when we talk about durability; why? Because it gets a pretty thick blade for allowing you to take the meats out of the bones with minimal effort.

When it comes to the fillet, it’s not that sturdy on account of the thin blade it comes with. But undoubtedly, it should be your go-to option if flexibility is what you’re concerned about.

So, Which One Should I Pick Up?

Indeed, choosing a specific knife depends on your needs. If you’re someone who can spend a pretty penny to get something durable, the boning knife will be a better option, without a doubt. Both professional cooks and homeowners can pick this up to cut chunky meats pretty easily.

Besides, if flexibility is your concern and you’re looking for the knife to take off fish scales with ease, getting yourself the fillet knife won’t be a bad idea at all. And guess what? It’s relatively cheaper than the boning knife, making it a good pick for those who are unable to spend a fortune!

Conclusion

Our write-up on the boning knife vs fillet knife ends here. We’ve shown you all the nooks and crannies concerning fillet and boning knives, for which you can know which is good for your regular uses. Doesn’t matter which one you’re going to pick, make sure to maintain adequate safety while cutting or slicing up something.

Stay safe!

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