Best Boning Knife Of 2022
- Best Popular Classic: Letcase 6″ Damascus Boning Knife
- Best High End: 5.5” Japanese Boning Knife(Narcissus Series)
- Best Social Proof: 6” Hand Forged Boning Knife
- Best Cheap Boning Knife: 5.5 Inch Stainless Steel Boning Knife
- Best Value Set: 10 Pieces Knife Set Including Boning Knives
If you are a vegetarian, you can leave boning knives out of your kitchen knife set even they can do well in fruits and vegetables.
But, when you get here, I guess you definitely love cooking and eating meat. As we all know, buying premium cuts at the supermarket must be expensive. But, if you know how to break down a whole chicken, trim a brisket, or fillet a fish, all you need is the right boning knife to finish the job and save you a lot of money because you can butcher a whole chicken or entire sides of beef at home.
In technically, you can debone meat from bones with a chef’s knife, but a professional boning knife can break down the entire thing in just a matter of minutes which can save lots of time and avoid damage to the chef’s knife blade.
Most important, using a boning knife can keep the best tastiest bits because meats get plenty of flavor from the fat, bone, and blood around the muscle.
Then, you may be confused about which boning knife to choose or should I own a boning knife or fillet knife, should the boning knife be stiff or flexible, etc. You may have lots of problems, don’t worry, we’re here to help you tackle these problems. Let’s keep reading.
What is a Boning Knife?
Unlike other versatile knives like chef knives and santoku knives, a boning knife is specially designed for a specific task. The best boning knives are good partners of pro chefs. A boning knife has a long, thin, flexible blade that makes it easily maneuvered into the meat to cut through ligaments and connective tissue and help remove the bone.
Looking at the sharp tip helps pierce the meat easier and safer.
The length of boning knives is between 5 to 7 inch and each size has varying flexibility.
Types of Boning Knife
In general, there are two kinds of boning knives. which one to choose depends on your cooking habits. Let’s see what two types:
| Blade Type | Features | Typical Blade Style |
| Flexible boning knife | Compared with a stiff boning knife, it has a smaller size and better control and elasticity allows Tender cuts and delicate work in thin meats and soft bones. | Curved blade |
| Stiff boning knife | It has a bigger and heavier blade, can cut thicker and tougher cuts of beef, pork, and saltwater fish without hassles. Also, suitable for removing fat and connective tissue and separating bones from meat. Moreover, it is more durable | Straight blade |
Overall, if you need to handle soft meat like eradicate bones from poultry or fish, a flex boning knife is enough for you. On the other hand, if you need to cut pork or other thick meat, a stiff boning knife is better.
What A Boning Knife Used for?
Boning knives are not common in the kitchen, it is usually used to removing meat from bones or removing bones from meat in reverse.
Here a simple list of what a boning knife can do：
- Handling Larger Fish Like Salmon or Tuna
- Removing Beef from Bones to Make Hamburgers
- Separating Ribs
- Deboning Chicken
- Filleting Salmon
- Trimming Fat
- Cutting Lamb Chops
- Quartering Chickens
- Trimming Pork
The Benefit of owning a Boning Knife?
1. Reduce the risk of knife chipping
Even though you can use a chef knife or Santoku knife to help remove the bones from most cuts, but they are thicker and wider, makes it inflexible in the meat, and has a high risk of breaking the blade.
2. Improve efficiency on removing bone and Reduce waste of meat
Any chef using a boning knife will notice that the de-boning process is faster due to its narrow flexible blade. What’s more, it is professional to remove the bones and leave the cut intact. Thereby keeping meat juices and reduce waste.
5 Best Boning Knife For Your Money
1. Letcase 6″ Damascus Boning Knife
This 6″ Damascus boning knife from Letcase has all the high-quality functions but is priced lower than most in its class. The blade has both superb performance and edge retention. Similarly, the narrow 12-15 degree cutting angle is ultra-sharp for removing meat from bones.
Features
- VG10 Japanese Super Steel Core for Super-Sharp Blade
- 67 Layers High-Carbon Stainless Steel for Good Edge Retention
- Rockwell Hardness 60±2 for Smoothy Cutting
- Full Tang, Triple Riveted G10 Handle for a Good Balance
- Tsunami Rose Damascus Pattern Adds Beauty
- Semi-Stiff Blade Help Give It More Durability and Flexibility
- 6 Inch, A Good Compromise Length for Various Types of Meat
- 30 Days Refund Guarantee, Try It Free Risk
Pros
- High-quality with affordable price, cost-effective
- Resistant to rust, corrosion, stains, and discoloration
- Comfortable, lightweight handle
- Easy to maneuver
- Thin and flexible
- Comes with a knife sheath to store it safely
Cons
- Be carefully its sharpness
2. 5.5” Japanese Boning Knife(Narcissus Series)
This “Narcissus series” Japanese boning knife has all the high-end features and its looking makes it stand out in the variety of knives.
If you have enough budget and want to have one boning knife that is different from others, you can try this one.
Features
- AUS-10 Japanese Premium Steel for Silky Cutting Feeling
- 66 Layers High-Carbon Stainless Steel for Long Edge Retention
- Rockwell Hardness 60 ±2, Razor-Sharp
- Twisted, Octagonal G10 Handle Adds Uniqueness
- Narcissus Flowers Damascus Pattern Adds Elegance
- Liquid Nitrogen Cooled Blade
- Premium Sheath Included
- 30 Days Money-Back Guarantee
- Full Bolster and Finger Guard For Safety
Pros
- Keep knife stay a sharp long time
- Visually pleasing and unique
- Forged
- Full-tang
Cons
- It’s the expensive knife on the list
3. 6” Hand Forged Boning Knife
Although this 6” hand forged boning knife looks different from the traditional boning knife, this Serbian chef’s knife is a knife that starts to become popular last year. It is a versatile knife that can also be used as a boning knife. Its curved tip and small size make it very flexible when removing meat from bones, and you can have premium control over the knife. The unique hammered texture on the blade allows corrosion-resistant and no stick. Curved wood handle and large finger hole are good for a secure grip and fast speeding cut.
Features
- Carbon Stainless Steel
- Rockwell Hardness 58 ±2
- Full Tang, Triple Riveted Wood Handle
- A Hole on The Blade
- Precision Edge Technology
- Hammered And Forged
- 30 Days Money-Back Guarantee
- Soft Leather Sheath Included
- Thickened Blade for Durability
Pros
- Versatile knife
- Strong
- Sharp
- Durable
- Comfortable handle
- Easy to maneuver
- Affordable
- Portable for picnic
Cons
- The wood handle makes it won’t dishwasher safe
4. 5.5 Inch Stainless Steel Boning Knife
This 5.5-inch blade is forged from a single piece of stainless steel. It features a laser-etched Damascus pattern. It is sold at a very cheap price.
This 5.5″ boning knife uses a Pakkawood handle, which is ergonomically designed and polished, not only durable, non-slip, but easy to clean, comfortable & beautiful.
Features
- Stainless Steel
- Rockwell Hardness 56 ±2
- Mirror-polished wood Handle
- Full Bolster and Finger Guard
- Stamped
- Comes with a plastic sheath
Pros
- Very cheap price
- Looks textured
Cons
- Require frequently sharpening to keep its sharp blade
5. 10 Pieces Knife Set Including Boning Knives
Many kitchen knives set leave boning knives out, however, we offer some knife sets for professionals which include boning knives. Here is a quick chart for you:
Damascus series
Japanese VG10 Damascus Kitchen Knife Set
5 Pieces Hand Forged Damascus Knife Set
4 Pieces Damascus Japanese Knife Set
6 Pieces Damascus Knife Set With block
Stainless steel series
6 Pieces Blue Resin Handle Kitchen Knife Set
kitchen Knife Set With Holder
What to Look for When Buying a Boning Knife?
1. Flexibility
Flexibility of boning knife depends on its type. As we mentioned above,
A stiff and a flexible boning knife is different, it depends on what you usually use it for in your kitchen.
2. Size
The popular size of a boning knife is 5 to 7 inches, which offers more flexibility on cutting through poultry and mild meat. Of course, there is a larger range of 6-9 inches boning knives available on the market, which is specially created for an extra-large chunk of meat.
No one size is perfect for all-purpose, Choose the one that you often have the opportunity to use.
3. Handle
For the knife handle of the boning knife, you especially need to pay attention to the slip resistance. Because the food items that need a boning knife to handle are slippery. The handle materials include:
Natural wood, steel, plastic, rubber, Micarta, Pakkawood, G10, Epoxy resin, stabilized wood, synthetic material, etc. Find the one that offers a good grip to help you to cut with comfort. G10, Pakkawood materials are a popular choice.
4. The shape of the blade
The classic boning knives feature a narrow straight-edged blade with a sharp tip to pierce through the meat without losing the tasty juices.
Now, in the knife shop, you may notice some boning knives have a curved edge, which can eradicate bones in just a sole pass cut while can be used as a fillet knife.
5. Blade material
The blade material influences the quality of the knife. The harder the knife blade, the better. Thus, you need to focus on the Rockwell Hardness scale.
Stainless steel boning knife always in a cheap price, but non-rust.
Carbon steel boning knives have higher sharpness, but easier to be rust, thus requires more maintaining.
High-carbon stainless steel combines two advantages, but it always an expensive price. So, take your budget into consideration to help you make a decision.
6. Price
The price varies in different brands and different blades. Find one in the online market that values your money not only focuses on the famous brand.
FAQS on Boning Knife
Boning Knife VS Fillet Knife
Even though these two kinds of knives look so similar, there are subtle differences between them.
A boning knife is used to handle heavier tasks such as remove bones from large cuts of meat, game, and poultry.
A fillet knife with considerably more flex blade is suitable for small, soft bones of fish and chicken, and removing the skin, often used with fish, which has delicate nature and small skeletal structure. It makes filleting a lot easier due to its high flexibility.
Of course, there are knives that used for both boning and filleting, such as Japanese GOKUJO knives.
Boning Knife VS GOKUJO Knives
Japanese knives have different types of knives for specific tasks, for example, they have specific knives for filleting fish, that is deba or the Yanagi and gokujos, which is a more multipurpose knife, can be used as either a boning or fillet knife. Gokujo stands for “all-in-one”, always comes with a fairly stiff blade, which is great for filleting larger fish like whole salmon or tuna. thus, you have to know some knife cutting skills when you use them on smaller fish.
Can I use a boning knife for filleting fish?
As a home cook, you may don’t need to have two kinds of knives in your kitchen. Technically, a boning knife can fillet fish if you don’t have a fillet knife handy. But, it may result in unexpected fish slices, if you don’t have high standards on fish slices, it is enough too.
How to clean a boning knife？
Just the same with other kitchen knives, you’d better clean and dry your knives by hand immediately after each use. Remember don’t soak the knife in a moist place for a long time to avoid rusting.
Is a curved or a straight boning knife better?
A curved boning knife is better for filleting fish, but a straight boning knife is more versatile than a curved one.
What’s the best length for a boning knife?
We mentioned before, the blade length of the boning knife ranges from 5 inches to 12 inches, the longer the size, the better for large meat cuts, the less flexible. Thus, the popular size is between 5- 7 inch, allows flexible cutting.
Conclusion
Each knife has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you’re cooking enthusiasts, I highly recommend owning at least one quality boning knife on hand. You never know when you’ll need it urgently.
Check out our guides and decide which boning knife is right for your needs.
