When I was 16 and working in a country club prep kitchen, the chef had a key piece of advice for me: If you can’t do it with a chef’s knife, you’re not using your chef’s knife properly. For years I lived by that adage, ignoring the stick-straight utility knives in my knife block for a beefy chef’s knife that could chop, slice, and dice. However, when I switched out my kitchen knives for a pared-down set of Japanese knives last year, I became a petty knife evangelist.
If you aren’t familiar with petty knives, let me start by telling you what they are not: They are not utility knives—those in-between-sized blades that are mysteriously part of most knife block sets. The thin, straight shape of these Western-style utility knives often feels awkward, causing users to bash their knuckles into the counter with each cut or chop motion.
Petty knives, on the other hand, have the more useful and elegant design of a Japanese gyuto (the Japanese version of a chef’s knife), just in smaller proportions. Thought to have originated in the Meiji era, when Western cooking was becoming more popular in Japan, the name “petty” comes from the French “petite.”
They have a tall enough heel on the blade to give your knuckles counter clearance, enough height to deliver consistent chops, and a delicately curved blade that ends in a drop point for precision cuts. In short, a Japanese petty knife is the perfect li’l buddy to your favorite chef’s knife. And just the thing for a lots of kitchen tasks, including bigger ones like portioning out a roast chicken.
I know what you’re thinking: Breaking down a whole chicken seems like a task for a cleaver. We can all picture a cartoon French chef whacking away at a leg and a thigh, cleaver held high above their head. But smaller, thinner petty knives can swiftly find their way between joints, separating out all the parts with little to no effort. They’re also deft enough to remove the breast from the chicken’s ribcage with clean, neat cuts. Paring knives are too short to get the job done, and chef’s knives (including the gyuto) can be too unwieldy for such delicate work.
While Western-style utility knives can make similar cuts, what really sets the petty knife apart is its pronounced heel—the part of the blade that elevates the handle off the cutting board. This gives you more options for incorporating a pinch grip for handheld tasks, while also providing enough knuckle clearance between the handle and the cutting board for light chopping. That means I can use it like a paring knife to peel a shallot and then easily change grips for chopping and dicing. The smaller size also gives you greater precision in making cuts with a smaller target—the last time I tried to dice a shallot with a gyuto, the hand holding the onion was over 10 inches away from my knife hand. Not the most stable cutting position.
Which brings me to my next point—the knife’s point. Western-style knives tend to curve upward towards the spine, making them ideal for a rocking chop. Most Western-inspired Japanese knives, like the gyuto and petty knife, have a drop point, where the spine curves downward toward the point of the knife. This gives you excellent control for point work, like making quick grid cuts to dice a garlic clove or scoring a duck breast. It’s also great for pull through slicing.
Finally, it may seem like a picky bit of knife geometry, but the curve of the petty knife’s edge is very specific. The most dramatic angle of the edge is set just a few inches back from the tip, allowing for a gentle rock when mincing herbs. But the placement of that slope is intentional. When the knife point is resting on the cutting board, the edge’s curve crests a half inch to an inch above the surface, putting the most aggressive slicing angle perfectly at steak height. Combined with the thin blade and light weight, these petty knives have become my go-to for perfect slices of larger proteins. There’s something sublime in clean, simple, effortless slicing. One continuous motion, two pieces of steak. When the knife is sharp and nimble enough, it will do most of the work for you. You don’t even need to apply much pressure.
I actually own two petty knives: One from Tojiro and one from Mac. While that might be overkill for some home kitchens, I do use them both regularly and for different tasks.
A NOTE: If you're considering one of these for yourself, know that Tojiro knives can be tricky to come by in the United States; they're frequently sold out. Also, their knives will look similar in photos and have similar knives, even though they're of different qualities. The Tojiro Classic I have is model F-802, not to be confused with model FU-802, which is more cheaply made. If you're looking for less expensive alternative to the Mac Professional series and can't find a Tojiro, Mac's Chef series is a good option
I like the Tojiro as an everyday knife. It’s made from san mai construction, meaning it has two layers of stainless steel clad around a VG-10 high carbon steel core. It sharpens nicely and keeps a good edge while protecting the blade well from rust and corrosion. It also has more drop to the tip than the Mac, making it good for point work and precision cuts. It’s a great value and threads the needle between price and performance. I use it for slicing fruit, cutting cheese, and other regular tasks.
When I want something for precision slicing, I grab the Mac Professional petty knife. It’s made of a proprietary molybdenum high-carbon stainless steel and tends to hold a slightly sharper edge than the Tojiro. It also has a pointier tip, ideal for slicing. When I need photo-worthy plating, I like having a dedicated slicer. Steaks, chops, and poached chicken breast for khao man gai: The Mac makes quick work of them all.
A good petty knife won’t replace your chef’s knives, but it will make you reach for them less. It may have taken me 25 years to see the light, but consider me convinced: A chef’s knife can do everything in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best tool for every task. And my fingertips will thank me the next time I dice a shallot.
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