What Can You Use a Petty Knife For?
Sep 27, 2026
A petty knife is useful whenever a full-size chef’s knife feels unnecessarily large. It is especially good for small ingredients, precise trimming and quick detail work.
Fruit
Use it for apples, citrus, strawberries, stone fruit and small fruit preparation. Short blades are particularly comfortable for peeling and coring.
Small vegetables
Garlic, shallots, mushrooms, radishes, spring onions and chillies are natural petty-knife tasks.
Herbs and garnishes
The small blade gives good control for cutting herbs, citrus peel, garnishes and fine decorative work.
Meat trimming
A 120–150 mm petty is useful for removing small areas of fat, silverskin and connective tissue from boneless meat.
Sandwiches and small board work
Longer petty knives can handle small sandwiches, cheese, fruit portions and quick prep without bringing out a full-size knife.
What should you avoid?
Do not use a thin petty as a cleaver, pry tool or bone knife. Large dense vegetables are also easier and safer with a taller, longer blade.
