More about Paring knives
A good paring knife is short, agile and precise – ideal for peeling, trimming, coring or delicate garnishing tasks where a large chef's knife would be too unwieldy. Taiga stocks Güde paring knives with blade lengths from 8 to 13 cm: from the Alpha and Alpha-Olive series and the colour-coded Buntschneidemesser to piercing knives for delicate cuts and the Delta-Grenadill line.
Buying guide: blade length and knife type
8 to 9 cm is suitable for peeling and preparing small ingredients, while 10 to 13 cm offers piercing knives a little more reach, for example when coring or making fine cuts. The Buntschneidemesser takes its name from its coloured handle options – a practical way to distinguish boards and knives for different foods. Handles made from olive wood or barrel oak sit comfortably in the hand and only need occasional oiling rather than being put in the dishwasher. If you want to keep boards and knives separate by food type for kitchen hygiene, choose the colour-coded Buntschneidemesser.
Brands
For paring and piercing knives, Taiga stocks Güde: a German knife-making tradition with Alpha, Franz-Güde and Kappa lines that differ in handle wood and blade length, not sharpness.
Paring knife or piercing knife – what's the difference?
A paring knife has a shorter, usually straight blade for peeling and cutting, while a piercing knife has a narrower, more pointed shape for piercing cuts and delicate coring.
What blade length is best for peeling?
8 to 9 cm is enough for most peeling tasks involving fruit and vegetables. For larger ingredients or greater reach when cutting, 10 to 13 cm is more practical.
If you want to slice your breakfast bread properly as well as preparing vegetables, you'll find the right blade in our bread knives. See the full range under kitchen knives.
Updated 08/2026