A boning knife offers razor-sharp precision when slicing, cutting, and breaking down various proteins. With flexible, thin blades, a boning knife can get between small bones and is designed to slice especially well through proteins.
Our new Honesuki Knife features a few design differences which set it apart from a Western-style boning knife. While both styles of knives are excellent for butchering, filleting, and more, we’ll dive further into how this speciality Japanese blade differs from its Western equivalent below.
What Is a Boning Knife?
A boning knife is long, skinny, and has a relatively flexible blade with a narrow tip. It should have a strong, heavy-duty enough blade to spatchcock, while remaining flexible enough to debone. Its design makes it the best choice for trimming fat, filleting fish, and boning meat. The blade excels at separating flesh from joints or bones while minimizing waste.
What Is a Honesuki Knife?
A Honesuki performs the same tasks, but a few design characteristics set it apart. Most Honesuki knives have a stiff blade, thicker spine, asymmetrical blade, and single-bevel design.
The Honesuki is most often used to de-bone and break down poultry, as its reverse tanto tip (or clip point) design increases the tip strength of the blade while also allowing it to pierce skin and cut in tight spaces (like joints, for example). The Honesuki also excels at fileting fish, trimming other proteins, and performing other tasks around the kitchen.
Key Differences Between a Honesuki and a Boning Knife
Blade Shape & Design: A Honesuki has a triangular blade, while a Western boning knife’s blade is long and narrow. As noted above, this design increases the tip strength of the knife, allowing you to make really precise cuts.
Flexibility: Western boning knives are more flexible, while Honesuki knives are rigid. Our Honesuki knife—forged in Seki City, Japan, like our other Japanese knives—is a Damascus steel blade, which contains a higher amount of carbon (and makes for a harder blade).
Primary Use: The shape of a Honesuki blade means it excels at poultry, but it also works well when breaking down fish. Boning knives are more versatile for different meats.
Cutting Technique: With a Honesuki blade, you can execute the pull cut, a cutting technique that is especially useful when working with soft, moist ingredients (like meat) or delicate foods like fish. With the pull cut, you place the heel of the blade on the ingredient, then pull the knife towards yourself. (The push cut is probably what you’re more accustomed to—the cut starts with the tip of the blade, and you push the knife away from you, ending the motion at the heel.)
Which One Should You Choose?
Each knife serves its own purpose, of course. The Honesuki’s unique shape makes it extremely useful for trimming poultry and fish. When you need to make a precise cut, choose a Honesuki. Another plus for our Honesuki: the handle shape features the same ergonomic qualities of our French knives, so you can confidently and comfortably use the Honesuki knife.
If you work more with other proteins, then you might prefer a Western style boning knife. And if you’re a knife collector or just trying to try out different styles of knives, you might consider getting both a Boning Knife and a Honesuki Knife.
Ready to Shop?
Now that you know the differences between a Honesuki vs boning knives, you’ll be ready to add another beautiful Japanese knife to your collection. Mark your calendar: the ultra Limited-Edition Honesuki Knife drops on March 7.
