Carving Knife

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A knife with an 8 to 15 inch blade used for carving large roasts, poultry, and filleting large fish. The blade edge of a carving knife is either smooth or beveled. The blade should be large enough to carve across the cut of meat, poultry, or fish in one sweep. Speciality knives are made for larger cuts of meat, such as the Roast Beef Slicer, a knife that may have a blade 12 to 16 inches in length for slicing thick cuts of prime rib. Varying in flexibility, a carving knife may have a rigid blade that is used for slicing roasted meats; a more flexible blades for poultry; or a very flexible blade that is most often considered a blade for slicing smoked pork and fish.

Knives used for both carving and slicing may be produced as electric knives that use two blades to accomplish various cutting tasks. The electric knife contains two very sharp, thin blades that move independently in a back and forth motion to slice or carve through many different types of meats. Most often the best choice when there are a variety of textures being sliced, electric knives are versatile at cutting soft vegetables such as tomatoes as well as a variety of meats from fish to beef.

Carving knives are often sold in sets that include a knife and a carving fork. The carving fork is designed to hold the meat steady while the food is being sliced, thus keeping the other hand safely away from the knife blade while cutting. Carving forks typically have two long, sharpened curved prongs to easily be inserted into large cuts of meat while keeping the meat stable as it is sliced.