The petty knife: Japanese paring knife

The origins of this term are not entirely clear. On the one hand, there are those who say it is a European term for a Japanese knife and is derived from the French word 'petit'. That could be because the petty was developed in Japan as their version of the French paring knife. On the other hand, there are those who say it comes from the English word 'petty'. The reason for this being that this knife was developed in Japan in response to knives used in Europe. In Japan, they usually call this type of knife a shotoh knife.

Of course, these knives can absolutely cut through meat and fish with no problem. Please note: this kind of delicate Japanese knife cannot handle bones, so be careful when you use it.

No, it's important to wash your petty knife by hand. Although some manufacturers might claim that their knives are dishwasher safe, our experience is that the dishwasher will still have a detrimental effect on your knives. The combination of aggressive detergents, heat and moisture of a dishwasher will cause even stainless steels to rust sooner or later.