Nakiyo Olive 3.5" Paring Knife

The paring knife is a short knife intended for fruits and small vegetables. As the smallest knife commonly encountered in the kitchen, this knife is perfect for intricate tasks like paring and is generally considered to be a core component of the chef’s arsenal.

Function

As its name suggests, the paring knife is best suited for paring fruits and produce due to its short, agile blade. The knife’s narrow point also makes it useful for tasks such as deveining shrimp, coring fruits, and precisely removing spots.

Form

Nakiyo Olive blades are forged from 67-layer Damascus steel, which is made by repeatedly folding and forge welding two stainless steels with different carbon contents. The resulting material bears the elegant, wavelike pattern produced by its many fine layers—a testament to its strength, flexibility, and durability. This Damascus envelops a core of harder AUS10 cobalt alloy steel, a high-carbon stainless steel developed in Japan. Hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 60±2, it accommodates a long-lasting, razor-sharp edge. AUS10 is produced by Aichi Steel corporation in Tokai, Japan, and is functionally comparable to VG-10.

The handle is made from natural olivewood, bookended by a ferrule and endcap of stainless steel and accented by a red G-10 spacer and mosaic pin. It encloses a hidden full tang that gives the knife a balance akin to that of a German knife. The innovative hexagonal handle shape is perfect for both right- and left-handed users and features soft ridges that ensure a solid but comfortable grip.