The Best Boning Knife – For Deer, Beef, Chicken & More

When it comes to separating meat from bones, your ordinary kitchen tool won’t cut it. What you need is the sharp, flexible blade of a boning knife.

However, boning knives come in various lengths and flexibility levels – if you have no idea which product suits your needs, choosing the right one can be confusing. In this review article, we’ll help you pick the best boning knife available on the market.

A boning knife is a kitchen knife featuring a sharp point and a usually narrow blade—this knife is used for food preparation, such as deboning meat, fish, and poultry.

Further, the blade typically measures 5 to 13 inches in length, and it might have a stiff or flexible structure. Rigid boning knives are suitable for prepping beef and pork, whereas flexible boning knives are better for poultry and fish.

The blade of this knife can also come in curved or straight shapes, each one for specific cases. Since it’s mostly for precision work, the blade is regularly 0.84mm in thickness. Therefore, deboning meat and making deep cuts or holes is easier.

Boning knife is different from utility knife because the edges are thinner, and the blades have curvature. This type of knife is also different from kitchen or butcher knives because boning knife blades are thinner.

Types of Boning Knives

The two main types of boning knives are stiff and flexible. Which one you should use will depend on your preferences as a cook. For tough and thick meat such as pork, meat, or turkey, a stiff boning knife is the better option. 

On the other hand, choose a flexible knife to make thin and delicate cuts, like when you’re cutting fish or chicken.

Here’s a more in-depth analysis of all types.

Narrow 

Narrow boning knife is usually 10 inches in length, 8 inches in width, and 3 inches in height. The spine can be straight or curved, and it has a pointed-style blade.

This type of knife can easily cut through bones and cartilage, making it a perfect knife for preparing ribs and chops. You can use this knife when your objective is to create precise work with accurate cuts. 

The blade shape is controllable, and it goes right where you want it. Plus, the narrow design guarantees excellent piercing in large meat pieces.

Wide 

Wide boning knives have more thickness and are stronger because of their thickness. Therefore, it’s a knife style you want for cutting chicken and pork. I particularly like this design because it can also deal with thick meat sections. The blade isn’t flexible, meaning you can apply as much pressure as needed without losing control.

This knife is usually 11.75 inches in length, 0.49 inches in width, and 5 inches in height. The spine is straight, and the blade is a drop-point.

Flexible

Use a flexible boning knife for cutting round lighter corners or meat pieces with an intricate shape. This knife also pierces decently, and it works similarly to how you would use a fillet knife. As a result, you can also use it for filleting and skinning thin meat cuts.

Finding the perfect flexibility point is a must. You don’t want a knife that is too flexible. These are harder to control, and sometimes it feels like the blade moves by itself dangerously. I’ll talk more about this matter later.

This knife is usually 11 inches in length, 1.38 inches in width, and 0.75 inches in height. The spine is straight, and the blade is flat mainly but curves upwards near the tip.

Semi-Flexible

A semi-flexible boning knife provides nimble and precise cuts without wasting meat. While preparing raw chicken, you can see this benefit as the blade helps you remove the meat from the bone with outstanding precision.

This knife also works well if you want to cut the bone out but leave the chicken skin intact. It makes it possible to create delicious recipes with chicken breast and a crispy outer layer.

The knife is usually 11.38 inches in length, 1.25 inches in width, and 0.75 inches in height. The spine is straight, and the blade has a slightly curved cutting edge.

Stiff 

Use a stiff boning knife if you prefer working with tough and thick meat pieces, which would cause flexible blades to bend and lose control. Due to the stiff blade, you can apply considerable pressure and expect pleasant feedback in return. 

You can use it for cutting through and section wide cuts, especially if you’re prepping pork or beef.

This knife is usually 15 inches in length, 3.75 inches in width, and 1 inch in height. The spine is straight, and the blade is straight.

Semi Stiff

I prefer using a semi-stiff knife for trimming brisket, as the blade cuts through it like butter. You will notice that the knife blade is easy to handle, and you’re less likely to lose control. This knife is also reliable if you enjoy trimming hard fat and the edges of the brisket to clean it before putting it on the smoker.

This knife is usually 15 inches in length, 3.75 inches in width, and 1 inch in height. It may have a straight or curved spine with a flat blade that forms a pointy tip.

Curved

Boning knives with a curved style are perhaps the most versatile. It gives you a welcomed working angle to cut the area around the bone. Alternatively, it works well for taking off the silver skin, and the tips are usually pointy to pierce through fat easily. You can also use it in other areas like removing fish skin or filleting quails.

This knife has a curved spine and cutting edge, making it better for slicing around chicken joints and intricate areas.

Top 15 Best Flexible Boning Knives – Reviews

1. Victorinox – 47645 Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Curved Boning Knife

Victorinox, the same company that offers the famous Swiss Army Knives, has been producing a line of high-quality kitchen cutlery for decades. They continue to receive recognition, awards, and rave reviews around the world for creating some of the finest products available. One of these is the highly efficient 6-inch curved boning knife.

Ideal for professional chefs and home cooks alike, this product makes slicing, dicing, and chopping food easier and more efficient. It has a comfortable, non-slip, ergonomic handle, together with an easy-to-sharpen edge.

This semi-stiff blade is perfect if you’re looking for a versatile deboning tool; the pointed tip and curved edge can help you trim and remove meat from bones with ease and precision. You can also use it for skinning salmon and other large fish.

It’s flexible enough for cutting around the bone and sharp enough for carving something as large as a whole deer. It can do all that without losing its sharpness!

This product gives great value for your money as it is offered at a relatively low price. With its superior quality, it puts to shame some of the more expensive boning knives out there. Victorinox even provides a lifetime guarantee against material and workmanship defects.

Read Also: Top 10 Knives for Cutting and Trimming Raw Meat

Key Features:

• The thin blade can stay sharp without the need to be honed or sharpened after many uses.
• The knife is light yet durable even for high-performance cutting and carving tasks.
• The Fibrox Pro textured plastic handle allows for a non-slip, comfortable grip.

2. Mercer Culinary Millennia 6-Inch Curved Boning Knife

Mercer Millennia products are known to meet industry standards for safety, quality, and performance. So, you can be sure that this 6-inch curved boning knife will live up to your expectations!

The product’s narrow, sharp edge provides control as you separate meat from the bone and trim the fat. To protect your fingers, the handle is designed to widen around the part where it meets the blade.

Crafted for strength and durability, the Japanese stainless steel blade is resistant to rust, corrosion, and discoloration. It is manufactured using the same high-carbon stain-free steel as with other German boning knives. The only difference is that this product is stamped instead of forged.

With its excellent material and craftsmanship, you’d expect this knife to have a higher price. But on the contrary, it costs a bit lower than most boning knives in the market.

For your safety and peace of mind, you might also want to know that this product is also NSF-certified. NSF International is a highly respected independent organization that has tested and certified Mercer Millennia boning knives for safety, quality, and performance.

Key Features:

• The exceptional quality of the Japanese steel blade allows for easy maintenance and quick sharpening.
• Designed for comfort and durability, the ergonomic handle is made of Santoprene (a high-performance thermoplastic elastomer) and polypropylene (a thermoplastic polymer).
• The textured finger points make the handle resistant to accidental slippage, ensuring safety in the kitchen.

3. DALSTRONG Phantom Series – High-Carbon Japanese Boning Knife

Elegance and performance are two words that can best describe this straight-edge boning knife. Made by expert craftsmen, this agile, full-tang cutting tool is perfectly balanced to ensure ultimate control in every cut. With its narrow design and scalpel-like edge, the flexible blade allows you to cut with ease.

One of the reasons it stands out is its chromium stainless steel blade. It doesn’t rust or corrode quickly even when exposed to water for too long. With that said, this boning knife is suitable for use at all times, and you can be sure it won’t contaminate your food.

Another reason this product is special is that the blade is ice-tempered for resilience and edge retention. That gives it an ultra-sharp factory edge that lasts for a long time. If ever it becomes dull, you can easily sharpen it using sharpening rods, whetstones, and electric sharpeners.

The razor-sharp edge of this boning knife ensures that the blade cuts through different meat types effortlessly. It is finished to 15 degrees (on each side) by skilled smiths using the traditional Honbazuke method, a technique that involves horizontally and vertically rotating sharpening stones. The blade’s increased flexibility makes it easier and faster to remove meat from the bones without tearing it.

The non-slip handle has been ergonomically designed so that cutting and separating meat from the bone becomes a simple, swift chore. Whether you’re a chef or a home cook, you can bring the elegance, efficiency, and precision of a restaurant kitchen right to your home with this knife.

Key Features:

• This flexible boning knife comes with a sheath that folds over the blade and locks into place.
• The engraved blade is aesthetically enhanced by the hand-polished spine and ergonomic bolster that allows for a natural pinch grip.
• The unique mosaic pin of brass and copper gives the knife a subtle luxurious appeal.

4. Zelite Infinity Boning Knife

This flexible boning knife can make quick work of any type of meat. An extremely sharp and properly balanced tool, it makes cutting, slicing, and chopping a breeze.

With its extreme flexibility, this product is one of the best butcher knives out there. You can twist it around in your hand and cut at any angle without losing control or precision. Since it’s so sharp, it can easily cut right through fish like butter.

One thing that makes this straight-edge knife easy to use is the non-slip handle that ensures a secure and comfortable grip. It is also engineered to balance perfectly around the bolster to help avoid wrist fatigue.

This classic 6-inch flexible boning knife is liquid nitrogen-cooled, which enhanced its durability and edge retention. It is highly resistant to stain, rust, and corrosion as well. While it’s on the pricier end, you will definitely get your money’s worth.

Key Features:

• The rounded handles are ergonomically designed for safety and enhanced precision.
• The tapered bolster allows for extreme comfort and perfect balance.
• This flexible boning knife is forged full tang for added strength and durability.

5. SKY LIGHT German Stainless Steel Chef Boning Knife

If you’re looking for a flexible boning knife you can use for deboning, skinning, and trimming various types of meat, then you might want to try this one. This product is great for removing delicate raw meat as well as cutting around bones, joints, and skin.

Read Also: Skinning Knives for Deer, Hogs, Elk, Rabbit and Coyotes

At 58+ scale of Rockwell Hardness, the stainless steel blade is highly durable and can hold its edge for a long time. It’s also resistant to rust, stain, and corrosion.

The carbon stainless steel blade is hand-polished by skilled craftsmen at a 17-degree angle on each side to enhance its sharpness – in fact, it’s so sharp that it can cut through any type of meat effortlessly. It can even slice beef brisket into paper-thin servings. With a smaller 5.5-inch blade, this tool is also the best filleting knife for salmon and other types of fish.

Key Features:

• This boning knife is fitted with a military-grade, high-polymer handle, which is highly resistant to heat, cold, and moisture.
• The German high-carbon stainless steel blade is highly durable and resistant to rust and stain.
• The handle is ergonomically designed to ensure better hand control, agility, and comfort.

6. Cutluxe Boning Knife

When it comes to precision slicing, this is the best boning knife to help you get the job done. The hand-sharpened edge is forged at 14-16 degrees per side for optimal sharpness and edge retention.

This 6-inch flexible boning knife is fitted with a durable wood handle that creates a nice contrast to the solid steel. It’s forged full tang, meaning the steel runs right through the handle, which helps balance the blade when in use.

As a high-carbon steel knife, it holds an edge quite longer than traditional kitchen knives. However, it’s also likely to stain or rust if left in the water for too long.

Key Features:

• The triple-riveted Pakkawood handle ensures safe grip, stability, and maneuverability.
• The classic 6-inch high-carbon German steel is engineered for long-lasting performance as well as resistance to rust and stain.
• This knife comes with a lifetime warranty covering material and workmanship defects.

7. imarku Boning Knife

Hand-sharpened to 14-16 degrees on each side, this 6-inch boning knife offers the perfect combination of sharpness and maximum resilience. The handle comes with a solid core, which is part of the blade and responsible for its balanced weight.

Whether you’re a professional restaurant chef or just someone who loves to cook and eat meat, this cutting tool is your best kitchen companion. It is ideal for light to heavy-duty work, from slicing bread and toasts to cutting raw meat.

Key Features:

• The pakkawood handle is designed for perfect balance, maximum comfort, and improved manipulation.
• For additional balance, a deluxe steel cap is attached to the butt of the knife.
• The boning knife is delivered in a fully cushioned box with blade protectors on the tip and back point.

8. Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Flexible Boning Knife

Another quality product from the Mercer line of boning knives, this cutlery utensil has a taper-ground edge that allows for added stability, easy honing, and longer-lasting sharpness. Designed for proper balance, it makes meat cutting and removal from bones easier and more efficient.

With its thin blade, this boning knife allows precise slicing to trim the meat from the bone. It is also useful for separating fat from meat.

Compared to the Mercer boning knife mentioned earlier, which is made with top-quality Japanese steel, this one has a high-carbon German blade. Some users note that this particular type is more prone to rust, so proper care and maintenance are necessary.

Key Features:

• The Santoprene handle is designed to allow comfort and a safe grip. It is also strong enough that it won’t break down from exposure to hot and cold temperatures in the kitchen.
• The bolster adds durability and provides balance for better handling when cutting food.
• This flexible blade comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

9. DALSTRONG – Gladiator Series Boning Knife

Removing bones from meat is efficient and satisfying with this 8-inch high-carbon steel knife. Its blade is shaped in a way that allows for easy maneuvering around bone and joints. If you need a knife that offers minimal slicing resistance, this would be a good choice.

Longer than some of the best boning knives, this culinary tool is designed to perform effectively, especially when cutting around the narrow spaces between bones, contours, and other hard-to-reach areas. It combines outstanding craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology with impressive design elements and premium materials.

One fascinating aspect about Dalstrong as a brand is that they are well-versed in blade-making, from the design to the forging of knives. Given this, the ergonomic handle in this boning knife is professionally designed for your comfort and convenience. The handle fits perfectly onto your palm for excellent control, ergonomic hand placement, and maneuverability.

Key Feature:

• The knife comes with a Perfect Fit Dalstrong sheath.
• The tall blade height gives knuckle clearance for more efficient food preparation and chopping tasks.
• With its oval-shaped hollow divots on the sides, air pockets are created, minimizing friction as much as possible.

10. DALSTRONG – Omega Series Boning Knife

This 6-inch knife belongs to the Omega Series and is one of the essential tools used by professional chefs. Made for fine and precise butchery work, this classic kitchen utensil is great not just for deboning, but also for skinning, trimming, and butterflying meat and fish.

Its thin blade is shaped to effortlessly glide along the contours of bones and slice meat away with ease. It’s painstakingly finished to 8-12 degrees on each side by professional bladesmiths using the traditional 3-step Honbazuke method, ensuring your blade’s performance will last longer and take you further.

Compared to boning knives from the DALSTRONG Gladiator Series, this cutting tool is almost twice the price. Given that, you get a product with a more premium look and feel. Its blade features a distinct “LiquidMetal” pattern that allows you to cut through anything cleanly.

Key Features:

• The knife’s G10 woven fiberglass handle is resistant to heat, cold, and moisture.
• The full tang handle features an ornate and oversized copper and brass mosaic that enhances the knife’s aesthetic quality.
• The product comes with a black leather sheath with a button clip to ensure the blade’s stylish protection and the owner’s safety.

11. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Curved Breaking Knife

Cutting through thick, raw meat is difficult and time-consuming, especially if you don’t have the right tools. But with this 8-inch curved boning knife, you can easily cut through thick meat like it’s nothing. It is very sharp and easy to handle that it can save your time and effort, whether you’re cooking pork, poultry, beef, or fish.

Compared to the Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro knife mentioned earlier, this one is better for breaking down large pieces of meat into smaller pieces since it has a less flexible, broader edge. The curved blade makes uniform slicing easier and more efficient.

Note that after about 2-3 uses, the blade becomes a bit dull. If that happens, run it through any kitchen sharpener and it will be as good as new.

Key Features:

• As with any Victorinox model, this boning knife has a Fibrox Pro handle to ensure a non-slip grip.
• The razor-sharp edge rarely requires re-sharpening.
• The stainless steel blade meets the strict standards of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).

12. Shun Premier Gokujo Boning Fillet Knife

If you need a knife that’s specially designed for removing bones from fish and creating thin slices, you might want to consider this one. The 6-inch blade is narrow enough that it glides through the body of the fish to remove the bones and skin. Its contoured handle provides a secure grip to enable excellent control.

When boning, the thin, sharp, curved blade gets in close to the bone, making it easier to separate meat. The extremely sharp edge then cuts through fibrous material with ease. This boning knife is great for trimming the silver skin from a tenderloin or roast and even making your own cutlets. The narrow blade minimizes the drag as you slice the meat. It makes cutting fast and easy.

Elegant and beautiful, this boning knife is unlike any tool you’ve ever owned. The hand-hammered finish (or tsuchime in Japanese) lends to its unique design and creates a hollow feature that reduces surface resistance. It also prevents the sliced food from sticking to the blade.

Key Features:

• The 16-degree blade angle makes this knife flexible but much sharper than traditional Western knives.
• The pakkawood handle in walnut finish adds to its sleek and stylish look.
• The proprietary VG-Max Cutting Core enables optimal edge retention.

13. DALSTRONG – Shogun Series Boning Knife

Separating meat from bones is easy peasy with this premium Japanese super steel knife. A Dalstrong culinary marvel, this knife combines outstanding and award-winning craftsmanship, cutting-edge technology, and impressive design. It’s also made from the finest materials available.

It has an ultra-sharp AUS-10V Japanese super steel cutting core with 62+ Rockwell hardness for superior performance and edge retention. It’s also clad with 67 layers of quality high-carbon stainless steel for improved strength, durability, and stain resistance.

In addition to being flexible, the blade has a fine tip that lets you reach between joints. It glides through meat and fat with highly satisfying efficiency. Perfectly balanced, this tapered cutting tool minimizes surface resistance and curves inward when you need to maneuver close to the bone.

If you’re planning to go on a fishing or hunting trip, this is the best boning knife to take. It doesn’t rust easily and can be cleaned without difficulty.

Key Features:

• The perfectly balanced, tapered blade minimizes drag and curves inward to let you maneuver close to the bone.
• This boning knife is fitted with a hand-polished military-grade handle crafted to ensure superior control, agility, and comfort.
• Exceptionally durable and stain-resistant, thanks to its 67 layers of premium high-carbon stainless steel.

14. ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Flexible Boning Knife – Recommended by America’s Test Kitchen

This blade won and topped the testing conducted by America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated magazine

This cutting utensil is one of the most user-friendly boning knives on the market. While its 5.5-inch blade is relatively short compared to other boning knives, it’s flexible enough to get the job done.

This product is among the best boning knives that can be used for purposes other than cutting and trimming meat. Its long, thin, and flexible blade is also ideal for filleting and skinning fish.

Keeping this flexible boning knife clean can help extend its life. So remember to wash and wipe it dry after every use. While this type of bone knife is considered dishwasher safe, it is best to hand wash it instead to avoid damaging your washer.

Key Features:

• The curved bolster enables precise and safe cutting.
• This boning knife is forged from a single piece of European high-carbon stainless steel.
• The sharp edge near the handle lets you work around bigger bones with ease.

15. Global Boning Knife

GLOBAL Kitchen Knives manufactures this boning and filleting knife. They are a leading manufacturer of kitchen knives for home and culinary use.

Made of a single piece of steel, this 6.26-inch boning knife can penetrate tendons and cartilage effortlessly. It’s maneuverable enough that you can easily make a turn mid-cut if you need to reach some tight spots.

It has an ergonomic, user-friendly handle designed with dimple patterns for a comfortable, slip-resistant grip. The smooth contours and flawless construction also keep food and dirt from getting trapped and ensuring your safety and hygiene.

Note that this tool is not ideal for beginners. Be sure your knife skills are up to par so you can better take advantage of the blade’s flexibility. You’d be surprised how easily this blade bends.

Key Features:

• Lightweight and balanced for swift and precise cuts.
• Ice-tempered and hardened to C56 – C58 degrees, the blade’s razor-sharp edge holds longer than any other steel.
• The stainless-steel handle is molded for comfort and slightly hollowed for a safe grip.

What’s a Boning Knife Used for? 

Here are some of the things you can do with a boning knife.

• Deboning: The sharp edge, narrow tip, and flexible blade allow you to separate meat from the bone without wasting anything.

• Denuding: This knife does an excellent job of removing fat and silver skin to clean the meat.

• Seaming: Using the knife for seaming allows you to take the muscle apart from the bones, an essential skill required in meat preparation.

• Meat Cuts: A boning knife can make multiple cuts out of meat chunks. For example, it will help you turn meat into palomilla, Denver steak, stew meat, and more.

• Fish Filleting: Other than prepping meats, the boning knife is nimble and thin enough to fillet fish and seafood.

• Removing Apple Core: The slim handle and pointy tip give you complete control over precision cuts, like removing the core inside the apple.

• Carving Cake: The knife can do other tasks apart from prepping the meat. For instance, you can use it for carving cake.

What Should You Look for When Buying a Boning Knife? 

Handle, blade, shape. All of these features and many more play a significant role in the functionality of a boning knife. Learn more about these characteristics and how they can help you find your ideal knife.

Handle Design 

The handle of a boning knife primarily features wood, plastic, rubber, or steel materials. My favorite is rubber or textured plastic because the material feels more secure to hold and is less likely to slip. Imagine you’re deboning a pork shoulder, and your hands are greasy.

Using a metal handle with no texture may cause your fingers to slide towards the blade. Riveted wooden handles are also good, but they require more maintenance.

Rubber and textured handles are good. Slick handles, on the other hand, require more caution.

The size of the handle also matters. Large handles (3.5″ in circumference) are easier to grip and provide excellent support while applying pressure to cut large chunks of meat. Slim handles (2.75″ in circumference) are better for precision work, like deboning a chicken or cutting around the joints.

Blade Size

The blade length of a boning knife varies between 5 inches (127mm) and 13 inches (330mm). Choosing the right blade size depends on your cooking style. Smaller blades provide excellent control and will allow you to make precise cuts.

These are ideal if you usually cut around bone and cartilage. You can also use it for filleting and skinning meat in thinner pieces.

Blades over 8 inches long are perfect for cutting fat and taking off the silver skin. It’s a size that works better for larger pieces, like roasted pork shoulder or chuck eye roll. A longer blade means you can make the cuts in a single stroke, whether you’re denuding, making bacon strips, or turning meat chunks into palomilla.

Blade Material

A boning knife usually features stainless steel, high-carbon stainless steel, and cold steel. Stainless steel blades are expensive, but the sharpness is remarkable. It will help you remove bone and section meat faster.

High-carbon stainless steel is lighter in weight and more resistant to rust and corrosion. This material is ideal if you want more control over the knife and don’t care about cleaning it thoroughly. It’s the more resistant option when you prep raw meat that may drip blood or slimy fish, as these liquids won’t penetrate the blade.

I also recommend high-carbon steel due to its strong capacity to cut through more rigid items, such as thick meat chunks, gristly cartilage, and even bones.

Cold steel blades are popular due to their sharpness, which lasts considerably longer. If you don’t want to sharpen knives regularly, consider a blade made with this material.

Blade Thickness 

Thin blades are often better for boning knives, so choose a blade of 0.84 millimeters or less. These are narrow enough to make incisions, strip away silverskin, and score the fat of pork shoulders with ease. Blades with this thickness are also sharper, allowing you to use them for a longer time without sharpening them constantly.

Some boning knives have thicker blades, but even the slightest difference affects the edge sharpness. 0.84 mm proved to be the most efficient, and you should go with these instead.

Moderate Flexibility 

The flexibility of the knife affects your proficiency while prepping the meat. You don’t want a blade too rigid because it can’t hug the breastbone in chickens closely, wasting meat unnecessarily. A blade too flexible isn’t good for you either, as it’s harder to control and bends with ease.

Moderate flexibility is ideal. The blades provide nimble and precise cuts without wasting any meat at all. Plus, you can use it for almost anything, whether you’re prepping chicken, meat, or fish.

Edge Angle and Sharpness

Boning knives usually come with edge angles of 14 and 18 degrees, but I would recommend anything between 14 and 15 degrees. I used the Swilling Pro 5.5″ Boning Knife, which is 14°, and it feels sharper and more agile.

It cut through silverskin on a beef tenderloin like butter, and the narrower edge allowed cuts in a single motion.

I also gave the Mercer 6″ Flexible Boning Knife a try just for comparison purposes. This knife has an 18° edge angle that does good for most tasks, but it loses sharpness after working on the beef tenderloin.

Choose a blade with a 14-15 degree angle, and it will provide better results.

Forged or Stamped? 

Forged boning knives are more expensive, but they’re stronger and sturdier. The sharpness lasts longer, and you can sharpen the blade using pretty much any sharpening tool.

These blades are also sturdier, allowing you to use different cutting techniques easily. If you want a versatile knife for poultry, trimming, and deboning I would suggest choosing a forged blade.

Stamped boning knives are more affordable and perfect for the home cook. These knives are more flexible, which is a plus if you need precise work around the chicken joints or trimming silverskin.

However, a stamped knife that is too flexible is also trickier to sharpen. You may need an electric sharpener because the blades can bend over the whetstone.

Learn more on this topic here: Forged vs Stamped Kitchen Knife

Straight or Curved?

I prefer using a curved knife while working with boned meat. If you get this type of meat from retail, a curved knife will help you easily section meat into thin segments. It’s also flexible enough to make chicken fillets, slice fish fillets, clean turkey meat, and remove bone from chicken thighs.

Curved boning knives are usually cheaper, but their multipurpose performance makes it worth it.

Straight boning knives have super sharp blades to help you pierce thick chunks of meat faster. It’s ideal if you work with more complicated pieces like beef fillets, pork, or lamb. The downside is that this type of knife lacks flexibility and cannot cut around corners. Thus, it’s likely to waste meat.

Other than that, a straight boning knife can cut fat, ligaments, and silverskin. With a strong blade, it could also rip through small bones.

You can learn more about this topic here: Straight vs Curved Boning Knife

Versatility 

The ideal boning knife is capable of deboning, filleting, skinning, and trimming meat, to name a few tasks. It sounds like a lot, but I would advise you to check out the Zwilling Pro 5.5″.

This knife has a slim handle, a razor-sharp edge, and a short blade that will give you outstanding control over most tasks. Plus, this knife can do it all. You can use it to remove bones from chicken, fillet meat, or fish and clean meats by trimming or skinning the fat.

Finger Guard

Boning knives are sharp, and the handle might get slippery while deboning pork shoulder or filleting fish. This is why the knives might have a finger guard designed to keep your fingers safe in case of slips. Consider buying a knife with this feature to work on your food safely.

Final Thoughts

With all the available boning knives out there, choosing the best one can be overwhelming. Hopefully, this review helps you narrow down your options.

As we see it, the Victorinox – 47645 Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro takes the top spot, thanks to its superior quality and value for money. The Mercer Culinary Millennia boning knife is a close second due to its impressive craftsmanship.