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Serious question, is it ever okay to use a boning knife for light breaking work? | Butchers - Free To Speak

Serious question, is it ever okay to use a boning knife for light breaking work?

I was talking to a new hire at the shop last week, a kid fresh from the trade school in Kansas City. He said his teacher told him a sharp 6-inch boning knife is fine for splitting a chicken or cutting through small rib joints if your breaking knife is being sharpened. I've always been taught to use the right tool for the job, no exceptions. But he made a good point about speed and not having to stop your flow. Has anyone else heard this or tried it?

4 comments

4 Comments

wade2505mo ago

You know what nobody's talking about? The sound. A boning knife hitting bone makes this awful high-ping sound that just screams "this is wrong." It's not just about breaking the tool, it's about the feel of the work. That sound tells you the steel is stressed in a way it wasn't made for. Why would you want that in your hands every day?

logan5255mo ago

Nah, that's asking for trouble. A boning knife is too flexible and the tip is too fine. You'll bend the blade or, worse, snap the point off on a joint. I keep a cheap, sharp cleaver on the side just for those quick jobs. What do you do when you're in a rush?

margaretramirez5mo ago

My old chef in Seattle taught me to use the BACK of my main knife for quick chops. The spine is thick and blunt, perfect for cracking through small chicken bones or lobster shells without messing up your edge. You just turn the knife over and give it a firm tap with your palm. It sounds weird but it saves you from grabbing a separate tool. I still do it when I'm slammed on the line.

logan_mitchell3mo ago

This is like so many things now where people treat the tool that's closest as good enough instead of stopping to get the right one. We've gotten to where speed matters more than doing it properly, and that's a shame.