Boning Knife Reviews 2023

Uncle Paul’s Choice:

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

If all my years of being a kitchen cutlery enthusiast have taught me anything, it’s that when picking the right knives, it’s not always about going for the most popular product.

From your own personal needs to the size and type of blade, there are a lot of things you will need to keep in mind before making the purchase, and I have often found cooks to struggle a lot when it came to picking the perfect boning knives for their kitchen.

Unlike the other category of blades, the boning ones are a bit harder to pick from, considering the large variety of models that flood the markets today.

So, if you’re struggling with the same dilemma as so many of the other cooks, then I have the perfect review and buying guide for you. The models I have listed here are not just some of my personal favorites, but they are also some of the most high-quality filleting blades in the culinary world.

And I am confident that at least one among these will be the next boning knife to hit your kitchen shelf.

Boning Knife Reviews 2023

Model	Size	Price
Wusthof 4603	6"	$$	Check Price on Amazon
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S	5.5"	$$	Check Price on Amazon
DALSTRONG Shogun Series	6"	$	Check Price on Amazon
Zelite Infinity Alpha-Royal Series	6"	$	Check Price on Amazon
Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP	6"	$$	Check Price on Amazon

 

Best Professional Boning Knife 2023: Wusthof 4603

Wusthof has been in the culinary scene for many years now. Their knives are praised by professionals and domestic cooks alike for being innovative models. These are not just easy to use but they also perform optimally in a variety of conditions.

I have found the above facts to be true for their latest 4603 Boning Knife as well, and that is precisely the reason why it has a very special place in my kitchen.

Why go for this boning knife?

I have been using the Wusthof 4603 Boning Knife for some time now, and I will not be lying to you if I said that it’s by far the most reliable boning knife I have ever used.

Though primarily a flexible knife, the blade of the Wusthof is sturdy enough to act like the semi-flexible models and can separate the meat from the ribs and backbones on large game meat.

As the blade is forged from specially tempered high carbon steel, it’s made to be incredibly sturdy and can weather through difficult boning jobs. It has a stain-resistant alloy coating as well, along with a triple-riveted handle that significantly improves the user’s grip and blade control.

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could have been better?

It’s the very sturdiness of the blade which comes at the cost of compromising on its overall flexibility. I have, at times, found the Wusthof 4603 Boning Knife to not be flexible enough for filleting certain types of smaller fish.

Best Boning Knife America’s Test Kitchen 2023: Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S Flexible

If you’re looking for a professional-grade boning knife that will make quick work of the toughest of filleting jobs, then this model from Zwilling J.A. Henckels will be the perfect choice.

Honed and hand-finished by the most skilled artisans, the Professional S Flexible boning knife is an amazing filleting beast in all measures.

Why go for this boning knife?

The Zwilling J.A Henckels Professional S is all about dexterity and balance. Its blade is designed to be as flexible as possible, and I found it to be a great model for bending around small bones and joints.

In the right hands, I have seen this blade fillet a trout in a matter of minutes with impressive precision and efficiency.

The bolster is quite sturdy and sits rather well in the palms. Its weight is perfect and helps to achieve the right balance while at the same time acting as a finger guard to prevent any unwanted accidents.

Fingers often slip when trying to fillet slippery flesh and meat, so the finger guard feature comes rather handy for professionals who want to get the job done as soon as possible.

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could have been better?

Sure, the Zwilling J.A Henckels Professional S is an amazing filleting cutlery, but for slicing and dicing, it falls rather short of expectations. And the knife tends to bend when I apply a bit too much force on it if I have to cut up vegetables.

DALSTRONG Boning Knife – Shogun Series – Damascus

Much like Wusthof, Dalstrong, too, is known for its reliable range of knife sets, which are adored by both professionals and domestic cooks. Their Shogun Series Damascus boning knife is an incredible kitchen cutlery with a rather luxurious twist.

I have seen my uncle use this often in his restaurant, and when he heard that I was doing a boning knife list and review, he literally forced me to include it here.

Why go for this boning knife?

Well, I really cannot blame my uncle for forcing this model in the list, because when I got myself to it, it was love at first fillet.

The Damascus offers a Japanese-forged steel blade with a mirror finish and a premium triple-riveted handle. This gives the model a very sophisticated look and a rather attractive appeal, which makes the interior designer in me get giddy every time I enter my kitchen.

The blade is nitrogen-cooled with a curved tip that allows me to fillet fish as close to the bone as possible, even inside each and every joint.

Build-wise, the knife is incredibly sturdy and military-grade, so it’s bound to last you a very long period of time.

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could have been better?

What disappoints me about the Damascus is the steep price that it comes at. It’s much more expensive than many standard boning knives that you will find in the market today and is precisely the reason why so many domestic cooks shy away from investing in it.

Best Boning Knife For Brisket 2023: Zelite Infinity – Alpha-Royal Series

Much like the previous Dalstrong model, the Zelite Infinity Boning Knife is going to be another aesthetically pleasing knife model on my list today. As an interior designer myself, I love how sophisticated and modernistic the blade feels, and it has the capability of being the centerpiece of any kitchen decor.

Why go for this boning knife?

Even though it’s incredible to look at, design is not the only strong suit of the Zelite Infinity Boning Knife. Its blade, in my opinion, can be described by its reliable performance and efficiency when cutting through both small and large meat chunks.

The knife can go through tough, fatty tissue like it was butter, and that’s all thanks to the razor-sharp edge provided by the imported Japanese AUS 10 Super Steel.

The blade is designed to have a non-stick feature as well to improve ease of use. It is also liquid nitrogen-cooled that ensures sturdiness and longevity. It is this very sturdiness which grants the knife a great deal of versatility, and you can use it for more than just boning smaller meat.

You can also employ it to chop up the densest of meat, much like the dedicated steak knives, or even finely dice up vegetables.

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could have been better?

Though much of the blade is sturdy and durable, that is not true for the edge. The edge of the blade is rather fragile in comparison to the rest of its body and does tend to lose sharpness rather fast.

Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP Boning Knife

When it comes to picking the more flexible boning knife in the market, the Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP has been the go-to favorite for many culinary experts. Its unique scimitar-like blade design and incredibly sharp tip make it simply one of the best models for removing silver skin from the bones.

Why go for this boning knife?

If you have a love for preparing poultry and fish at home, then this boning knife is going to be the perfect option for separating meat from smaller bones.

My mother always had a great love for seafood. So when I gifted her this knife last Christmas, she was absolutely overjoyed! And she has used it since then for all the times she wanted to prepare fish fillets and chicken for the family.

I just love how versatile the Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP is and how seamless the cutting action looks and feels when equipped by skilled hands.

The blade is made out of a high carbon base that is designed to be curved, flexible, hand-honed and sharp. The handle has a great gripping feature to it as well; it’s a white Grip-Tex model that is sealed around the blade to prevent the accumulation of bacteria.

Last updated on 2022-07-02 at 01:26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could have been better?

Even though she loved every inch of the knife, one complaint that my mother did have about it was its sharpness. As the blade is hand-honed, it can get dull rather quickly and would require frequent honing from her side to work in optimal condition.

A buyer’s guide to picking the right boning knife

With my list of boning knives done and dusted, I would now like to suggest certain tips for picking the perfect boning knife that will fit your needs the best.

Choosing just any boning knife for your kitchen is one of the worst things that you can do. If the model you fancy fails to cater to your culinary needs, then you are definitely going to have a bad time in the kitchen.

So, before you decide to invest in a boning knife, here are some of the things to keep in mind and look out for:

Flexible knife blade vs. Semi-stiff knife blade

The reason why boning knife is such a favorite cutting tool for meat lovers like me is that it hardly ever leaves any waste. It is capable of cleanly removing meat from the bones and connective tissue without damaging the muscles in any way.

Though the knives typically tend to feature blades that are long, narrow with thin serrations and a sharp tip, they’re quite pliable. And this very pliability is what makes them come in a lot of blade types, with the flexible and semi-stiff models being the most common among them.

The Flexible Boning Blade

Flexible blades are all about versatility and helping the user make quick work of smaller, thinner proteins that have tinier bones. Needless to say, flexible blades are harder to use and commonly employed by the professional chefs and the more adept home cooks who usually deal with poultry and fish.

As the knife needs to bend along the contour lines of the body, flexible blades come rather handy for this. They remove skin or trimming excess fat and soft tissue like “silver” skin exceptionally well.

Semi-Stiff Blade

The semi-stiff boning knives are usually favored for larger meat cuts such as beef, pork, lamb, and game meat. When cutting through tough meat, you do not want your knife to bend and, as a result, provide you with uneven chunks and a lot of wasted flesh.

So, a thin, flexible blade has a much higher chance of creating a lateral motion and bends when pressure is applied to it. Semi-stiff blades are the better pick if you’re looking for a boning knife that can remove meat from ribs or from the backbone.

Look for a Finger Guard

A finger guard is one boning knife feature that I really like to recommend for the newer cooks who don’t have much experience with cutting their own meat. This feature is indeed quite handy, and I have seen a lot of professionals (my uncle included) exclusively go for knives that have this.

A finger guard significantly reduces the risks of an accident occurring when handling slippery skin and fat. Some of the boning knife models in the market have a bolster kind of a design, which drops down along with the blade to prevent the blade from slipping. Others have the finger guard feature built into its design, making the entirety of the blade useable.

So, the type of finger guard feature you go for will depend on your personal preferences. I would suggest that you try out both of them and pick the one you are more comfortable and confident with.

The Size and Shape of the Knife

Traditionally speaking, boning knives usually come with a blade length that is 5 to 6 inches long, but there are some models that are known to be 9 inches. The cutting edge is generally designed to be straight, possessing an upward curve to the sharp tip to help it contour around rounded bones.

However, there is another style of boning knives called the arched boning knives that are rising in popularity today. These models typically have a blade that rises upwards from the handle, almost like a scimitar.

This unique design helps these knives to be truly efficient at cleanly removing the skin and slicing through layers of fat in one single stroke. For the more traditional boning knives, look out for models which have a sharp pointed tip, and the sharper it is, the better.

Sharper tips will allow you to easily hold the knife in an overhead dagger-style grip when slicing along large bones. The length, the blade shape, along with the tip and pliability, work together to help boning knives maneuver around bones for clean and precise cuts.

So, if I were you, I wouldn’t compromise on either of these aspects of the blade if I’m looking to maximize my yield. One characteristic of the boning blades, which I honestly love, is that their use is not limited to slicing meat alone.

The slim and sharp cutting blade helps users to peel and pare fruits and vegetables which have a softer skin. So, when looking for a knife, keep both these uses in mind before investing in one.

Avoid cleaver boning knives

Boning knives that advertise themselves to be cleavers which can cut through large bones are not exactly boning knives in my experience. Boning knives are, by definition, not capable of cutting through large bones, as they are far too light and delicate for that.

There are certain models that are capable of slicing through cartilage and small bones; however, they do so at the cost of maneuverability and flexibility. Hence, if you’re looking for knives that can chop up large bones for you, then it’s better to look for the more traditional cleavers.

Model	Size	Price
Wusthof 4603	6"	$$	Check Price on Amazon
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S	5.5"	$$	Check Price on Amazon
DALSTRONG Shogun Series	6"	$	Check Price on Amazon
Zelite Infinity Alpha-Royal Series	6"	$	Check Price on Amazon
Dexter-Russell S131F-6PCP	6"	$$	Check Price on Amazon

Happy Filleting!

It goes without saying that a boning knife is a chef’s best friend when it comes to separating meat efficiently from the bones of small and large game. So, it’s important to always lookout for a model that can not only get the job done but also fit your needs and demands.

Can’t make up your mind yet? Read our buying guide for kitchen knives before you proceed with your purchase.

You should also check out our reviews of various models:

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