A PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN KNIFE FOR EVERY TASK
Autumn: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness." This time of year brings an array of colourful fruit and vegetables to our kitchens. Perhaps your garden has produced more cooking apples than expected, or you're looking forward to making pumpkin soup or roasted squash for family and friends.
Preparing the season’s harvest can often present challenges. Uneven shapes, tough skins and dense flesh all require control, confidence and the correct blade. Choosing a knife designed for the task makes preparation smoother, safer and more enjoyable.
The ice-hardened Professional kitchen knife range offers reassuring weight and carefully considered balance, helping the blade do the work for you.
Here is our guide to selecting the right Professional kitchen knife for six autumn favourites.
Professional kitchen knives in focus
Ice-hardened German steel and a precise Japanese-style 15° edge have combined to create our Professional knife range.
Independently tested to the ISO 8442-5 standard, our 11 award-winning kitchen knives are rated Excellent for both sharpness and edge retention which is perfect for prepping seasonal fruit and vegetables.
This internationally recognised test measures how sharp a knife is when new and how well the blade maintains that sharpness over time. Testing is carried out using specialist CATRA (Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association) edge-testing machines, which provide an objective and repeatable way to measure knife performance.
All the knives are dishwasher safe and come with a reassuring 25-year lifetime guarantee.
The perfect Professional kitchen knife for every task
APPLES
Compact and easy to control, the 9cm Professional Paring Knife is ideal for preparing cooking apples. Its short blade allows you to work neatly around the fruit’s curved surface when peeling, trimming away blemishes or removing the core. Use it for precise slices or smaller pieces, ready for transforming an autumn harvest into pies, crumbles, sauces and warming seasonal bakes.
COURGETTES
Longer than a paring knife yet easy to manoeuvre, the 14cm Professional Kitchen Knife is a versatile choice for courgettes. Its slim blade makes it easy to trim the ends before cutting the courgette into rounds, ribbons, batons or even pieces. The balanced design offers excellent control, whether you are preparing a colourful traybake, soup, pasta dish or fresh autumn salad.
PARSNIPS
The 14cm Professional Santoku Knife brings control and precision to preparing firm parsnips. Its broad blade and fine cutting edge are well suited to slicing and dicing, whether you need slender batons or evenly sized pieces for roasting. The compact length feels comfortable and manageable, helping you prepare this seasonal root vegetable evenly for consistently delicious cooking results every time.
KALE
With its generous blade and curved cutting edge, the 15cm Professional Chef’s Knife is ideal for preparing leafy kale. Remove the tough central stalk with a controlled slice, gather the leaves together and use a gentle rocking action to shred them. Its comfortable balance makes light work of larger quantities for soups, salads, pasta dishes and hearty seasonal stews.
SQUASH
Choose the 17cm Professional Santoku Knife when preparing a small squash. Its longer, broad blade provides useful reach across the vegetable, while the weight of the knife supports controlled cutting through dense flesh. Once the squash is stable on the board, use steady, deliberate movements to divide it into manageable sections before peeling, deseeding, slicing or dicing for cooking.
PUMPKIN
The substantial 20cm Professional Chef’s Knife is a dependable choice for preparing a small pumpkin. Its long blade, curved edge and reassuring weight provide the reach and leverage needed for this demanding seasonal ingredient. After creating a stable base, use controlled downward cuts to divide the pumpkin into sections, ready for deseeding and preparing for soups, pies, curries or roasting.
Five expert tips for effortless food prep
Create a stable base: Trim one side so the vegetable sits securely on a robust chopping board.
Choose the right blade: Use a knife with sufficient length to cut through the ingredient without forcing or twisting it.
Work in sections: Divide larger vegetables into manageable pieces before peeling, deseeding or dicing.
Create a stable base: Trim one side so the vegetable sits securely on a robust chopping board.
Choose the right blade: Use a knife with sufficient length to cut through the ingredient without forcing or twisting it.
Work in sections: Divide larger vegetables into manageable pieces before peeling, deseeding or dicing.
Keep your knives sharp with our Hand-held Knife Sharpener: A well-maintained edge requires less pressure and gives you greater control.
Take your time: Use steady, deliberate movements and keep your fingers clear of the cutting path.
Keep your knives sharp with our Hand-held Knife Sharpener: A well-maintained edge requires less pressure and gives you greater control.
Take your time: Use steady, deliberate movements and keep your fingers clear of the cutting path.
FAQs
Should I peel squash and pumpkin before cutting them?
It often helps to divide the vegetable into stable, manageable sections first. Whether you remove the skin will depend on the variety and your recipe.
How do I stop hard vegetables moving?
Use a stable wooden chopping board and trim the vegetable to create a flat base before continuing.
Which knife is best for smaller fruit?
A 9cm Professional Paring Knife gives you the control needed for peeling, trimming and other detailed preparation.
Why is a sharp knife important?
A sharp blade cuts more efficiently and requires less pressure, giving you greater control during food preparation.
How should I maintain my Professional knives?
Wash and dry them promptly after use, store the blades securely and sharpen plain-edged knives regularly with our Hand-held Knife Sharpener and replacing the ceramic wheel regularly.