Paring Knives Paring Knives: This knife is a general purpose knife that is used for small intricate work like peeling and coring. A good paring knife usually measures between 3 and 5 inches on the blade and has a number of different names based on blade profile and specific use. Bird's Beak, Sheep's Foot, Serrated, Kudamundo are all paring knife names. Many people own several of these versatile knives.