I Can’t Stop Buying These Colorful French Paring Knives

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Following Jun 12, 2023, 06:39pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Here’s one of my favorite moves when I host a dinner party: To the first four guests who arrive, I hand over a paring knife and a bowl of apples. Then, standing around my butcher block island, they start peel and slice those apples, tossing the pieces into a bowl with lemon and sugar, as I get to work on a crumb topping. Before you know it, an apple crisp is baking away in the oven and those four guests are close friends.

For this tradition, I own a lot paring knives—specifically, ones from Opinel’s No. 112 Paring Knives Set . When it comes to these cheery paring knives, the more the merrier.

Illustration: Forbes / Image: Retailer Made in France by one of the country’s most iconic knife manufacturers, these colorful paring knives are indispensable as a chef’s knife in my home kitchen. Featuring thin stainless steel blades and bright wooden handles, the petite knives are perfect for small, precise tasks like chopping shallots or peeling potatoes. Aside from their functionality, I also love how cheerful the knives are.

Each set comes with one red, one yellow, one blue and one green knife—all colors that just feel right in the kitchen. But the best part about the knives? They come in a set, making it easier to tackle prep work alongside friends old and new. When I have people over for dinner, I’m not trying to put on a show.

Instead, I seek to create an environment where you might end up connecting with someone you don’t know as you both slice cucumbers for a salad. While you can theoretically meet someone new as you eat across the dinner table, I find that connections form a little more organically when you share a mission like, say, peeling apples for a crisp. So when I host, I hand out knives and tasks freely.

Over time, I’ve learned that a paring knife is the safest blade to hand to a guest with an unclear amount of cooking experience (who’s also probably juggling a drink). MORE FROM FORBES VETTED The 4 Best Electric Toothbrushes Based On Rigorous Testing By Helena Fitzgerald Contributor The Best Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts That Are Still Thoughtful By Lindsay Boyers Forbes Staff Amazon Opinel No. 112 Paring Knives Set Buy From Amazon The way I see it, this knife set really only has one potential weakness: They don’t last forever.

While the wooden handles are varnished, the color eventually starts to fade after many years of washing; also, the blades are somewhat difficult to sharpen. Even so, I personally love the knives more as they age. When they retire from apple peeling, I use them to serve cheese—and they look lovely on a cheese board.

And when I’m in need of a new sharp paring knives for dinner parties, I simply restock, as four quality knives for less than $50 is an unbeatable value. Since discovering this set, I’ve purchased it four times—and I just bought another pair, at this very moment. Perhaps it’s time for another dinner party.

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