Opinel Paring knife N°112

The knife that lives in the drawer nearest the sink and somehow never makes it back there.

Opinel builds this one for the jobs that fill the twenty minutes before dinner: skinning a shallot, topping strawberries, peeling apples over the bin, squaring off a piece of meat. The blade is ten centimetres of stainless steel hardened to between 55 and 57 HRC, which is the range that holds an edge without turning brittle, and the beech handle is warm in the hand and light enough that an hour of prep does not register in your wrist. It is made in France, it is part of Opinel's Les Essentiels du cuisinier range, and it carries a lifetime warranty, which tells you what they expect of it.

• 10 cm blade, about 3.93 in.
• Martensitic stainless steel, 55 to 57 HRC
• Beech wood handle, PEFC certified
• 19.8 cm overall length
• Multi purpose, for slicing, chopping, peeling and trimming
• Part of Opinel's Les Essentiels du cuisinier range
• Made in France
• Covered by Opinel's lifetime warranty
• The stainless blade needs no special upkeep in ordinary use; Opinel advises against prolonged exposure to detergents