A mainstay of professional western kitchens, the Petty knife is a small general-purpose knife used for peeling, shaping, and slicing fruits and vegetables, chopping herbs, and making garnishes. The petty knife is the knife for smaller jobs that are done on a cutting board. Think slicing shallots, cutting herbs and boning smaller cuts of meat, fish or birds. Petty knives are an essential tool for bartenders who serve fresh fruit garnishes. Petty from the french “petit” or small is an all encompassing term for a doubtle-ground utility knife.