What is a knife primarily used for?

A knife is primarily used for cutting, as it serves as a fundamental tool in food preparation. The design of a knife, with its sharp blade and handle, allows for various cutting techniques, which include slicing, chopping, and mincing across a wide range of ingredients, from vegetables to proteins.

While dicing, grating, and peeling are specific functions that can also be accomplished with a knife, they are essentially variations of the broader cutting action. Dicing involves cutting ingredients into small cubes, grating involves shredding food into fine pieces, and peeling typically requires the knife to remove the skin of fruits or vegetables. Thus, all these actions depend on the knife's ability to cut effectively, reinforcing that cutting is the primary function of a knife.