Much narrower and longer than a chef's knife. The reduced blade height means less food-to-blade contact area, which lowers drag on large protein cuts. The long blade allows a full draw-cut stroke through a roast without interruption. Roast carvers have slightly stiffer blades; ham and salmon slicers are more flexible and narrower, for paper-thin slicing.
Primary tasks: carving roasts (beef, pork, lamb); slicing turkey and chicken at the table; slicing ham and large charcuterie items.
Ideal steel: a mid-to-high hardness stainless that holds a keen edge through long slicing strokes, such as VG-10, 14C28N, or CPM-154.
Limitations: precision work (the paring knife's job), bread slicing (the bread knife), and heavy butchery. This is the natural table-carving companion.