Japanese kitchen knives: types, rules of choice and care

Japanese kitchen knives are world famous for their incredible beauty, increased strength, stunning sharpness and maximum comfort in operation. Masters of high-quality knives, which in their sharpness will not be inferior to the traditional samurai swords, make in our days almost 900 types of various kitchen appliances and accessories. For this reason, before choosing the most suitable kitchen knife, you should familiarize yourself with all its features and functionality in detail.

The most obvious sign of modern Japanese cutting tools can be considered to be sharpening on one side only, which allows you to very quickly cut almost transparent pieces of fish or other products that can be included in traditional oriental dishes.

To control the knife with such a unique sharpening, you need a certain skill. Therefore, beginners may first have difficulty using this tool. Having become accustomed to using conventional models with double-sided sharpening, it can be difficult for an ordinary cook to adapt himself to working with such unusual products. This is precisely the skill of Japanese professionals.

The most good blades are those made by hand, experienced craftsmen do the forging themselves, and then polish and sharpen the knife. Very often, on such models, released in Japan itself, one can see on the handle the personal signature of the gunsmith.

The main difference of these unique tools is the use of the most durable metal without various components that are toxic to human health. The most pure types of steel are selected for their manufacture:

• steel "shirogami", better known under the name "white paper";
• steel "aogami", which is popularly called "blue paper";
• Damascus steel.

Aogami is a derivative of shirogi, which differs from the latter in the presence of the smallest particles of chromium and tungsten in the alloy. This variety is considered to be much stronger than shirogami, but it will also be less acute. The main difference between aogami can be considered the long-term "life" of the blade, which will retain its sharpness for a long time.

Indicator of the sharpness of Japanese knives is called "kirenaga" - this is the designation of the time in which the blade will be in the sharpened state. From this state will depend directly on the type of future cuts and comfort when working chef who wants to get the best result. In order to use such a knife in everyday life, these indicators will not be significant, but it is impossible for a sushi cook to imagine his professional activity without the sharpest product made of material aogami.

Unobtrusive indentations can be made at the top of the blade so that various products are not stuck to the knife when cut. High-quality kitchen knives of the most durable steel are made by hand, while the blade undergoes frequent grinding and careful processing. Culinary adaptations from Japanese masters have a fairly substantial price, which is justified by a long service life. No new-fangled ceramics, glass or electro-blades will not be able to exceed the lifetime of durable knives created in Japan.

The Japanese tried very hard to make a convenient product handle. For the release of this element select expensive materials - mikarta and chrome-plated metal. In inexpensive products can be found handles of special wood. Most of the Europeans knives differ in the use of inexpensive polymers, because of which the knives have a short life span due to the frequent breaking of the device in the area where the blade contacts the plastic handle.

There is a fairly wide variety of Eastern culinary knives.

• Tojiro knives used both at home and quite popular among professionals. They differ from other products in width, weight, and blade length, strength, and number of steel layers used. For a tool released for domestic use, steel is selected from 1-3 metal layers, and tools for professionals have blades from 30-40 layers of steel.

• Usuba products suitable for quick cutting of vegetable crops. They are distinguished by a thick butt, the blade has a sharp, sharpened blade. On average, the weight reaches 200 g. The severity of the adaptation at the very beginning of operation sometimes causes a feeling of discomfort, but gradually having adapted to be active in the cooking tool, it is possible to cut hard vegetables without any problems.

• Yanagiba Sushi Knife - an important assistant to the chef, with the help of which it is possible to cut the fish into very thin slices that will appear through almost “jewelery”. If you translate the word "yanagiba", it will mean "willow leaf", and in fact the truth has a complete resemblance to the willow leaf. The length of the blade products from 25-30 cm. The razor sharpness of the product is suitable for cooking sashimi and will allow you to precisely cut the fish into pieces.

• Debo models significantly facilitate the work of a cook with a complex fish. The rounded blade has a length of about 16-23 cm and a huge handle for even pressure distribution when cutting the hardest parts of various fish.

This type of product has many varieties - Kunisaki deba helps carve crabs. Heavy product with a pointed blade is useful for cutting hard shells, they can get meat from lobsters, lobsters or crabs.

Mioroshi deba is suitable for quick cutting of the thickest fish bones.

• To cut vegetables into even neat slices, it is recommended to use a Japanese mini-hatchet Nakiri. The Nakiri is distinguished by an extremely thin blade having a thickness of only 2 mm.
• Knife Santoku can be called one of the most versatile eastern knives. If you compare Santoku with European specimens, it is more like a specialized chef-knife. Santoku in translation means "3 virtues", which emphasizes its multifunctionality. Knives are suitable for accelerated cutting of various products, especially if the blades are made of Damascus steel.
• Gyuto - a thin knife with a length of 18 to 30 cm, they can quickly cut the meat and any fish, without making much effort.
• Sujihiku - Slicer, was originally needed in order to pull the veins, nowadays it is perfectly used for cutting various products.
• Petty Knife (wagon) - This is a product with multi-purpose functionality, they can be cut and cleaned. It stands out among other tools with a slightly raised handle and blade with a length of from 7 to 15 cm.
• Sushikiri - the traditional knife needed to cut a portion of ready-made sushi. Differs rounded blade.
• Nakiri bocho - product for cutting vegetables.
• Pankiri - a special knife to cut bread, has a striking wavy sharpening, it can even cut fresh bread without the appearance of crumbs.
• Sashimi yanagiba - It’s good to make sushi or sashimi with this knife.A thin blade perfectly cuts the fillet into the same thin pieces. One of its subspecies is Fugubiki. This flexible and extremely sharp specimen is cut into the famous poisonous puffer fish.
• Sashimi Takobiki - narrow, but long products for sashimi. Blades in the form of a rectangle, a length of 20-32 cm with a sharp end to work with tuna or rounded, if you want to cut the octopus.
• Unagisaki or Dojosaki - are distinguished by the presence of an edge sharply reaching the tip and are acquired for cutting eel.
• Baran-kiri - The product in the form of a trapezoid is useful for quick work with crabs.
• Ajikiri - a product with a wide, but with a shortened blade. This product is chosen to work with many types of fish. Its length is from 9 to 15 cm, thickness is up to 4 mm.

What companies are engaged in the release of the best Japanese chef knives?

Under the name of this brand, knives have been produced for more than 50 years, which is remarkable for the stunning quality of hardness of blades. Global manufactures its products in two versions: the Sai series is for experienced chefs, and the Standard line is for household chores. The latter have a textured handle "polka dots" to prevent slipping. The company has a separation of products in size - it is a large "G" and small "GS", and the letter "F" informs you that this is a real forged device.

Under this brand for many years produced the best oriental swords and knives. Now this dynasty of famous gunsmiths forges blades for culinary purposes, giving them the popular form of a katana.

It manufactures products from fairly expensive and rare metals, which endow with the peculiar "character" all manufactured series.

• Masterpray series and Standard series. Usually they have an unusual sharpening on both sides and convenient handles made of wood or a fabric base with enlarged weaving, which are fastened with polymers.
• Series "Ceramics". Models that are slightly inferior in strength only to diamond. They have the usual for Europeans sharpening on both sides and a special plastic handle, are extremely demanding when leaving and must be kept as carefully as possible.
• Hummer series. Products that have a surface with a relief, which allows you to create a special pillow from the air between the blade and products prepared for cutting, which is why nothing sticks to it during processing.
• Series "Titanum". A series of cheap knives with high-quality titanium coating, which guarantees them special strength. It has blades of various colors.

Masters of this brand came up with highly demanded steel made of molybdenum and vanadium alloy. It was she who glorified oriental kitchen knives and brought them worldwide fame. Masahiro products are highly valued in the restaurant kitchen, and the number of models entering the world market has already exceeded 3,000.

Produces both kitchen and hunting knives. Has a high reputation among buyers. Each product is subject to strict control, and if at least one of the parts does not meet the high standards of the brand, it will go to the mess. Today, the company produces 3 lines of knives KD, HD and FH.

It produces multifunctional versatile and durable knives, which are resistant to any stress. The most usual work for a universal product is to clean and cut small-sized products with pleasant lightness and grace.

The stunning variety of Japanese knives can sometimes make the final choice difficult. You can correctly choose the knives by describing their detailed characteristics, usually this information is present on the packaging of the product. You should also be guided by the price, which will assign a certain model to the middle class, standard or premium.The subtype, weight, parameters, the number of layers of steel, the quality of wood or plastic will determine the price of Japanese tools, which will surpass similar specimens from Europe in many respects.

Particular attention should be paid to the sets of knives, which include certain types.

• Universal device will allow you to work with different types of fillets, different fruits, hard vegetables. Convenient for everyday use, it will fit perfectly in your hand. Differs massive blade. Its main purpose - cutting seafood.
• An excellent chef's knife can handle even large bones and any hard food from the freezer.
• Vegetable knife is used only to chop vegetables.

The release of knives in Japan is equated with the art form. For this reason, the Japanese craftsmen pay special attention to buyers for the proper operation of their products.

• Never clean this knife in the dishwasher.
• If you store the product with other devices, it may adversely affect the structure of the steel.
• Cutting can be done only on special boards - from polymers, wood or bamboo. Wood can slow down the loss of blade sharpness. The polymer base, which will absorb the incision, is just perfect for working with Japanese products.
• It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions drawn up for this product. Do not operate a knife for bread (cheese) when cutting meat and various seafood. These devices can be selected to work with only one type of product. That is why they have a different shape of both the blade and the handle.
• To keep such knives should be in a special wooden stand, which will absorb moisture. Moisture has a negative effect on the condition of steel. It can also be stored on a railing with a magnet, where the likelihood of scratches on the blade will be minimized.
• For greater safety, after applying the knife, it is better to put a special cover on the sharp blade.
• To keep the angle of sharpening, it is necessary to sharpen knives only with a special sharpener.

How to create the famous Japanese kitchen knives Masahiro, see below.