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If you are reading this article, you definitely have heard about Japanese knives: their quality, sharpness, and ultimate efficiency.
It is not the secret that Japanese knives are one of the most popular choices for chefs all over the world.
One question we receive often from our readers is about using Japanese knives in everyday cooking. Are they suited for a home kitchen and regular cooking? Together with Kitchennin.com, we tried to cover all the essential questions.
- Do I need a Japanese Knife?
- Which Japanese knife suites to me?
- How to keep Japanese knives in shape?
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- Maintenance
- Storing the knives
Do I Need a Japanese Knife?
One of the most common doubts and questions of people is, “Am I suited for this task?” Or, “Can I handle it?”. These questions often take place before buying a quality product that’s not cheap, like – knives.
If your answer to the question: “Do you like to cook?” Is “Yes!” then, you definitely need a Japanese knife.
We all want to cook with the best products, ones that are fresh and healthy. This makes our dishes tasty. The same thing goes for accessories and gadgets. We want to cook with the best available tools because they allow us to cook better and more importantly – with less effort.
Japanese knives are made of the best steel and are super sharp, have very comfortable handles, and are balanced perfectly. They make cutting effortless. When you cut, you cook!
Which Japanese Knife Suites to me?
There are several different knives, which have different goals. Depending on your task, you should choose different knives — the only thing we have to warn you is about different types of blades.
There are single bevel blades and double bevel blades. Without going deep into detail, keep in mind the double bevel blades are more comfortable to use and also, easier to sharpen.
Santoku Knife
The most well known Japanese knife is the Santoku. The santoku knife is versatile, and it is similar to a European chef’s knife with a double bevel blade. In other words, this is an everyday use knife that can handle a variety of tasks, such as cutting, slicing, and mincing.
It gained popularity because of its size (usually it is 7 inches), weight and form of the blade, which is designed for cutting in chop-like motions. The Santoku makes it easy to perform many tasks, but some of them could be made better with other knives.
Gyuto Knife
A Gyuto is heavier than a Santoku knife, and this is the reason why it is less popular. However, in terms of using it at home, it is more useful.
It is a classic chef knife which is perfect for everyday home-usage. A Gyuto can perform the same tasks as a Santoku but also, works better with meat, poultry, and fish.
The blade is double bevel and is stronger than Santoku.
Nakiri Knife
This knife is made specially to slice fruits and vegetables. The blade is so thin and sharp that it is almost impossible to break the slices with it.
This knife is excellent for tap chopping and push-and-pull cutting. But it can’t deal with cutting meat or fish.
This is the last knife with a double bevel blade on our list.
Deba Knife
In case you need to cut meat or fish with strong bones, you will be glad to have a Deba knife on hand.
This knife has two distinctive features — a wide spine and a heavy blade. The weight is used to cut, and the wide spine makes it easier to use your second hand to provide extra power for cutting something solid.
Yanagi and Takohiki Knives
These two knives are made for fish lovers. Both are similar to a samurai sword and great for a pulling cutting motion.
It works great for slicing raw fish and preparing seafood. The long blade is made for cutting fish in one motion and allows you to arrange it on the plate without touching it with your hands.
Honesuki Knife
This knife will end your collection of Japanese knives and will cover the last popular task of boning. If you cook meat a lot, this knife will be your best friend.
Opposite to popular European boning knives, which have flexible blades, Honesuki doesn’t have flexibility at all. The knife is strong, sharp and its pointed tip allows you to ride the edge along with bones in an effortless way.
How Do You Keep Japanese Knives in Shape?
Now that we have all the necessary knives to cover the main tasks in the kitchen, we have to know how to keep and maintain them properly. For the most part, you would treat Japanese knives just like any other high-quality knives.
Maintenance
The most important task in the maintenance of Japanese knives is sharpening and honing. As we mentioned before, double bevel blades are easier to sharpen.
You need a wet stone for sharpening and it would be a good idea to watch a video on Youtube so you use it the right way. Single bevel blades can be still sharped and honed at home, but they require more practice and patience, because of the specific angle of the edge.
If your knife has a wooden handle, we recommend that you treat it with mineral oil every few months.
Storing the Knives
To prolong the life of your blades always store knives separate from other kitchen tools. The best options are a magnet on the wall or a knife block.
Also keep in mind that knives are dangerous for kids, so you should never keep them where they can take them easily
Final word
I hope you got the idea that Japanese knives are perfect for anyone who likes to cook. They are efficient and don’t require any hard maintenance.
To start off, you don’t need to buy all these different types of knives, I would suggest just a few from Kyoku Knives.
- Japanese Chef Knife – Samurai Series
- Japanese Utility Knife – Daimyo Series
- 4-Piece Japanese Serrated Steak Knife Set – Samurai Series
Long ago, the samurai were banned from carrying swords so swordsmiths started focusing their skills on cutlery. Kyoku Knives not only look great but they perform better than you can imagine.
To test out these knives, I made a 35 Minute Easy Ravioli Dinner Recipe that has a fair about of chopping involved. Mincing, chopping, and slicing vegetables gave me a pretty good idea of how these knives perform. Needless to say, I was impressed.
35 Minute Easy Ravioli Dinner Recipe
35 Minute Easy Ravioli Dinner
Four cheese ravioli topped with creamy asparagus and mushrooms. It's an easy pasta dinner recipe for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 20 oz fresh four-cheese ravioli
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms trimmed and quartered
- 1/2 lb white mushrooms trimmed and quartered
- 1 lb asparagus trimmed and sliced thin
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1/2 cup white cooking wine
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp chives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Cook ravioli according to package directions.
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Using a large skillet, heat 1.5 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally. Set aside.
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Add asparagus to the skillet and remaining olive oil. Toss for about 3 minutes or until tender. Set aside with mushrooms.
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Reduce heat to medium. Season the shallots and add them to the skillet. Stir for about 3 minutes or until translucent.
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Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and toss with vegetables.
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Spoon mixture on top of the ravioli and garnish with chives. Enjoy!
If you are in the market for some amazing Japanese Knives, check out Kyoko on Amazon today
Use Code KYOKU35J to get 5% Off!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
The Good and Bad of Side Hustles
“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”
I never knew anything about Japanese knives before. These sound so nice. None of my knives are very sharp. I would love to start out with the three you suggested. Thank you so much for sharing these. God Bless
Having a sharp knife is essential to cutting things well
these sounds great
awesome looking ones
I really never knew there were so many different knives aside from the santoku, but now I want them all! I also want to make that ravioli because it looks amazing!
I know right? There are a lot of different Japanese knives
I am not that good of a cook. It doesn’t mean that I don’t try. But what I make is just the basics. I can bake rather well and I recently made a cake that called for chopped pitted dates and I chopped those by hand
My cooking is pretty basic too
What wonderful knives. I mostly do vegetarian cooking with some meat. I use knives every time I make a recipe and having the right knife is important.
Having the right knife can make a world of difference
I have never used these . I hear they are some of the best knives on the market.
Japanese knives are amazing and do a great job
I think that having the right knife can help you have the best “tool for the job.” Not all knives do the same thing so it is important to have different ones.
That’s very true. Now if only we could learn what knives do what. I’m bad and probably use a steak knife for everything lol.
I do a lot of chopping when I cook. Onions, potatoes, meats, etc., are everyday foods around here. I’ve always wanted really good knives but it seems the ones I try never live up to the hype.
Which Knives have you tried?
I seem to pick up a new one every time I’m in a department store, but I don’t know brands. That might be the problem! I need to start looking at brand names with good reputations instead of grabbing what’s on sale!
That might be a good idea
I learned my knife skills by working under a chef. I enjoyed it and carry those skills with me to this day.
That’s awesome you worked under a chef. You must be a really good cook.
I am a so so cook somethings are really good and somethings are ok.
As for knives I have NO ideal what each one is for. I just know that the right size and sharpness is important
I’m like that too. If it can cut then I’ll use it.
I’d love to give some Japanese knives a try. But I do currently love the knives I have.
What kind of knives do you currently own?
I can cook but don;t really do a lot I keep thinking I should order the meal services that have all the food in it. You just have to cut it up and cook it. I have few knives that I have had for years are they good they are ok
Some meal services even have the vegetables already chopped
I am just a home chef. I do love cooking but have never done it professionally. Knives are still really important as I am a single mom and getting things sliced and diced quickly to tend to my little ones is really important.
Yes the quicker you can put a meal on the table the better
In no way was I just one kind of cook. Lazy, meandering, romantic, practical, curious, and accident prone come immediately to mind. Learning to use a knife efficiently is one of my goals since I am relatively new to cooking. Seemingly simple things like chopping carrots take me forever
What are your cooking goals?
I am not the best cook but it is edible..lol I love to bake sweets for the holidays though.
What is your favorite regular meal to make?
As a single senior I don’t do a lot of cooking and what I do is to my taste. BUT have to say there is nothing like a good knife and these look great
These are very sharp looking knives (in more than one way)
These are very awesome looking knives! A good knife makes the cook. I am still working on my knife skills
These knives look great and cut amazingly
I cooked from the time I was 18 until I was in my 50’s. I really no longer want to do it. But of my 4 sons 2 have become superb gourmets. They love their cooking knives and spend a lot of money on knives and bring them here when they visit to cook for me now.
Wow that’s amazing that they travel with their knives
I would love a knife that cuts samurai sword! Our family does eat a lot of fish, and my current knives are just not “cutting it.”
Sounds like you need to shop for a new knife set
Also, the ravioli recipe looks amazing!
Thanks, the ravioli is amazing
Those knives look so sturdy and high-quality! It must be all those years of making samurai swords!
Haha that’s for sure