How to Choose a Japanese Chef's Knife

Japanese knives are famous for their light bodies and easy handling, making them a popular addition to Western kitchens. Several types of Japanese chef knives exist, each of which focuses on a specific aspect of cutting food---or even cutting a specific ingredient, such as octopus. Finding a knife that's right for you will depend on your intended purpose for it and on what you consider to be the most important factors: size, weight, sharpness or the handle's material.

Instructions

1. Write down what you're looking for in a chef's knife prior to beginning your search. It's always a good idea to know what you want ahead of time, but actually writing your preferences down will give you a clearer picture and may help remind you of factors you would otherwise forget.

   This would be the time to figure out whether blade durability or the smoothness of the spine (the top of the knife that faces you when you cut) is more important to you. Japanese knives are almost uniformly lighter than their Western counterparts, but there is weight variation even within this category. Various handle materials will also give you a different feel when using the knife, so keep that in mind along with the pros and cons. A wooden handle is more traditional, but its porous nature retains bacteria more than other materials; a plastic handle is cleaner but less durable, and the surface often turns slick when water splashes on it. It's important that the handle doesn't feel slippery in your hand when it gets wet.

2. Research the differences in Japanese knives. A deba bocho knife vaguely resembles a cleaver and is primarily used for cutting fish and other meat. Nikiri and usuba bocho knives are both used for cutting vegetables, possessing a thinner blade than the deba bocho knife. The nikiri knife is generally used for home kitchen purposes and sports a black-hued blade and double-beveled edge known as "ryoba." The usuba bocho knife is geared more toward professional kitchen use, with a single beveled edge (called "kataba") for ultrathin slices. The side the bevel is located on dictates whether the knife is designed for right- or left-handed people. A santoku knife provides a well-balanced design for cutting both meat and vegetables; the blade on this type of knife has a more severe angle than the others. Other Japanese knife variations have more focused purposes, like the tako hiki for octopus and udon kiri for cutting noodles.

3. Examine the type of knife you're considering before you purchase it. If you live in an area that sells Japanese chef knives, visit the store in person so you can see how the knife feels in your hand. If this isn't possible, try ordering from a store with a reasonable return policy in case you change your mind after you've tried the knife out.

4. Purchase a Japanese sharpener along with the knife. Japanese knives are considerably lighter and sharper than Western knives, but they're also known for losing that sharpness rapidly. Sharpening should be a regular part of your knife-maintenance routine.

References

• Fine Cooking: How to Choose a Chef's Knife
• Japanese Kitchen Knives: Product Reviews
• Knife-Making Supplies: Types of Japanese Kitchen Knives

Resources

• Japanese Chefs Knife: How to Sharpen Japanese Kitchen Knives