I’ve used western knife shapes my entire life, then tried a Chinese chef’s knife and instantly loved it. If I only could only keep 1 knife, it might be that one.
Awesome video.. I started out with one santoku.. Then I thought ild try a nakiri. My roommates in japan used it a lot at the dorms and I was always curious about it..so I went to knivewear. Then before I knew it... I ended up 7 knives...🤔
Those silly multiple fullstops between your sentences are the "17-pieces-knifeblock" of writing comments - completely unnecessary.* One single fullstop is perfectly sufficient.
Professional chef here: All I use: Gyuto, nakiri, sujihiki, petty, turning knife. I find having multiple knives means that you can divide the wear on the knives. There's a difficult balance between wanting to bring every knife and not wanting to over clutter my bag.
I started out with a chinese chefs clever and a pairing knife and a serrated bread knife. Used that for 4 years. Now I just bought a gyuto and bunka 😅 been dreaming of it for years.. Love the the bunka it replaces the santoku, nakiri, and kiritsuke IMO
6. Gyuto, a big heavy western chef’s knife of a slightly softer German steel for cutting hard things without chipping, santoku or alternatively a nakiri, a petty knife for smaller/finer things, a good serrated bread knife, and a little paring knife.
Great vid. It feels like it comes down to starting with three - something big, something small and a wildcard bespoke to your own cooking - and one of the three should have a point. Within that, everyone should be covered to start
I definitely have and use the first 5 knives. I don't own a boning knife, but have a semi-flexible (cheap) chefs knife that i use for trimming and deboning large pieces of meat. I also have another german chef's knife sharpened at about 22⁰ that I use for hacking through chicken bones.
Greetings from Poland, very nice and helpful video. I started with Masamoto VG 10 Gyuto 6 years ago , few days ago I bought 165mm Bunka from Yu Kurosaki and it's not my last word ;)
Great video. Bed bath and beyond is closing by me and i was able to get zwilling pro knifes 45%off! So i now have a great set of home kitchen knives and this helped me decide what to buy. Ty
I do not eat much bread and already have one that works so went with a Gyuto, Petty, Kiritsuke and Santoku as my starter Japanese knife set. I can add a Nakiri and Usuba and others later on.
hello all at knifewear. im rob, live in queensland australia. love your videos. can i ask you guys what you think of dalstrong knives???. i have a few now. would you concider them as a japanese knife?? they say they are sharpened between 12 to 15 degrees... thank you for putting out great videos for sharpening learners and types of knifes...
Most of the times you should go in this order : 1. chef's knife, western style of Japanese style (find out first whether you like rock motion cutting or slice cutting better) 2. Pairing knife (or petty) 3. serrated knife (for bread) and then go from there. My fourth was a meat slicer (Sujihiki if you would go Japanese) Personally I do not really see the purpose of a Nakiri, if you already have a gyutoh, bunka or santoku.
I managed for a pretty long time without a paring knife, I would go first 6"-8" chef's/santoku/whatever you want first with the most money spent here-> second serrated bread (affordable if your going to dispose of instead of sharpen)-> third 4.5"-6" utility -> fourth meat cleaver -> fifth great big knife for cakes (I think mine is about 14") -> sixth 3" or so paring -> seventh boning. But of course everyone is going to have a different order based on what they cook and how often. I think the first 2 are properly essential, the first 5 are very very useful.
Great info! I'm very interested in a nakiri for chopping vegetables nicely. But if Japanese blades are so brittle, what can I use to cut tough rinds, like gourds? I don't eat meat, so do I really need a meat cleaver?
I’m new to good knives… Could you recommend a set that includes all 4 at the 8:45 mark? I’d like a cool Looking blade (hammered) etc…something nice looking as well Around the 500$ price point…more if it’s worth the extra $
Hey! You could get a really cool hammered looking set with the Fujimoto Hammer Tone, they're some of my favourites: knifewear.com/collections/fujimoto-hammer-tone The Haruyuki Goma series is another great affordable choice! knifewear.com/collections/haruyuki-goma
That 150mm petty you showed briefly at around 4 1/2 minutes looked really sweet. Do you happen to know which one that was? I might need one more knife.
For sure! These were the two petties I showed: knifewear.com/products/haruyuki-soba-petty-135mm?variant=37157645877422 knifewear.com/products/seki-kanetsugu-zuiun-petty-150mm?variant=32074913742896
@@KnifewearKnives awesome! Thank you. I definitely need to build the knife budget back up for that Zuiun 150. So pretty and SG2/R2 is one of my favorite steels. Holds an edge well, don't rust easy.
Gyuto, nakiri, honesuki, petty, and bread knife covers pretty much everything I plausibly need. And a Hammer Tone sujihiki but that's a glorified art piece considering how little I actually end up using it.
as a german chef i‘m so torn between japanese and german knives. because german knives are fantastic and the slightly softer steel make them super rugged, they don’t rust and are very difficult to chip. they’re also easier to sharpen and if you buy quality they also hold an edge very well. they’re part of our culture and i can literally drive an hour from my home to solingen, where all the manufacturers are, to buy knives directly there and get really good deals, so they grow on my doorstep. especially when you’re okay with buying knives with small cosmetic blemishes i.e. the logo is slightly off center or there’s a scratch on the handle, you can get them a lot cheaper. but they’re heavier and the blades are thicker, so they don’t feel as slicy as the japanese. ❤ but to be honest: all of them get the job done and are fun to use.
I started collecting recently. Down to 2 western set. Gateway set was a bolstered wusthof which is a breeze to use then fortunately got 2 pc Zwilling pro set. I feel like they are the real deal in the west. K sabatier would be also a contender and probably Dalstrong or Spyder Co from the midwest. Correct me if I am wrong. Now I want the real deal and have my first Japanese knife set. I saw too many after market knives and have trouble deciding. I don’t want the best of the best. A decent set ot piece is what I am looking for not the pricey ones.
Western people often call our Chinese cooking knife "cleaver" which is not a very accurate description... in Chinese it is called 菜刀 which means vegetable knife/chef's knife/cooking knife. It's a super versatile knife, and unlike real cleaver which is called 斬骨刀/砍骨刀 and can be very heavy (we have one and it weighs 500g), the weight difference between a modern Chinese cooking knife and a Western chef's knife isn't huge. All Chinese chefs will tell you, if you can master that knife, then you don't need other knives for cooking. Though, the funny thing is, most young Hongkongers have transitioned to a Western chef's knife or a santoku because they are simply easier to use.
I’m really enjoying all your guys videos. I wish that your shop was closer to me. I’d swing in and buy a knife. The only thing that’s a little bit frustrating on your videos is that you’re doing all the measurements in millimeters instead of inches but I’ll get over it. I can pretty much see what you have in your hands.
@@KnifewearKnives if I was interested in getting a knife through you guys is there anyway to get your help through maybe a video call of some sort so that I could see which knives you’re talking about and you could walk me through the purchase? Just hard to drop a ton of cash on a high-end knife especially if I can’t see it in person.
I love my boning knife, it's probably my second-most used knife! I'm definitely in the minority on that one though. I'm also now realising I shouldn't have put a 15° edge on my cleaver. More sharper doesn't always mean more better 😅
I go through a lot of veggies in a day, and have used the classic German made chefs knife for years. About 6 months ago I switched to the Nakiri and wow it is much easier and I have far more control. But my problem is with the proper pinch grip I often get a sore spot in my index finger where it goes over the spine of the knife near the handle. I feel the spine needs to be thicker and rounded there. Is this a common issue or do I just need to get a different knife? Great content, well done video thank you!
Hey, glad you're loving your knife! I did notice this too, and I just found the knife takes some getting used to. Try relaxing your hand a little, and take a.look at the spine to see if that edge looks a little sharp. You could always wear it down a little with some sand paper, but I found I got a callouse in that spot after a while. Eventually, you could always go for a Japanese knife with a thicker spine!
Well, I'm a little late but if anyone is still there, any recommendations on a very thin laser like nakiri, I would like to try something like that out. BTW, loved the video, great job!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Masashi-san's Kokuen is an insane laser: knifewear.com/products/masashi-kokuen-nakiri-165mm?variant=43000337137838 These two are also super rad: knifewear.com/products/yoshimi-kato-sg2-nickel-damascus-black-nakiri-165mm?variant=31820239044656 knifewear.com/products/yu-kurosaki-sasame-nakiri-165mm?variant=14628516868
I started with an 8" Wustof Ikon chef's knife, a 9" Zwilling serrated bread knife, 6" Wustof Ikon Nakiri and a 4" Wustof Paring. I bought a Japanese MAC MTH-80 Pro {Santoku / Bunka hybrid} and that was it. I went down the Japanese collection rabbit hole and I'm still there. To date, in addition to the above, I have the following: From Miyabi Birchwood line, 9" Gyuto, 9.5" Kiritsuki, 7" {Bocho} Santoku, 9" Sujihiki, 7" Nakiri and 5" Petty. From Dalstrong: 8" Shogun Series boning knife {as I do a lot of home butchering} I don't yet have a Honesuki, but looking to get a Miyabi Birchwood one. I don't have a Bunka either as the MAC is kind of a hybrid one and I already have a Kiritsuki. I have no single bevel knives, Deba, Usuba or Yanagiba as I have their dual edge counterparts: Santoku, Nakiri and Sujihiki already and work on fish very rarely. I'm a beef, pork and poultry guy. Other than the Wustof Nakiri, I've pretty much shelved my German knives. They are all great knives, but there is a joy using the Japanese knives that I just don't get from the German ones. They are so frighteningly sharp that it's like cutting through air when using them. They are gorgeous, light, nimble and ultra precise. The Miyabi Birchwood folded Damascus blades are works of art, too. I noticed you had one...their serrated bread knife. I don't "need" all these knives, but I love collecting them and routinely use all of them. Once you go Japanese knives, you'll never go back to Wustof or Henkles / Zwilling. So be ware. You buy one good Japanese knife? You'll want all of them. hahahahahah It's a VERY expensive habit to form. LOL
I feel like the French chefs knife does not get enough love, and it’s flat base yields amazingly with vegetables. It’s a Way more versatile knife than the standard chefs knife. 8 times out of 10 you’re using your chef knive for vegetables, so it should specialize more for vegetables which only the French chef knife does.
Right on! I'd definitely start with a boning knife, you'll find it a lot more versatile at first. That said, a deba works great if you'll only be deboning fish and birds. A boning knife do those jobs well, but can also trim roasts and work around big bones!
A good trick for using cleavers to cut through bones is to use a rubber mallet to drive it rather than swinging it. You’re much more precise on where you cut and don’t have to worry about someone walking behind you
I've been brainwashed by Jacques Pepin (he doesn't use the Japanese knives names, but it's all the same). For me the three knives you need is: - 240mm gyuto/chef - 130mm petty/utility - 80mm petty/paring I also got a honesuki lately, and I'll make sure to keep it in my back pocket, considering how much chicken I eat!
How tall are you? I’m 6’1 with huge hands. I always use my chefs knife at home. I’ve been wanting a gyuto or a ktip gyuto as my first Japanese knife 😭🙏🏾. I’m so indecisive
Hey! I'm 6'3" with relatively large hands. I love a 210 or 240mm Gyuto, for most home cooks I suggest a 210mm as their first Japanese knife. You can't go wrong with anything from Masakage, Haruyuki, or Fujimoto!
I don't even cook. Ended up here after watching knife center trying to find a nice wharncliffe folder. But now I want to get those 7 knives mentioned and start learning because of this video. Informative and entertaining. Great stuff. And those knives are damn sexy!
My first blade is the 9" Gyuto Kiritsuke. You may not need the entire 9" inch blade BUT you can't utilize the full 9 inches when you're blade is only 8 inches!
Nate was correct about the thin strips. You just add more stripps to your wrap. It's from the restaurant business. If the steak is a little tough when done, thinner strips hides that fact for customers. They can bite without loosing a tooth. Hahaha!
I'm a home cook I have two amazing japanese knives, a gyuto and a bunka both from Yu Kurosaki, but I also have a 150mm Chinese ali express petty that works fine and a good German bread knife. So, I really want to buy a new knife, what do you think is better? A better petty, a sujihiki or a kiritsuke (I don't need it but that looks so nice and my heart screams for me to get one!!!)
That's a good set! At the end of the day, the knife that excited you most is the best choice. I'd probably go for the kiritsuke, that's why I have 4 gyutos. Practically speaking the Sujihiki is great if you eat lots of meat, the petty is good if you cook a lot of small, quick meals.
I've got an 8 inch Gyuto, a nakiri, a petty knife and a bread knife, I've found there isn't really anything I csnt do with those aside from maybe butchering or slicing really really big cuts it meat
(I might add, I rarely do that). Basically, my three are a 9 inch Chef, a 5.5 inch petty, a Nakiri, and a Victorinox Utility boning knife that is like a fillet/boning knife on steroids. (sometimes I have to do really small stuff, but I have pocket knives and bird knives or a vegetable peeler for that stuff, so no need for a kitchen one)
@@KnifewearKnivesIs it the best tool for the job? Probably not. But is it incredibly fun to use on the occasion? Absolutely! I chopped through a frozen London broil the other day and have used it to split pork shoulder roast in one go. Hahaha.
Blocks are great, you just want to make sure your edge isn't rubbing into the wood much to avoid dulling. We do have leather sayas which will often form fit to your knife over time. Plastic blade guards and magnetic blocks are great too!
For 100 percent of any home cooking: 9 inch offset serrated and a 6 inch chefs. Thats it, rock, chop, slice, will do everything through anything youll make at home. Just keep them sharp
Something smaller would be great too but I started my collection with the big boys. A nice petty knife would be sick ..wink wink hint hint ...hahahahahaha
I've been vegan for 10 years, and it's crazy how many of these knives become obsolete when you stop eating meat. I've been pretty much exclusively using a santoku - with an occasional bread or paring knife. I'm watching this video after ditching my Western knife set and ordering a Chinese cleaver, bread knife, and petty knife. Keeping it simple.
Like cars and watches, kitchen knives are a slippery slope. Before you know it you’re trying to explain the difference between a nakiri and a usuba to your wife…
I had all the knives I "need" some time in the 1980s yet strangly I'm still buying more. It's really too bad that I'm nowhere near as good at cooking as I am at purchasing knives. When I make the mistake of visiting your Edmonton store it isn't a matter of if but of how many.
@@KnifewearKnives I spent years avoiding the kitchen however I recently retired and I've used the lock down madness as an excuse to fully embrace cooking. It's that enthusiasm that led me to buy a few white steel knives. There was nothing wrong with my decades old Zwilling knives but you're right about the emotional satisfaction you get when using fine Japanese blades.
@@KnifewearKnives Yes it truly is a work of art.. trying to upgrade to something new or better is difficult.. definitely my favorite Japanese Chef knife in my collection..
Wait one needs a certain amount of knives? Dang i told my better half I need them all, i need to make sure to block this video so she can't see it and hear i only need 3. Nathan i will need a version for myself that says i need 30
@@KnifewearKnives thanks because if she hears i only need 3 i will be in trouble. i have mostly been buying gyutos but she doesn't know i still need a suji and others as well
That's a great question! European knives are great as well, but Japanese knives are made from harder steel, so they'll stay sharp a lot longer and hold a sharper edge. They're great for precision work with meat, fish, and veggies, whereas European knives can handle tougher jobs due to their softer steel;
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.... Just had to laugh at your introduction - as you were busily filling your hands with all the "essential " knives ... I have more knives than I will EVER need ; but put some Japanese Damascus cutlery in front of me , and I mysteriously "need" something new ......
Silly question. Everyone knows the correct answer to the question of how many knives one needs in the kitchen is N + 1, where N = the number of knives you currently have in the kitchen.
I would suggest to not use a japanese knife as a " daily " , they are generally harder than western ones and brittle. Use them but be ware that they are super delicate.
I’ve used western knife shapes my entire life, then tried a Chinese chef’s knife and instantly loved it. If I only could only keep 1 knife, it might be that one.
Awesome video.. I started out with one santoku.. Then I thought ild try a nakiri. My roommates in japan used it a lot at the dorms and I was always curious about it..so I went to knivewear. Then before I knew it... I ended up 7 knives...🤔
It's a slippery slope, many of us at Knifewear have similar stories!
Those silly multiple fullstops between your sentences are the "17-pieces-knifeblock" of writing comments - completely unnecessary.* One single fullstop is perfectly sufficient.
What a great walk through and sensible recommendation! Great stuff, Knifewear!!!
Thank you!
Professional chef here:
All I use: Gyuto, nakiri, sujihiki, petty, turning knife. I find having multiple knives means that you can divide the wear on the knives.
There's a difficult balance between wanting to bring every knife and not wanting to over clutter my bag.
Well said!
Awesome video that was very helpful. Thanks!
I started out with a chinese chefs clever and a pairing knife and a serrated bread knife. Used that for 4 years. Now I just bought a gyuto and bunka 😅 been dreaming of it for years.. Love the the bunka it replaces the santoku, nakiri, and kiritsuke IMO
This video is exactly what I was looking for as I'm going to be buying my first knives soon. Awesome stuff!
Awesome, happy to hear it!
6. Gyuto, a big heavy western chef’s knife of a slightly softer German steel for cutting hard things without chipping, santoku or alternatively a nakiri, a petty knife for smaller/finer things, a good serrated bread knife, and a little paring knife.
Great vid. It feels like it comes down to starting with three - something big, something small and a wildcard bespoke to your own cooking - and one of the three should have a point. Within that, everyone should be covered to start
I'm embarrassed I didn't think to sum it up that way, that's exactly it!
Thank you, this was a really helpful for me. I need more for vegetables and bread. So I think ive made my choice, just brands I am looking at now!
What is a really good knife if you're prepping a lot of salad?
Fascinating video. Thank you a lot!
Such a informative video!! I really learned a-lot. Thanks 🙏 😁
Thank you!
Great video. Gyuto, nakiri and petty for me
Thank you! Great choices.
That nakiri is beautiful
So far I got from you guys , santuko and nakiri, next petty and gyuto. Thank you for your explanation of this different shapes .
Right on! Thanks for watching!
I definitely have and use the first 5 knives. I don't own a boning knife, but have a semi-flexible (cheap) chefs knife that i use for trimming and deboning large pieces of meat. I also have another german chef's knife sharpened at about 22⁰ that I use for hacking through chicken bones.
Incredibly good information, thank you very much
I just ordered my 3 knives. Masakaga Kumo Gyuto 210mm. Yu Kurosaki VG XEO, and Haruyuki zanpa nakiri. I'll add clever in my collection down the road 😊
That's awesome, happy new knife day!
Greetings from Poland, very nice and helpful video. I started with Masamoto VG 10 Gyuto 6 years ago , few days ago I bought 165mm Bunka from Yu Kurosaki and it's not my last word ;)
Thank you so much! That's awesome to hear.
Super vid, very well presented and explained, had no knowledge of this at all, So now I know 😉
The more you know 🌈🙌
Great video. Bed bath and beyond is closing by me and i was able to get zwilling pro knifes 45%off! So i now have a great set of home kitchen knives and this helped me decide what to buy. Ty
Genuinely useful thanks. I now need 3 more knives :D
Awesome! You can always have more knives...
@@KnifewearKnives hoh yes :)
That guitar, magnetic knife strip behind you is badass.
Great summary and tutorial. Thanks!
Thank you!
Thanks so much, very informative and well presented.
Thank you!
Thank you for that.
Great video!! The bf and I have been getting into the Japanese knives lately and this was informative and fun 🥰 Appreciate y’all
That's awesome, thank you!
Boning knife is very critical in BBQ. It makes trimming brisket very easy. But other than that, I rarely use them outside Meat I’ve harvested.
Excellent video. 👍
I do not eat much bread and already have one that works so went with a Gyuto, Petty, Kiritsuke and Santoku as my starter Japanese knife set. I can add a Nakiri and Usuba and others later on.
Awesome!
definitely my new Miyabi Kaizen II Gyuto cuts like butter through anything so good!@@KnifewearKnives
hello all at knifewear. im rob, live in queensland australia. love your videos. can i ask you guys what you think of dalstrong knives???. i have a few now. would you concider them as a japanese knife?? they say they are sharpened between 12 to 15 degrees... thank you for putting out great videos for sharpening learners and types of knifes...
Good question! Dalstrong are great. They're made in China, so they definitely wouldn't be considered Japanese, but they use great steel!
Fantastic presentation about knives....I have 15 in my collection in addition to 8 steak knives
Most of the times you should go in this order :
1. chef's knife, western style of Japanese style (find out first whether you like rock motion cutting or slice cutting better)
2. Pairing knife (or petty)
3. serrated knife (for bread)
and then go from there.
My fourth was a meat slicer (Sujihiki if you would go Japanese)
Personally I do not really see the purpose of a Nakiri, if you already have a gyutoh, bunka or santoku.
I managed for a pretty long time without a paring knife, I would go first 6"-8" chef's/santoku/whatever you want first with the most money spent here-> second serrated bread (affordable if your going to dispose of instead of sharpen)-> third 4.5"-6" utility -> fourth meat cleaver -> fifth great big knife for cakes (I think mine is about 14") -> sixth 3" or so paring -> seventh boning. But of course everyone is going to have a different order based on what they cook and how often. I think the first 2 are properly essential, the first 5 are very very useful.
Great info! I'm very interested in a nakiri for chopping vegetables nicely. But if Japanese blades are so brittle, what can I use to cut tough rinds, like gourds? I don't eat meat, so do I really need a meat cleaver?
I’m new to good knives…
Could you recommend a set that includes all 4 at the 8:45 mark?
I’d like a cool Looking blade (hammered) etc…something nice looking as well
Around the 500$ price point…more if it’s worth the extra $
Hey! You could get a really cool hammered looking set with the Fujimoto Hammer Tone, they're some of my favourites:
knifewear.com/collections/fujimoto-hammer-tone
The Haruyuki Goma series is another great affordable choice!
knifewear.com/collections/haruyuki-goma
I would recomend a petty, Santorins, sujihiki and Break knive
great video
Thank you!
That 150mm petty you showed briefly at around 4 1/2 minutes looked really sweet. Do you happen to know which one that was? I might need one more knife.
For sure! These were the two petties I showed:
knifewear.com/products/haruyuki-soba-petty-135mm?variant=37157645877422
knifewear.com/products/seki-kanetsugu-zuiun-petty-150mm?variant=32074913742896
@@KnifewearKnives awesome! Thank you. I definitely need to build the knife budget back up for that Zuiun 150. So pretty and SG2/R2 is one of my favorite steels. Holds an edge well, don't rust easy.
Gyuto, nakiri, honesuki, petty, and bread knife covers pretty much everything I plausibly need. And a Hammer Tone sujihiki but that's a glorified art piece considering how little I actually end up using it.
Oh man, that Hammer Tone Sujihiki is a beauty. I want it too.
Gyuto and petty knife are good to start with maybe add in a kiritsuke and santoku.
very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you
as a german chef i‘m so torn between japanese and german knives. because german knives are fantastic and the slightly softer steel make them super rugged, they don’t rust and are very difficult to chip. they’re also easier to sharpen and if you buy quality they also hold an edge very well. they’re part of our culture and i can literally drive an hour from my home to solingen, where all the manufacturers are, to buy knives directly there and get really good deals, so they grow on my doorstep. especially when you’re okay with buying knives with small cosmetic blemishes i.e. the logo is slightly off center or there’s a scratch on the handle, you can get them a lot cheaper. but they’re heavier and the blades are thicker, so they don’t feel as slicy as the japanese. ❤ but to be honest: all of them get the job done and are fun to use.
I've got a lot of love for German knives, they're what I started with! I still use both in my kitchen.
@@KnifewearKnives yep, it‘s basically a false dilemma. why choose and fight for one side or the other when you can have and enjoy both. 🥰
I started collecting recently. Down to 2 western set. Gateway set was a bolstered wusthof which is a breeze to use then fortunately got 2 pc Zwilling pro set. I feel like they are the real deal in the west. K sabatier would be also a contender and probably Dalstrong or Spyder Co from the midwest. Correct me if I am wrong.
Now I want the real deal and have my first Japanese knife set. I saw too many after market knives and have trouble deciding. I don’t want the best of the best. A decent set ot piece is what I am looking for not the pricey ones.
Hey, a good place to start are the brands Masakage, Haruyuki, and Fujimoto. They all make high performance Japanese knives that don't break the bank!
@@KnifewearKnives thank you for the advise. Really great to have your response. Superb. Keep up and more videos.
Western people often call our Chinese cooking knife "cleaver" which is not a very accurate description... in Chinese it is called 菜刀 which means vegetable knife/chef's knife/cooking knife. It's a super versatile knife, and unlike real cleaver which is called 斬骨刀/砍骨刀 and can be very heavy (we have one and it weighs 500g), the weight difference between a modern Chinese cooking knife and a Western chef's knife isn't huge. All Chinese chefs will tell you, if you can master that knife, then you don't need other knives for cooking. Though, the funny thing is, most young Hongkongers have transitioned to a Western chef's knife or a santoku because they are simply easier to use.
I’m really enjoying all your guys videos. I wish that your shop was closer to me. I’d swing in and buy a knife. The only thing that’s a little bit frustrating on your videos is that you’re doing all the measurements in millimeters instead of inches but I’ll get over it. I can pretty much see what you have in your hands.
Thank you so much! I can definitely get how that would be frustrating, it's hard to switch between the two.
@@KnifewearKnives if I was interested in getting a knife through you guys is there anyway to get your help through maybe a video call of some sort so that I could see which knives you’re talking about and you could walk me through the purchase? Just hard to drop a ton of cash on a high-end knife especially if I can’t see it in person.
I wish I hadn't found you. I can't afford the knife lust you bring out in me. LOL, time to shop!!
Man, try working here, it's not easy!
I love my boning knife, it's probably my second-most used knife! I'm definitely in the minority on that one though.
I'm also now realising I shouldn't have put a 15° edge on my cleaver. More sharper doesn't always mean more better 😅
Live and learn!
Probably the best thing about the Chinese style knife is the ability to scoop ingredients for transfer quickly
Agreed!
I go through a lot of veggies in a day, and have used the classic German made chefs knife for years. About 6 months ago I switched to the Nakiri and wow it is much easier and I have far more control. But my problem is with the proper pinch grip I often get a sore spot in my index finger where it goes over the spine of the knife near the handle. I feel the spine needs to be thicker and rounded there. Is this a common issue or do I just need to get a different knife? Great content, well done video thank you!
Hey, glad you're loving your knife! I did notice this too, and I just found the knife takes some getting used to. Try relaxing your hand a little, and take a.look at the spine to see if that edge looks a little sharp. You could always wear it down a little with some sand paper, but I found I got a callouse in that spot after a while. Eventually, you could always go for a Japanese knife with a thicker spine!
Thank you for the reply! Great channel!
When you were using those Chinese cleavers, it brought back memories of Martin Jan, “if Jan can cook, so can you”
That's awesome!
Well, I'm a little late but if anyone is still there, any recommendations on a very thin laser like nakiri, I would like to try something like that out. BTW, loved the video, great job!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Masashi-san's Kokuen is an insane laser:
knifewear.com/products/masashi-kokuen-nakiri-165mm?variant=43000337137838
These two are also super rad:
knifewear.com/products/yoshimi-kato-sg2-nickel-damascus-black-nakiri-165mm?variant=31820239044656
knifewear.com/products/yu-kurosaki-sasame-nakiri-165mm?variant=14628516868
@@KnifewearKnives thanks!
I started with an 8" Wustof Ikon chef's knife, a 9" Zwilling serrated bread knife, 6" Wustof Ikon Nakiri and a 4" Wustof Paring. I bought a Japanese MAC MTH-80 Pro {Santoku / Bunka hybrid} and that was it. I went down the Japanese collection rabbit hole and I'm still there.
To date, in addition to the above, I have the following: From Miyabi Birchwood line, 9" Gyuto, 9.5" Kiritsuki, 7" {Bocho} Santoku, 9" Sujihiki, 7" Nakiri and 5" Petty. From Dalstrong: 8" Shogun Series boning knife {as I do a lot of home butchering} I don't yet have a Honesuki, but looking to get a Miyabi Birchwood one. I don't have a Bunka either as the MAC is kind of a hybrid one and I already have a Kiritsuki. I have no single bevel knives, Deba, Usuba or Yanagiba as I have their dual edge counterparts: Santoku, Nakiri and Sujihiki already and work on fish very rarely. I'm a beef, pork and poultry guy.
Other than the Wustof Nakiri, I've pretty much shelved my German knives. They are all great knives, but there is a joy using the Japanese knives that I just don't get from the German ones. They are so frighteningly sharp that it's like cutting through air when using them. They are gorgeous, light, nimble and ultra precise. The Miyabi Birchwood folded Damascus blades are works of art, too. I noticed you had one...their serrated bread knife.
I don't "need" all these knives, but I love collecting them and routinely use all of them. Once you go Japanese knives, you'll never go back to Wustof or Henkles / Zwilling. So be ware. You buy one good Japanese knife? You'll want all of them. hahahahahah It's a VERY expensive habit to form. LOL
I couldn't agree more!
I feel like the French chefs knife does not get enough love, and it’s flat base yields amazingly with vegetables. It’s a Way more versatile knife than the standard chefs knife. 8 times out of 10 you’re using your chef knive for vegetables, so it should specialize more for vegetables which only the French chef knife does.
The Santoku/bunka is vegetable specialized.
so we have a gyuto, a nkiri, and a petty. Thinking of adding either Deba or boning knife. Which do you like?
Right on! I'd definitely start with a boning knife, you'll find it a lot more versatile at first. That said, a deba works great if you'll only be deboning fish and birds. A boning knife do those jobs well, but can also trim roasts and work around big bones!
A good trick for using cleavers to cut through bones is to use a rubber mallet to drive it rather than swinging it. You’re much more precise on where you cut and don’t have to worry about someone walking behind you
Absolutely, I often use a mallet on mine!
I've been brainwashed by Jacques Pepin (he doesn't use the Japanese knives names, but it's all the same). For me the three knives you need is:
- 240mm gyuto/chef
- 130mm petty/utility
- 80mm petty/paring
I also got a honesuki lately, and I'll make sure to keep it in my back pocket, considering how much chicken I eat!
Same here, those are my most used shapes! Jacques is rad.
How tall are you? I’m 6’1 with huge hands. I always use my chefs knife at home. I’ve been wanting a gyuto or a ktip gyuto as my first Japanese knife 😭🙏🏾. I’m so indecisive
Hey! I'm 6'3" with relatively large hands. I love a 210 or 240mm Gyuto, for most home cooks I suggest a 210mm as their first Japanese knife. You can't go wrong with anything from Masakage, Haruyuki, or Fujimoto!
I don't even cook. Ended up here after watching knife center trying to find a nice wharncliffe folder. But now I want to get those 7 knives mentioned and start learning because of this video. Informative and entertaining. Great stuff. And those knives are damn sexy!
Welcome and thanks for watching!
My first blade is the 9" Gyuto Kiritsuke.
You may not need the entire 9" inch blade BUT you can't utilize the full 9 inches when you're blade is only 8 inches!
Bigger is always better! (Unless you're peeling a persimmon)
I decided i need them all
Sir, may i know which one is your favorite? Long machi (heel blade) or short machi? And may i know the reason why?
I like a longer Machi, as I like to choke up on the blade and brace my middle finger against the choil
Nate was correct about the thin strips. You just add more stripps to your wrap. It's from the restaurant business. If the steak is a little tough when done, thinner strips hides that fact for customers. They can bite without loosing a tooth. Hahaha!
Very fair hah! In this case, this was some lovely meat and I was very sad...
A gyuto, a nakiri, a sujihiki, a petty, a cleaver, a boning knife, a deba, and a yanagiba. Plus a set of whetstone.
I'm a home cook I have two amazing japanese knives, a gyuto and a bunka both from Yu Kurosaki, but I also have a 150mm Chinese ali express petty that works fine and a good German bread knife. So, I really want to buy a new knife, what do you think is better? A better petty, a sujihiki or a kiritsuke (I don't need it but that looks so nice and my heart screams for me to get one!!!)
That's a good set! At the end of the day, the knife that excited you most is the best choice. I'd probably go for the kiritsuke, that's why I have 4 gyutos.
Practically speaking the Sujihiki is great if you eat lots of meat, the petty is good if you cook a lot of small, quick meals.
Can we use honesuki as paring knife?
Absolutely, the thinner honesukis work best.
@@KnifewearKnives great! Now i have to have one :D
I've got an 8 inch Gyuto, a nakiri, a petty knife and a bread knife, I've found there isn't really anything I csnt do with those aside from maybe butchering or slicing really really big cuts it meat
I might be weird, but I use my hollow ground Kukri as a Cleaver. It's goddamn amazing.
(I might add, I rarely do that).
Basically, my three are a 9 inch Chef, a 5.5 inch petty, a Nakiri, and a Victorinox Utility boning knife that is like a fillet/boning knife on steroids.
(sometimes I have to do really small stuff, but I have pocket knives and bird knives or a vegetable peeler for that stuff, so no need for a kitchen one)
I feel like I need a kitchen kukri now 🤔
@@KnifewearKnivesIs it the best tool for the job? Probably not. But is it incredibly fun to use on the occasion? Absolutely!
I chopped through a frozen London broil the other day and have used it to split pork shoulder roast in one go. Hahaha.
Best way to store knives? Are blocks ok or I see these leather cases, does it matter?
Blocks are great, you just want to make sure your edge isn't rubbing into the wood much to avoid dulling. We do have leather sayas which will often form fit to your knife over time. Plastic blade guards and magnetic blocks are great too!
For 100 percent of any home cooking: 9 inch offset serrated and a 6 inch chefs. Thats it, rock, chop, slice, will do everything through anything youll make at home. Just keep them sharp
270 gyuto is amazing to work with.
Agreed!
Something smaller would be great too but I started my collection with the big boys. A nice petty knife would be sick ..wink wink hint hint ...hahahahahaha
Japanese knives: the ultimate rabbit hole. 😄🔪🔪🔪
I've been vegan for 10 years, and it's crazy how many of these knives become obsolete when you stop eating meat. I've been pretty much exclusively using a santoku - with an occasional bread or paring knife. I'm watching this video after ditching my Western knife set and ordering a Chinese cleaver, bread knife, and petty knife. Keeping it simple.
That sure does simplify things!
Was that a Miyabi Birchwood Bread Knife? I had a 9.5 inch Miyabi Birchwood Gyuto and loved it until someone stole it.
It was! Oh no, sorry to hear it. :(
Like cars and watches, kitchen knives are a slippery slope. Before you know it you’re trying to explain the difference between a nakiri and a usuba to your wife…
I had all the knives I "need" some time in the 1980s yet strangly I'm still buying more. It's really too bad that I'm nowhere near as good at cooking as I am at purchasing knives. When I make the mistake of visiting your Edmonton store it isn't a matter of if but of how many.
Regardless of skill, I find good knives certainly make cooking more fun!
@@KnifewearKnives I spent years avoiding the kitchen however I recently retired and I've used the lock down madness as an excuse to fully embrace cooking. It's that enthusiasm that led me to buy a few white steel knives. There was nothing wrong with my decades old Zwilling knives but you're right about the emotional satisfaction you get when using fine Japanese blades.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣..I know where you're coming from ...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I use my Miyabi 5000MCD Santoku for most tasks
That's a great knife!
@@KnifewearKnives Yes it truly is a work of art.. trying to upgrade to something new or better is difficult.. definitely my favorite Japanese Chef knife in my collection..
Wait one needs a certain amount of knives? Dang i told my better half I need them all, i need to make sure to block this video so she can't see it and hear i only need 3.
Nathan i will need a version for myself that says i need 30
You got it, I'll start shooting! 😂
@@KnifewearKnives thanks because if she hears i only need 3 i will be in trouble. i have mostly been buying gyutos but she doesn't know i still need a suji and others as well
Awesome video. But who are we kidding, we only need one more knife.... Every month
Agreed!
135 petty ,165 nikiri and 240 gyuto...... would be the three I would Suggest to start with
New to the channel but love u guys so I think I'll be staying around
I have several chef knives, but they are all European models, what would the advantage of adding Japanese ones give me?
That's a great question! European knives are great as well, but Japanese knives are made from harder steel, so they'll stay sharp a lot longer and hold a sharper edge. They're great for precision work with meat, fish, and veggies, whereas European knives can handle tougher jobs due to their softer steel;
I just need one…….. more
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.... Just had to laugh at your introduction - as you were busily filling your hands with all the "essential " knives ... I have more knives than I will EVER need ; but put some Japanese Damascus cutlery in front of me , and I mysteriously "need" something new ......
Right??
Or you could just collect 20 240mm gyuto that have slightly different grind and steel
I'm basically there!
The answer is N+1 where N is the number of knives you currently own
No need to compromise. .
165 santoku, 240 gyuto, meat cleaver, honesuki
Why on earth the "horizontal" cut in an union ? it is a layered vegetable,
I agree, but the internet gets mad if you don't do it 😂
I only use 8' chef knife and a small knife to cut fruits, that's all.
And a honesuki if you really like yakitori
I only really need one knife for everything I do in the kitchen- the Chinese "vegetable" cleaver. Do I have only one knife in my kitchen? Heck no!
I want a long Kiritsuke knife to cut large piece of meat, like a huge roast, and defend my house, like a short sword.
Breadknife?
I would say 5-6 minimum
in short, as many as space allowed :)
Yup 😂
Silly question. Everyone knows the correct answer to the question of how many knives one needs in the kitchen is N + 1, where N = the number of knives you currently have in the kitchen.
Very true!
i wonder if lil man has big hands
2x
For bread and for meat
I would suggest to not use a japanese knife as a " daily " , they are generally harder than western ones and brittle.
Use them but be ware that they are super delicate.
They can be a bit delicate, but we find them awesome to use daily! I use mine every day with no issues.
@@KnifewearKnives Wich one do you use as daily ?
One gazzilion knives
This made me think of that "1 million beers" trend on social media