I wanted to make it right this time. Over and over, I’ve bought kitchen knives that I thought were worth the bucks. In the end, they made a good piece of steel to mash my garlic and no more. I bet you have been to the kitchen knives’ aisle in your local departmental stores. Yes, I know, you don’t know which to buy. So was I. From the cheapest creepers to the expensive ensembles. They look great but would they slice your tuna nicely or they’d end up with a bowl of mash sea creatures? My dog might like the latter I think.
Okay, enough is enough. I wanted great kitchen knives this time. Talk about research, I’ve done them all. Yes, including Amazon! Luckily, I keep a copy of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. He mentioned in it that you’d be better off with a single Global Chef’s knife than anything else you got. Sound extreme to me at first but worth trying after my episodes of conniving knives.
Awesome just awesome! Finally, I met my perfect match made in heaven. Her name is indeed Global, Santoku Global. That was a year ago. There was not a day in the kitchen I didn’t enjoy. If you want to give Santoku knives a try, you’d be better off with the Global 3-Piece Hollow Ground Santoku Knife Set. It’s a popular choice among Global’s customers. In the set you will get the very popular Global hollow Santoku knife (G-48), a 5 ¼” Chef’s utility knife (GS-3) and a 3 ½” paring knife (GS-38).
Global Santoku 3-piece Set
What I love about the Global 3-Piece Hollow Ground Santoku Knife Set is that they are really sharp, like really really sharp! They are the sharpest knives I’ve get my hands on. They work like magic when I use it to slice chicken and meat. Probably, you don’t really need to be accurate and precise in your cutting when you do your home cooking.
But, for a wonderful cutting experience they are like none other. They are exceptionally light too making it comfortable for people with small hands. A hallmark of a great craftsmanship indeed. One thing though, the handle would not be to the liking of some people. Its unique design gives it a rather distinct feel, as to most Japanese Kitchen knives. You might need some time to get use to it.
Where should you get it? Here: Global Santoku 3-piece Set
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The very first time I saw these knives, I can’t seem to get over as to how stunning these knives are. If the Shun knives are people, you would expect them to win the Miss Universe title.
They are easily recognizable. They’ve got a D shaped handles as well as a distinctive Damascus style blade. The blade is made of VG-10 stainless-steel clad with 16 layers of SUS410 high-carbon stainless steel on each side, producing a 33 layered rust-free Damascus look.
The D shaped handles fit comfortably in the hand. They are made from Pakka-Wood which is ebony in color. Pakka-Wood is a fusion of hardwood veneers and waterproof resin that gives you the best of both wood and plastic world; feel of wood and durability of plastic. Unlike most Japanese knives, its D-shaped handles prevent the knives from twisting in your hands.
However, it didn’t go down very well with me the fact that these knives come in versions for right and left hand users as you can’t share with others who are handed differently than you. These knives might not be for everyone.
You can’t not consider buying these beauties. How can you resist? There are not many companies in the US offering free resharpening of your knives for as long as you own them. Also, you don’t hear often of a Japanese knife manufacturer giving a lifetime warranty on their knives. I think with these two benefits, it’s hard to look somewhere else.
For a complete collection, I suggest you get these:
Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Eight inches of VG-10 stainless steel clad with 32 layers of high-carbon stainless steel, this chef’s knife is the perfect size for cooking housewives. With the combination of sharpness, weight and D-shaped handles which makes it a pleasure to hold, it’ll probably make a professional chef out of you.
Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife
Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife
The Santoku is a must in every kitchen. This one is so sharp you’ll find yourself slicing and chopping like a pro each time. You’ll have to use it with full attention though, because it slices through everything on its own weight. A dream knife for preparing ingredients.
Shun Classic 6-1/2-Inch Nakiri Knife
Shun Classic 6-1/2-Inch Nakiri Knife
Shun’s Nakiri is just as excellent as all its meat-cutting knives. This amazing veggie knife slices and dices your veggies with absolute precision, however thin or small you want them to be.
Shun Pro 8-1/4-Inch Deba Knife
Shun Pro 8-1/4-Inch Deba Knife
Definitely get this Deba Bocho to bone the chicken and fillet the fish. Its one side beveled edge gives it the strength and sharpness to go between meat and bone for the precise boning. It’s dishwasher safe, but who would think of dumping this magnificent piece of artwork into the dishwasher?
Be warned, if you’re getting Shun knives as your first kitchen knives, you’ll probably stick to them for life. For the whole Shun cutlery collection, check them out here.
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The Masahiros are indeed unique among Japanese kitchen knives. They are known for their asymmetrical edge at 80/20. Yes, you might be thinking what on earth 80/20 is. They are manufactured to have 80 percent of it is grounded on the right hand side of its edges while the remaining 20 is grounded on its left. This results in a sharper edge, much sharper than the 50/50 edge that most of us are accustomed to.
Surprisingly, these Masahiro knives weigh very little and that’s a good thing. This benefit is the consequence of the very thin blade used. Although the blade is thin, overall the knives are balanced due to the smallness of its bolster.
I like Masahiro knives because the fact that their handles are one of a kind. Their handles are made from composite plastic with three rivet design. This kind of knife handle lasts longer. I know, sometimes you’ve got knife handles that falls off when its blade is still perfectly ok. This is often the case with laminated wood handles. Well, you can trust me on this one, theirs are remarkably durable.
Talking about bacteria in the kitchen, they are all over the place. I bet you’ve watched commercials showing bacteria on people hands when UV lights are directed on them. You’d be surprised as how many bacteria can be spread through your knives handles. I’d give extra marks for these knives as they come with bacteria resistant composite handles. Bacteria, not no more but at least you’ve the peace of mind using hygienic knife handles such as these.
Good Masahiro knives to get would be:
Masahiro MV-H 11 inch Chef’s Knife
Masahiro MV-H 11 inch Chef's Knife
A generously-sized chef’s knife for the taller cooks. The price is quite higher than the 8-inch version for a longer and bigger blade made of MBS-26 high carbon stainless steel, nevertheless it holds comfortably in your hand and gives you the ideal strength of a professional chef’s knife definitely worth the price.
Masahiro MV-H 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Masahiro MV-H 8-Inch Chef's Knife
The average housewife or smaller people would prefer this over the 11-inch chef’s knife.
Masahiro MV-H 7-Inch Santoku Knife
Masahiro MV-H 7 inch Santoku Knife
The Santoku knife from Masahiro is made of the same MBS-26 high carbon stainless steel with perfect hardness yet is so lightweight and balanced for heavy usage. You can use this everyday to slice and dice without ever worrying that the handle will fall off. 
Masahiro MV-H 5-Inch Utility Knife
Masahiro MV-H 5 inch Utility Knife
A small knife for small cuts. Five inches is just the right size for cutting those small onions and tomatoes, and for peeling fruits. Utility knife. The name says it all.
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Often Japanese kitchen knives are a luxury. They can be very expensive. If you don’t have that kind of budget, you might want to consider Mac Knives. Like your local supermarkets, they have value products but they still come with some good quality. Mac is obviously the value choice for Japanese Knives.
Often, they got the buzz a lot because they offer great knives at a reasonable price. You might be thinking how much does this Mac thing differs from say a Misono or a Global. Not really much of a difference performance wise.
According to About.com some of the famous chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, Hubert Keller and Nobu Matsuhisa recommended Mac knives. Mac is an American company and produces sharp knives, as sharp as other well known brands. The sharpness is a result of material they use in making the blades which are high carbon chrome molybdenum with vanadium.
Aesthetically speaking, they are like the average Joes with fat bank accounts. They don’t look that great, but they are a powerhouse in the kitchen. It’s always not a good experience when chopping hard veggies, your knives just doesn’t seem to work well. But Mac’s can do the job very good indeed and you can expect less resistant when cutting your carrots.
I personally recommend these MAC knives:
MAC Knives Santoku 6-1/2-Inch
MAC Knives Santoku 6-1/2-Inch
For roughly half the price of a Shun Santoku, this MAC Santoku has a narrow and sharp blade for expert slicing and dicing. Talk about a bargain! Well, obviously this doesn’t have the lifetime warranty or sleek outer appearance of a Shun, but it does have the quality to last you a long time. Remember, this is a Santoku, so for your boning and filleting, get a Deba!
MAC MTH-80 Chef’s Knife with Dimples
MAC MTH-80 Chef's Knife with Dimples
It is said that knives with dimples cut better than the standard style. If you like the sound of that you might want to get yourself this Mac’s Mighty Chef knives which come with dimples. I haven’t used this myself, but my friend who collects MAC knives positively loves this one, and the Amazon user reviews sure agree with him.
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If you’re the average American cook you might never heard of Misono knives before but among the professionals of this country, they rock!
Quality Steel Makes the Best Knives
One of the things that I’ve always tell my readers on the things that they should consider before investing in a Japanese kitchen knife is to look at the quality of their steel. You must look at knives that give you the ability to sharpen the knife at a steep angle while not undermining its edge. That’s exactly what makes a Misono a great addition to your kitchen artillery.
Professional-looking
Yes, I’ve mentioned before that an expensive price tag that goes with an unattractive knife is rather offensive. The Misono knives definitely shine in the looks department. With its clean elegant look, they’ll give you the professional impression critical to a chef. If it is featured in a fashion magazine, I would’ve compared it to a clean shaven, great looking model clad in an Armani suit ready to enter a boardroom.
The only thing that might put people off from purchasing these wonderful pieces of kitchen ware would be its rather demanding price tag. A 9” Chef Knife at 200 bucks is rather expensive but hey, good things come with a price, a big number at that!
Not only that, you may be having a difficult time to find them in the US market. Perhaps, the fact that it is rated #1 by professional chefs in the Food & Wine magazine in July 2005 might change your mind on kicking this one out of your to buy list despite the price tag.
Check out these Misono knives:
Misono UX10 Chef’s Knife 8.2″
Misono UX10 Chef's Knife 8.2"
The standard chef’s knife with 8.2 inch of Swedish stain-resistant steel giving it a clean look. Yet it has the hardness of carbon steel for ultimate quality.
Misono UX10 Sujihiki 9.4″
Misono UX10 Sujihiki 9.4"
The Sujihiki, or the “slicing knife”, is actually equivalent to the yanagi ba. This 9.4 inch slicing knife can slice meat and fish with beautiful precision.
Misono Molybdenum Fillet/Butcher Knife (Yo-Deba)
Misono Molybdenum Fillet Butcher Knife (Yo-Deba)
A double edged deba knife. This is specially designed to cut through harder foods like meat with bones, half-frozen meat and to fillet fish.
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Whenever I bought myself new stuff for my kitchen, euphoria will be in the air! Yes, excited and all. I can’t wait to unwrap my Global’s knives as if Santa had just dropped them through the chimney. I know, its KNIVES that I’m dealing with not some Lego toys.
The kitchen can be a minefield if you’re not careful enough with how you store and handle your kitchen items, what more with Japanese Kitchen Knives. There are things that you should bear in mind to avoid having those dreaded cuts on your fingers or worse. The following are some of them:
Get them really sharp
The wise man advises us to keep our sexy steels sharp, he means really sharp. You might wonder, wouldn’t it be more dangerous if it’s sharper? On the contrary. It’s logic defying for this one. Apparently you need less effort to slide through the meat or the raw material you’re working on if your knife is really sharp. Otherwise, you need to exert more force hence exposes you to real danger of getting yourself cut.
Point the Steely Steve away
Whenever you’re handling any sharp gadgets or materials, always bear in mind to angle the sharp part away from your fingers and your body. The same goes with your knives, always remember to angle the blades away from you when you do your cutting.
Never do your cutting on surfaces other than a board
I’m sure you had those times when your cutting boards just don’t want to stay put. They just seem to move all over the place and more so if your countertop is wet. To avoid this, all you got to do is place a damp towel or a paper towel under your cutting board. This would prevent it from moving.
Wash and Store
For protection, make sure to store them away in a knife block. Not only do you save your fingers from unnecessary cuts, you also prevent damages to the blades of the knives.
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Back in the day, Japanese knives weren’t made from stainless steel. At that time, they were made of the same material as the famous Japanese sword, the katana. They used carbon steel to emulate the quality of the sword in which it is well known for. These knives have hard steel as inner core. You can only see the cutting edge of the hard steel as it is wrapped by thick layers of soft steel.
There are many types of kitchen knives on the market each with its own shape and function. These types of Japanese kitchen knives can be made into categories according to their usage. The categorization is such as the following:
Cutting fish, chicken and meat
Usually, deba bochos are used to cut fish. They are also used to cut chicken and meat.
Cutting Veggies
The two types of knives that are used to cut veggies are the nakiri bocho and usuba bocho. Among their characteristics are:
- You don’t need to give it a push or pull it horizontally as they have a straight blade edge suitable for cutting all the way to the cutting board.
- These knives have much thinner blades in comparison with the deba bochos.
- Thinner blades would mean they are not suitable for cutting small bones in fish or meat. However, they do an excellent job in cutting vegetables.
- Nakiri bocho has a black blade.
- Depending on the origin of the knives, they will have a rectangular shape if they’re from Tokyo and have a rounded corner on the far blunt side if they are from Osaka. They’ve got cutting edge that is called the ryoba, which means angled from both sides. Therefore, giving you the impeccable straight slices.
- Both knives are lighter than the deba bochos but the usuba is slightly heavier than the nakiri.
Seafood Slicer
The type of knives that are used to slice raw fish and seafood are the tako hikis, yanagi bas and the fugu hikis. The following are some of their characteristics:
- The tako hikis are usually used to prepare octopus.
- You might not notice the differences between the fugu hiki and the yanagi ba at a first glance. A fugu hiki has a thinner blade and it is also more flexible. They’ve been traditionally used to slice very thin fugu sashimis.
Filleting eel
To fillet an eel, a specialized knife known as unagisaki hocho is used. It has a sharp pointy tip. This pointy tip is used to push the knife through the eel’s head. And then to open its flesh, it is slid through body of the eel towards the tail. However, their shape might differ depending on the place of origin.
Making Japanese noodles
To make Japanese noodles, whether soba or udon, the udon kiri or the soba kiri are used. You may find others refer it as menkiri bocho, its other name. These knives are used to cut flattened and folded dough to make long rectangular noodles.
Filleting the big catch
Oroshi hocho and the hancho hocho are used to fillet large fish such as tuna. The hancho hocho is shorter than the orosi hocho. Typical length would be 150 cm for the oroshi hocho while the hancho hocho is 100 cm long. You might find others refer the hancho hocho as maguro kiri.
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Great kitchen knives are made for great investment. I don’t know of anything else, the things in my kitchen that matter most other than an impeccable functioning shining knives. It may not matter to you but if you’re passionate about cooking or aspire to be a professional in the industry, they make a difference between a cut above or under.
Besides, how else are you going to make that perfect slices of sashimi without great Japanese kitchen knives. To me, if you want to invest in something you might as well get the best. It depends on your requirements and preferences though. Personally I’d choose them according to the most important features followed by the others. The following is such a list:
Edge retention ability
The knives that would get the coveted place in my kitchen will be those which after years when I bought them would be as sharp as ever. This is known as the edge retention ability of these knives. No matter how often you sharpen them, they cut through the meat like the first day you use them.
Made from the finest material
If you ever have doubts on the quality of the materials of the knives that you are about to buy, abort the mission. It’s just not worth the big bucks you spend. The most important feature of the material would be that it must be corrosion resistant. If you would like your knives to last longer then take heed of this advice. Not only that, it would make them look forever young i.e. pleasant to look at after years of use.
Comfort
If you’re not comfortable with using a knife no matter how expensive they are, little use it will be to you. A good knife should be comfortable enough for you to handle. When it is otherwise, it will affect the quality of your cuts and slices which translates to poor food, sushi wise.
Strength
The point of having good quality knives are so that you can perform difficult tasks while in the kitchen with as little effort as possible. Say, you’re having your having your other half to come over to your place and help you cook. You don’t want to be embarrassed when you can’t chop the trout head off with the so called expensive Japanese knife. So, get yourself knives that offer you the best of strength.
Make sure they look cool
You can’t discount this one. It’s a no-no. An expensive ensemble shouldn’t come with an ugly face. Not only would they look unattractive, they make you less professional as well.
These are just the list of things that definitely I’d look for when buying kitchen knives, especially Japanese kitchen knives. However, you might be of a different opinion. The first thing I’d look for might be the last one in your list. So, do your research. You might unearth the perfect knife for your kitchen with just a few clicks away.
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by Joe on January 23, 2010
Hi, welcome to my Japanese Kitchen Knives blog! First, I’d like to introduce the different types of Japanese kitchen knives.
Deba Bocho (Cleaver)
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Deba Bocho
The deba bocho is designed to behead and fillet fish. It can also be used to cut meat and chicken. There are different sizes up to 12 inches long. Though named the cleaver, this blade is not meant to chop big bones!
Santoku Hocho (All-Purpose Knife)
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Santoku Hocho
Usually five to eight inches long, this kind of general purpose blade is often used for slicing, dicing and mincing. A santoku knife is designed specially with a “sheep’s foot” tip to provide a linear cutting edge. It is also very efficient with vegetables.
Nakiri Bocho and Usuba Bocho (Vegetable Knife)
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Nakiri Bocho
Nakiri Bocho literally means knife for cutting greens. The edge of the blade is straight to enable a clean cut directly to the board. The blades of nakiri bocho and usuba bocho are thin and useful for slicing vegetables. The angled edge on both sides make it easier for straight slicing.
Sashimi Hocho (Seafood Knives)
Tako Hiki (Octopus Knife)
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Tako Hiki
Tako Hiki is a very special knife for preparing octopus. The blade is thin and long, with a rectangular end. A similar knife in western Japan is the yanagi ba.
Yanagi Ba (Willow Knife)
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Yanagi Ba
The Yanagi Ba, used for slicing raw fish and seafood, is one of the sashimi hocho knives. It has a pointed tip instead of the rectangular end like the Tako Hiki.
Ok, this is just a brief introduction. Remember to check out my blog again for more posts about the best Japanese kitchen knives, including Japanese kitchen knives reviews and recommendations for awesome Japanese chef knives sets!
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