New Kitchen Knives from Shun and Kikuichi Cutlery

The gyuto—which interprets immediately as “cow sword”—used to be extra up my alley, weight-forward however simplest relatively, with a really shocking edge. The use of it to quarter fennel bulbs, it sliced thru cleanly the place my very own (very sharp) knives and the Shun felt like they have been concurrently reducing and wedging that fennel aside—now not a just right factor.

Gyutos are referred to as Western-style Jap knives, combining the “lengthy triangle” type of a French chef’s knife with just a little of a swooping stomach à los angeles German chef’s knives. They have got a skinny blade fabricated from laborious metal and a slender edge attitude, this means that they are able to be loopy sharp and sturdy. The gyuto I used to be checking out felt like a rocket send, however I in reality did not want it until I sought after to completely retire my Wüsthof.

What stunned me maximum used to be the little man. Holy cow is it sharp! I really like to mention that my santoku cuts like a scalpel, however the bunka really does.

The tiny dimension, mild weight, and razor edge have large, and ceaselessly sudden, advantages. The cuts are extremely correct—fantastic cube a shallot, as an example, and there is no crushing the allium, simply blank reducing and best possible little cubes. Mix that with its mild weight and there may be much less wrist fatigue when you are dealing with down a pile of onions for French onion soup. You do not need to position your again into it like it’s possible you’ll with different blades of its dimension; the knife does the paintings. What is maximum spectacular is its versatility, stealing element paintings out of your paring knife and medium-weight paintings from a chef’s knife. Quartering or reducing that fennel or julienning leeks—top area for chef’s knives—can also be treated conveniently by way of a blade this sharp. I imagined calling it to my hand like Luke Skywalker in a wampa cave.

A lot of that is reward for the ability of the younger knife makers’ affiliation. It is usually closely reliant at the blade subject material. The Kikuichis use a reasonably cushy SK metal, sandwiched round blue carbon metal referred to as ao-ko. That blue metal is an actual factor, and it peeks out on the edge, the place it makes that extremely sharp blade that Jamie Lee Curtis and Zoolander would recognize. It does want some specific consideration, as it will rust and tarnish if you do not wipe it down right away after cleansing, but when you will spend some huge cash on a brand new knife, you will have to be doing that anyway.

The Shun is a mixture of high-carbon metal—Japan’s revered VG10 metal—which is desirably laborious and has a ripping edge. VG10 on my own is relatively at risk of tarnish or rust, however by way of combining it with some other chromium-rich metal, it remains tremendous glossy.

I were given to play with the 3 knives for simplest a few weeks, however I discovered the Kikuichi blades to be awesome to the whole thing in my kitchen, together with the Shun. It is non-public, and sure, they are totally other sorts of knife, however to me, those Kikuichis have been really in a category to themselves.

Fats Slice

Now you knew this used to be coming, however get ready to wince anyway: Whilst a very good chef’s knife like my Wüsthof can closing many years and will price $100 most sensible $200, those price far more. The Shun clocks in at $363, the little bunka at $450, and the cow sword will set you again $600. For up to I beloved attempting the knives, all 3 of the ones numbers have been sufficient to make me swear out loud.

Follow that to the actual global, and it method you will want to test-drive those unhealthy boys sooner than riding them off the lot. It would be best to cross to the knife retailer the place they allow you to take a look at the knives, or purchase one from a web-based store that can will let you go back it if it isn’t your factor. It moves me as in particular unhappy factor to possess a gorgeous knife that you do not like to make use of.

Then chop a bag of onions. Dice some potatoes. Chiffonade some basil. Do the wokka-wokka on a pile of parsley. Shred a head of cabbage. After you might be accomplished, are you reflecting on how a lot amusing you simply had whilst concurrently attaining a zen-like state?

If this is the case, that is your knife. Have a blast.

Meals author Joe Ray (@joe_diner is a Lowell Thomas Trip Journalist of the Yr, a cafe critic, and writer of “Sea and Smoke” with chef Blaine Wetzel.

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