New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Unless you are a professional chef, go for a set of Whustoff's. It would be for daily use at home, although I do love to cook and do most things from scratch. That said the Mizu Yaki Blue Steel Kurouchi Gyuto gives you an idea of a mid-range home cooking gold standard. Would not do that again. They're are too many other factors to consider for Japanese knives before a relevant recommendation can be made. sushi knives / yanagi).The feel of using a single-bevel knife is much different, and takes a lot of practice to get used to. I learned that it matters what you need to make Japanese knifes are good for like sushi or very fast and light and sharp but not great for like big meats and they need to not be put under alot of pressure. It's very common for Japanese knife makers specifically to not sell their blades in sets, which includes Yoshihiro. Thank you so much for your fountain of information. Get a good chef knife, bread knife and a paring knife as well as a cheap Asian meat cleaver. I haven't seen any other steel hold such a nice edge yet be tough enough to roll instead of chip under that kind of abuse. In this episode of 'Price Points', Epicurious challenges knife expert Geoff Feder to guess which knife is more expensive. This is an ideal choice for anyone looking for a high-end, well-performing knife. Hey! A place for all things chef knives. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Perfectly balanced, holds a razor edge and able to obtain precision cuts. It is bad to "tweak" the edge of a high end Japanese knife. For soft foods and fine slicing, I find nothing works nicer than a Japanese knife. Very often people are confused by the words sharpen and hone. When choosing a set (I assume this is that, from the plurality of your post) it's important to know that you may be more interested in some European styles for some knives, and some Asian styles for others. Japanese knives come in either double bevel (Western style) or single bevel blades (traditional Japanese style).Single bevel knives are generally meant for professional chefs, as they are can make very detailed cuts, or have very specific use cases (e.g. Please follow proper reddiquette. They are readily maintained between sharpenings with a "steel" (rod), that will align the edge. Therefore I recommend the Whustoff's. I wouldn't recommend Henckel's as they have many different levels of quality, only one product line of which can really be considered professional quality and in my opinion still are not as well balanced or as durable as the Whustoff's. You still can't slam through chicken bones with it without rolling the edge over, but it'll roll instead of chipping which in my mind is very impressive. But I always use my F. Dick. Victorinox' Classic Kitchen 5PC is definitely better for budget, but you may benefit from buying products individually. Technically speaking they're British, based just outside of Milton Keynes. Well a big part of my learning always came from seeing what the more experienced chefs would have in their hands. A lot to take in but will be diving head first into all of this advice, thanks again. Unless you're a professional, it is highly unlikely. Japanese knives tend to be thinner and sharper, more useful for fine cuts on delicate fish. I.O. The VG10 steel used in Japanese knives is harder and holds a sharper edge than German knives, and the 16-degree angle allows these knives to be sharper than the Germans, too. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/smurfe/Food/IMG_2015.jpg, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/smurfe/Food/IMG_1907.jpg, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/smurfe/Food/IMG_1864.jpg, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/smurfe/Food/IMG_2161.jpg, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/smurfe/Food/IMG_2049.jpg, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskCulinary community. Japanese knives come in many shapes and blade types. Chef knives with 8-inch blades come with a multitude of user benefits. Wusthof's are well priced this side of the pond, which is one advantage (although imo it's still pushing the £100 limit and you don't get a huge amount for it considering it's a German knife very similar to the Victorinox in usage). For the sake of simplicity I'll focus on the chef knife within a set as your nationality style, rather than go too deep on things like a turning knife or pairing knife. Cutting heavier or tougher things, however, might be more of a challenge, and can even damage more specialized knives. The catch of course is that Kai have very much moved away from traditional appearance, and some would call their style for their knives tacky. I don't recommend buying a huge set. While Damascus steel is often made with importance placed on aesthetics, strong, functional and durable knives can result from the proper choice of steel and careful forging. At the same time they aren't quite Japanese and they aren't quite German which gives them weird characteristics that don't amount to anything special. Shun Cutlery knives are made in Japan, a culture that prides itself on handmade, beautiful knives show-pieces. I've a Wat that is considered top of the game but it would run just north of $300usd. Eventually, it becomes clear how deft such a large knife can be. Japanese VG10 Steel with High Carbon Stainless Steel. Now the big question here is are you at a skill level where you will notice the difference in sharpness? I started off with a santoku 8" and 10" and a boning knife. Common grades used in the production of Damascus steel include … Most Western-style knives sport more defined handle ergonomics as well (more details here). If your kitchen has a more earthy feel to it, then these might just fit in quite nicely.. Made from superior quality Honshu steel, this elegantly simple knife set can be a pleasure to use with sushi preparation. It's a razor and a work of art. German knives will be thicker and therefore can take a lot more. They require far less sharpening than any of my Japanese knives, but that is down to the blade profile and metal chemistry. German knives will be thicker and therefore can take a lot more. How much of a difference will I notice, not only in use but also in up keep. German Vs Japanese Knives: The Big Difference To summarize: German knives are heavier and more forgiving, while Japanese knives are lighter, sharper, and require more careful handling. That should answer a lot of your questions. I am more wary with my Japanese knives when taking apart birds or dealing with bones in general. Press J to jump to the feed. Posts and comments should be limited to the care, use, or purchase of chef knives, kitchen knives, or any hand held bladed kitchen instrument. What works for … What do you go with? I would rather have a decent chef's, paring, boning, and fillet knife and a couple stones than one very expensive Japanese knife and no stones for that matter. Press J to jump to the feed. Western knives are designed for cutting and chopping - downward or circular motion or sawing. Shun give Japanese styles knives a bad name. The chef/gyuto is considerably more versatile, has a tip for dicing, can be used for proteins, etc, etc, etc. My girl has one and after sharpening, she's lucky if it still has an edge a week later. The chefs knife is of course what you would consider typically German, and everything else within is functionally above average for the price tag. You also don't have to feel so bad if you suck at sharpening for a few months when you make a mess out of a good $40 chef's knife too. The form of the Chinese-style knife takes some getting used to compared to Western and some Japanese knives—your hand is higher, the balance is different, and the blade has a minimal (and in some cases no) curve—but with practice, you can adjust to it. Whustoff's do not typically have as sharp an edge as a lot of the Japanese knives do. Japanese knives do not handle bad technique well. I have a couple more blocks of knives not shown in the pics. I started with a set of Henckel's that I hated. Denise Landis article on her testing of light and flexible kitchen knives made in Japan by Yoshikin that are beginning to win over American chefs from stury German knives … Now I pull out my Chinatown cleaver for that kind of slamming work. If you want to consider this route suggest you do the Cwees thing. Forgot to add to other post. If you prefer to push cut (a technique most pro's develop for efficiency), or want to learn to push cut, the the flatter Japanese knives will better suit you. Kyocera (Kyoto Ceramics) invented the concept. If you cut with a rocking technique, (and most folks do) keeping the tip on or close to the board then a German (or French) style of knife will be more suited for you. That Vic gets nearly as sharp as the Shuns and holds an edge quite well. First up we have a three-piece knife set which comes in a lightly colored and nature-inspired ash wood box. I have spend a lot of money on knives I never use. /r/AskCulinary provides expert guidance for your specific cooking problems to help people of all skill levels become better cooks, to increase understanding of cooking, and to share valuable culinary knowledge. Kramer, Vnox and a host of Germans have this type of profile - Messermeister Meridian is my personal favorite among them. A natural selection. - Next is something that's a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing. A place to talk about the use, maintenance, and acquisition of any bladed kitchen instrument as well as whetstones, cutting boards, and more! I do have my own sharpening stone. - Moving on to Asian knives, and specifically Japanese to begin with Yoshihiro are strong contenders for one of the true greats out of Japan. For me it's Japanese all the way. And I'll add that I don't have much experience with entry level nakiri. Professional chef of 20 years and home cook of a little bit over here so take what I say with a grain of salt with some things if you feel they don't fit your budget and scope of use. Choosing between German and Japanese style knives should be based more on your cutting technique than any preference for "latest and greatest" trend. If you cut with a rocking technique, (and most folks do) keeping the tip on or close to the board then a German (or French) style of knife … I don't routinely abuse my knives that much. Very high end stuff is very expensive compared to well priced stuff that does a good job without fanfare. Most chef’s knives you’ll find come in two styles: German, and a double-edged Japanese take on German knives (which are called gyuto). By far my favorite kitchen knife. I have a hand made 10" Japanese chef knife that cost 20 times my F. Dick. Own are a nice set of Whustoff 's do not get one the... 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