Pick up a Japanese chef knife after a German one and the difference is obvious. It is lighter, the blade is thinner, and it falls through an onion rather than pushing it apart. Here is why, and whether that suits the way you cook.
Harder steel, thinner edge
Japanese makers usually use harder steel. Hard steel holds a very fine edge for a long time, so the blade can be ground thinner and sharpened to a narrower angle, often around 15 degrees a side compared with about 20 on many Western knives. The result is a sharper cut with less effort.
The trade-off is that harder steel is less forgiving. Twisting the blade, hitting bone or chopping on glass or stone can chip it.
The shapes
- Gyuto: the Japanese chef knife. Flatter than a Western chef knife, made for slicing as well as rocking.
- Santoku: shorter, with a rounded tip. Good for vegetables, fish and boneless meat.
- Petty: a small utility knife for fruit, herbs and fine work.
Two to start with
The Shun Classic 2-piece set pairs a 20 cm chef knife with a 15 cm utility knife, which covers most home cooking. For one beautiful small knife, the Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef 15 cm petty comes from Sakai, the city that has been forging Japanese blades for centuries.
If you would rather a tougher, heavier knife that shrugs off bones and pumpkins, a Western blade like the Messermeister range in our chef knives is the better pick.
Looking after it
- Hand wash and dry straight away. Never the dishwasher.
- Use a wooden or soft plastic board, not glass or stone.
- Sharpen on a whetstone, or have it professionally sharpened. Avoid pull-through sharpeners.
- Store it on a magnetic strip or in a block, not loose in a drawer.
