Sujihiki instead of a gyuto for meat?

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Matus

Matus

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I am just thinking loud here, please bare with be - I have a very nice 210mm gyuto, but I use it nearly exclusively to slice (bone-less) meat. I use it rather little with vegetables (onions, etc..). I do try it from time to time, but being just a home cook I do not have real confidence in that and have to do it carefully to cut where I want to (and in particular not to cut where my hand is).

I will try cutting more veggies with the gyuto once I finally get a dedicated properly sized board (selection process is in its final rounds - yes, you got that right - a selection process, I know I know :rolleyes2: ), but it may or may not work for me. If it does not I will get a knife with 165 - 180 blade for veggies (bunk or hakata santoku).

So in the case that the gyuto would only be left with meat slicing (it feels a tad too short at times for that task) - I am wondering whether replacing it with a 240 sujihiki would make sense. :dontknow:

I am wondering how you would approach this "dilemma".

P.S. I did have a sujhiki before - it was Yoshikane SLD damascus 270mm. I swapped it (for the gyuto I have now) - the reason was that the blade felt too long with too little belly.
 
Matus said:
I am just thinking loud here, please bare with be - I have a very nice 210mm gyuto, but I use it nearly exclusively to slice (bone-less) meat. I use it rather little with vegetables (onions, etc..). I do try it from time to time, but being just a home cook I do not have real confidence in that and have to do it carefully to cut where I want to (and in particular not to cut where my hand is).

I will try cutting more veggies with the gyuto once I finally get a dedicated properly sized board (selection process is in its final rounds - yes, you got that right - a selection process, I know I know :rolleyes2: ), but it may or may not work for me. If it does not I will get a knife with 165 - 180 blade for veggies (bunk or hakata santoku).

So in the case that the gyuto would only be left with meat slicing (it feels a tad too short at times for that task) - I am wondering whether replacing it with a 240 sujihiki would make sense. :dontknow:

I am wondering how you would approach this "dilemma".

P.S. I did have a sujhiki before - it was Yoshikane SLD damascus 270mm. I swapped it (for the gyuto I have now) - the reason was that the blade felt too long with too little belly.
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well, for starters it sounds like your knife skills could use some brushing up... id probably start there. once you have the techniques down it may change your mind on buying a new knife, or which size/type of knife you would buy. either way a little practice and some proper instructionton (tons of youtube video) and it shouldnt be long before you have a decent technique going.

as far as gyuto vs. sujihiki, you could always go with more of a hybrid, although i dont see why a 240mm gyuto wouldnt be sufficient for whatever meant you are slicing at home.
 
Point taken. I will check some vids.

But I should have probably mentioned - my personal preference for a meat slicer would be sujihiki. One can do more with gyuto, but should I decide not to cut veggies with gyuto, I would got for suji.
 
Sure a suji is better for large pieces of meat, but a 240 gyuto could also do well with both veggies and meats. How big is your cutting board going to be? You might consider getting both a small one for fruits cheese etc plus a larger one for larger items. If you really wanted a sujihiki 270mm is a good size.
 
Our current meat board is 40x30cm (ca. 16x12") - so not too large, so to speak - most of the time it is large enough, but there are times when something like 50x40cm (20x16") would be better. During the short period I had & used the 270 Yoshi suji I had the feel that it was too long for the board we have.

I may indeed consider getting TWO new boards, but that would take longer given their price.
 
only time i would use suji to slice meat is for a big piece of roast ribeye or other large roasted meat at work.
but for home use i don't seeing the problem using a gyuto to slice your meats if they are not large roast.
 
panda said:
learn to use a 240 gyuto for EVERYTHING, you will be greatly rewarded.
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i second that!

i am a home cook and have come from using a 200mm German chef's knife, a 165mm santoku, have tried a 270mm gyuto for a while (which - unsurprisingly - was too big), tried a 190mm santoku then, and ended up using 240mm or 210mm gyutos almost exclusively. my santokus are still there, but those are the knives i would choose for the rough and dirty jobs in the kitchen (i am not abusing them though). i am happy with 240mm or 210mm gyutos for every task. :spin chair:

sure, once a year a suji would be nice, or even a yanagi, but hey, this would be a little bit... uhm... exaggerated! :angel2:
 
daddy yo yo said:
i second that!

i am a home cook and have come from using a 200mm German chef's knife, a 165mm santoku, have tried a 270mm gyuto for a while (which - unsurprisingly - was too big), tried a 190mm santoku then, and ended up using 240mm or 210mm gyutos almost exclusively. my santokus are still there, but those are the knives i would choose for the rough and dirty jobs in the kitchen (i am not abusing them though). i am happy with 240mm or 210mm gyutos for every task. :spin chair:

sure, once a year a suji would be nice, or even a yanagi, but hey, this would be a little bit... uhm... exaggerated! :angel2:
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yeah my 240 and 210 basically do everything... i just picked up a nikkiri just because i used a friends and they are fun to play around with. but my 240 is basically all i use for the most part
 
OK - I will give it a try (using gusto for everything that is) - but what knife to use on something like Hokkaido pumpkin (read: thick and hard) - that seems like something I could bend or chip a gyuto with .. ? I am asking as my Tanaka R2 210mm has a very thin endue (the knife weights only 130g) and I fear to damage it on harder veggies.
 
Matus said:
OK - I will give it a try (using gusto for everything that is) - but what knife to use on something like Hokkaido pumpkin (read: thick and hard) - that seems like something I could bend or chip a gyuto with .. ? I am asking as my Tanaka R2 210mm has a very thin endue (the knife weights only 130g) and I fear to damage it on harder veggies.
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for stuff like pumpkins or big squash or coconuts i just have a big cheap cleaver i use. its gonna get messed up and the task is kinda messy so i find no use in taking a good knife to it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CDVXUK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

gets the job done and just 11 bucks.
 
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Many sushi chefs use sujis for prep work and compensate the lack of knuckle clearance by placing the cutting board at the edge of the counter top.

I find suji too limiting to replace a gyuto for Western style cooking, especially when it comes to cutting root vegetables, but with a specialized vegetable knife like nakiri, you might get away with just a suji. Personally, I like to have knives for most tasks, i. e. gyuto, nakiri, suji, boning, petty, etc. These cover all my cutting needs.
 
Marko Tsourkan said:
Many sushi chefs use sujis for prep work and compensate the lack of knuckle clearance by placing the cutting board at the edge of the counter top.

I find suji too limiting to replace a gyuto for Western style cooking, especially when it comes to cutting root vegetables, but with a specialized vegetable knife like nakiri, you might get away with just a suji. Personally, I like to have knives for most tasks, i. e. gyuto, nakiri, suji, boning, petty, etc. These cover all my cutting needs.
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agreed, ive got 4 or 5 knives i use regularly, one for each task
 
Let me just say that I am not intending to find a single knife that can do it all. I am only not sure how much of multitasker I need/want my meat knife to be.
 
CCK! or other Chinese-branded cleaver. the price point and amount of steel lets you chop without reservation. I've used it to split wood before (in a desperate situation) and the edge somehow managed not to chip. My cousin uses one to split coconuts in a horrifying way (zero technique brute force approach).
 
insomniac said:
My cousin uses one to split coconuts in a horrifying way (zero technique brute force approach).
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sounds like the same technique i use with my cleaver :)

hey if you've got cheap steel bash away!
 
I use a 240mm Tanaka Blue2 for squash/pumpkins and pretty much everything else including slicing raw meat into very fine thin cuts. For coconuts and bones I use a cleaver. The Blue2s are much thicker than the R2s so maybe buying a thicker gyuto would work better for you.
 
I am indeed considering replacing my Tanaka R2 with a slightly more 'robust' gyuto. Some of the contenders I am looking into are

Preferences:
- available in EU
- new or used (trade?)
- weight up to about 200g
- wa handle (though western would be OK if the knife does not become too heavy)
- ca. 240mm
- preferably SS clad carbon
- blade should not have too much flex


- Itinomonn Ku (seems a great knife for the price even if not SS clad)
- Itinomonn SS clad,
- Singatirin Honyaki (probably not the right choice for a 'stronger' gyuto, but otherwise very interesting one)
- Yoshikane Tsuchine SKD hammered,
- Yoshikane SLD (rather pricey and hard to find)
- Masakage Koishi, SS clad AS (looks very interesting)

I am opened to suggestions
 
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