So these days I'm toying around with the idea of getting yet another nakiri. I've got a Takeda, which I like but haven't quite nailed down the bevel convexity to balance its excellent nonstick characteristics with good "fall through". It's good but not awesome in terms of resistance while cutting.
(actually the term "fall through" might not accurately describe what I want, which is the ability to go through an ingredient with a gentle push cut or slice, rather than a solid chop)
I've got an Itinomonn kurouchi nakiri, which sticks quite badly to raw carrots, but would probably cut well otherwise. My Asai stainless-clad nakiri is similar, but with a flatter geometry. It looks and feels like it should just slip through stuff, but I cut lots of raw carrots and a fair amount of potatoes and similar sticky veg, and unless I'm hammering away at the board which I hate doing, the knives get stuck and require a good bit of force to make it through. In a raw carrot, stiction seems to hinder the cutting as much as wedging does.
My preference is for something a bit on the thinner side, and an ideal one would probably have a stepped bevel to improve food release (I know Will Catcheside and Takeda have done or do a concave body and flat/convex edge, but don't know of others). Though the Konosuke nakiri (HD/white/HH) lack the latter grind, they appeal to me quite a bit. I also have considered the Fujiyama blue model, though I do not know if they'd handle thick (6cm) carrots as well as the thinner models. I'd like to consider some knives with nashiji finishes like the Masakage Yuki, or a Kaneyoshi I saw on Rakuten, but I do not know about their cutting characteristics.
Would any of these nakiri be suited to slow/gentle cutting of raw carrots, or would they encounter stiction, wedging, or other problems? Anyone have any better recommendations?
Thanks in advance!
(actually the term "fall through" might not accurately describe what I want, which is the ability to go through an ingredient with a gentle push cut or slice, rather than a solid chop)
I've got an Itinomonn kurouchi nakiri, which sticks quite badly to raw carrots, but would probably cut well otherwise. My Asai stainless-clad nakiri is similar, but with a flatter geometry. It looks and feels like it should just slip through stuff, but I cut lots of raw carrots and a fair amount of potatoes and similar sticky veg, and unless I'm hammering away at the board which I hate doing, the knives get stuck and require a good bit of force to make it through. In a raw carrot, stiction seems to hinder the cutting as much as wedging does.
My preference is for something a bit on the thinner side, and an ideal one would probably have a stepped bevel to improve food release (I know Will Catcheside and Takeda have done or do a concave body and flat/convex edge, but don't know of others). Though the Konosuke nakiri (HD/white/HH) lack the latter grind, they appeal to me quite a bit. I also have considered the Fujiyama blue model, though I do not know if they'd handle thick (6cm) carrots as well as the thinner models. I'd like to consider some knives with nashiji finishes like the Masakage Yuki, or a Kaneyoshi I saw on Rakuten, but I do not know about their cutting characteristics.
Would any of these nakiri be suited to slow/gentle cutting of raw carrots, or would they encounter stiction, wedging, or other problems? Anyone have any better recommendations?
Thanks in advance!
