Raw chicken, which knife, steel, grit finish?

I frequently cut raw chicken to use in stir fries. I use a poly board and a western handled knife for easy clean up and sanitation, i use a softer steel-aus8 as it doesn't chip on the poly board, and have been experimenting with pettys, gyutos, and sujihikis. Im a novice sharpener and have only been sharpening on a 1000 grit stone. Which knife, steel, and grit edge do you use?
Thanks in advance for your reply.

If it is boneless chicken meat I would use different knives on different days. Gyuto, petty, sujihiki and some times a yanagi If it hasn't been used for a while. I think I prefer my 210 Itinomonn sujihiki for this.
I sharpening all my knives with a progression of Jnats ending with a suita of some sorts.
You should just Go with wichever knife you feel comfitable using 😀 I wouldn't use a nikiri or USA-baserede, though.
- Kim

Were it me I would grab my 210 Gengetsu, stainless / stainless. :cool2: :cool2::cool2:

Sharp AF to trim the scraps off and portion the pieces, as well as light and nimble. I've also used a number of other 180 or 210 Petty and Gyuto. I like the smaller size for this type of task.

I have a related question so I'll tag it along with this topic. How do people here at KFF feel about the sanitation issue with raw chicken and the way Japanese knives are usually made, with the blade's neck meeting the handle and (usually) a crevice or small gap there. Safe to use with raw chicken? That little crevice or gap makes me nervous.

I just got a very nice Sukenari 165mm Wa Petty (HAP40). I plan to use it mainly as a protein trimming knife on fish, beef, and pork. But I'm a bit hesitant on raw chicken. The fit and finish is very nice, but it does have a tiny gap or crevice on each side where the neck meets the handle. I have a Shun Dual Core 6" utility knife with the "Western" blade/bolster design that seems easier to sanitize after cutting raw chicken. I used to use a Wusthof Classic 6" utility knife for trimming chicken, which also has an integral bolster, but it's that stupid full-length design and I've managed to sharpen it past the bolster after 20 years of use. One reason that spurred an interest in Japanese knives recently.

As a home cook, I'm usually dealing with things like packaged chicken breast or thighs from the supermarket, instead of breaking down a whole chicken. I've heard the salmonella risk is probably higher there, but I've also heard that all raw chicken should be treated like the proverbial loaded diaper.

Paraffin said:

That little crevice or gap makes me nervous.

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If you're a home user you shouldn't have any problem keeping your dominant hand clean from raw chicken when you use a knife. With proper usage you shouldn't get raw chicken anywhere near the machi gap or the handle.
It would be harder with a smaller knife, but try a pull cutting/slicing motion.

The machi gap is to facilitate handle replacement and is part of the "look" of some Japanese knives. I've grown to like it.

If it's a sanitation concern you can seal the blade in the ferrule so no "stuff" gets into the handle. And clean the knife thoroughly. You could also add a "quat" sanitizer to your home cleaning arsenal. I just keep mine clean during use and wash thoroughly at home. At work it goes through the sanitizer drill as well.

Okay, thanks for the feedback. I like the Japanese handle design too. I might seal the ferrule with epoxy, just for peace of mind, because I would really like to use that Sukanari 165mm petty for this kind of thing. It's a beast for trimming protein.

And thanks for the tip on Quat sanitizer, as a home cook that's news to me.

For breaking down chickens, I use a 150mm honesuki in blue steel. For cutting boneless chicken thigh or breast, I usually use a 210-240 mm gyuto or kiritsuke in blue steel. For sharpening, I usually go from a 2000 grit to 5000 grit, sometimes finish with an 8000 or a natural stone. I usually use a soft wood board.

I like to use a cheap Dexter ground into shape of a honesuki as in completely flat profile. Use strictly pull cuts.

Thanks for your replies everyone. What grit edge do you like to use for boneless raw chicken?

Jkts said:

For breaking down chickens, I use a 150mm honesuki in blue steel. For cutting boneless chicken thigh or breast, I usually use a 210-240 mm gyuto or kiritsuke in blue steel. For sharpening, I usually go from a 2000 grit to 5000 grit, sometimes finish with an 8000 or a natural stone. I usually use a soft wood board.

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Thanks Jkts, I'll try using a finer stone. So far I've only been sharpening on an 800 grit stone and getting good results, works great on tomatoes and vegy prep. Will try a finer grit for raw meat, have a Suhero Rica 5000 that hasn't been used yet.

dafox said:

Thanks Jkts, I'll try using a finer stone. So far I've only been sharpening on an 800 grit stone and getting good results, works great on tomatoes and vegy prep. Will try a finer grit for raw meat, have a Suhero Rica 5000 that hasn't been used yet.

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I use the suehiro for the 5000 grit also and like it a lot. It will give you a good edge for most cooking.

You might get an intermediate stone between the 800 and the 5000- the 800 will wear down your edges quicker than the higher grits. The 800 likely gives you a toothy edge which is why it cuts through tomato skin easily.

Jkts said:

I use the suehiro for the 5000 grit also and like it a lot. It will give you a good edge for most cooking.

You might get an intermediate stone between the 800 and the 5000- the 800 will wear down your edges quicker than the higher grits. The 800 likely gives you a toothy edge which is why it cuts through tomato skin easily.

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Thanks much, my 800 is a Chosera which others say is closer to a 1000 or 1200, do you still recommend an inbeteeen stone? If so which one?
Thanks

dafox said:

Thanks much, my 800 is a Chosera which others say is closer to a 1000 or 1200, do you still recommend an inbeteeen stone? If so which one?
Thanks

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Maybe a 2000 chosera or bester. I’ll usually use a 700-800 stone if I want to take off metal bc of a microchip. I’m curious what others think on this...

I agree, no need to go below 2000 for a regular sharpening. I do 2000 then 5000 for all stainless knives, the carbons get a finish on a coti natural after the 5000, of the stainless knives funny enough only the cheapest x30cr13 steel knives seem to benefit from the natural stone treatment. The rest seems to get worse. For protein I prefer a fine edge. Slightly thicker for cutting through joints and full laser for boneless. I keep one stainless chef's knife deliberately course-edged for the tomatoes and peppers. Never got my blue2 gyutoh to develop a taste for them.

merlijny2k said:

I agree, no need to go below 2000 for a regular sharpening. I do 2000 then 5000 for all stainless knives, the carbons get a finish on a coti natural after the 5000, of the stainless knives funny enough only the cheapest x30cr13 steel knives seem to benefit from the natural stone treatment. The rest seems to get worse. For protein I prefer a fine edge. Slightly thicker for cutting through joints and full laser for boneless. I keep one stainless chef's knife deliberately course-edged for the tomatoes and peppers. Never got my blue2 gyutoh to develop a taste for them.

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Perfect, thanks, just what I was looking for.