Petr Fornusek
New Member
Hey guys,
I love cooking. Much. I spent in the my home kitchen significant part of my life. One of my beloved cuisines is Japanese, specially sushi. For a very long time I was dreaming about Japanese knife, however always were more important things to buy or pay. Finally I have decided to create some small budget and buy my first (and maybe second) Japanese knife. My plan is to learn how to properly use them and take care of them and in year or two I may replace them for some more representative pieces.
Below I filled the questionnaire and I would like to kindly ask you to look at it and if you can, give me some suggestions which brand/serie may be good for the purpose I need the knife/knives for.
Thank you very much for your time
Petr
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Czech Republic (Europe)
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Since the main usage will be for sushi, I need yanagiba and nakiri knives.
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed.
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
I prefer classic Japanese handle.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
240-270 mm for yanagiba and 150-170 mm for nakiri.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No, preference is carbon steel.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Because knives will be my first ones, I expect that some mistakes may be made during knife maintenance. Due to this I prefer lower budget knives for start, up to $400 for both or very close to this amount.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Knives are for home use, but I am cooking enthusiast with big love for sushi
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Nakiri for vegetables, yanagiba for slicing fish/rolls.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
I have like 15 knives for different purposes, but all are western type. I have nothing special for the sushi preparation.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
It depends on type of knife I'm using. For wider blades usually pinch grip, for smaller/thinner knives Finger Point.
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Primarily push-cut, but really it depends on knife I'm using and food I'm cutting/slicing. Apart of chopping I'm using all techniques.
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Only wish is darker handle but it is not "must". Some pattern on the blade would be fine, but it is not the main reason I need new knives.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Preference are lighter knives, comfortable for use when I use them all day during sushi parties.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
I need them for precise cutting and I expect, that I will need to give them a lot more care than any other knife in my possession.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
I am used to ceramic sharpening steel before every knife use, but I expect (hope), that these knives will hold longer before I will need to sharpen them a bit.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes, most are synthetic, some are wood ones.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
I never sharpened Japanese knife, even I have seen some vids before. Some tips would be appreciated.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Definitely I will need them.
I love cooking. Much. I spent in the my home kitchen significant part of my life. One of my beloved cuisines is Japanese, specially sushi. For a very long time I was dreaming about Japanese knife, however always were more important things to buy or pay. Finally I have decided to create some small budget and buy my first (and maybe second) Japanese knife. My plan is to learn how to properly use them and take care of them and in year or two I may replace them for some more representative pieces.
Below I filled the questionnaire and I would like to kindly ask you to look at it and if you can, give me some suggestions which brand/serie may be good for the purpose I need the knife/knives for.
Thank you very much for your time
Petr
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Czech Republic (Europe)
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Since the main usage will be for sushi, I need yanagiba and nakiri knives.
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed.
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
I prefer classic Japanese handle.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
240-270 mm for yanagiba and 150-170 mm for nakiri.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No, preference is carbon steel.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Because knives will be my first ones, I expect that some mistakes may be made during knife maintenance. Due to this I prefer lower budget knives for start, up to $400 for both or very close to this amount.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Knives are for home use, but I am cooking enthusiast with big love for sushi
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Nakiri for vegetables, yanagiba for slicing fish/rolls.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
I have like 15 knives for different purposes, but all are western type. I have nothing special for the sushi preparation.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
It depends on type of knife I'm using. For wider blades usually pinch grip, for smaller/thinner knives Finger Point.
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Primarily push-cut, but really it depends on knife I'm using and food I'm cutting/slicing. Apart of chopping I'm using all techniques.
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Only wish is darker handle but it is not "must". Some pattern on the blade would be fine, but it is not the main reason I need new knives.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Preference are lighter knives, comfortable for use when I use them all day during sushi parties.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
I need them for precise cutting and I expect, that I will need to give them a lot more care than any other knife in my possession.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
I am used to ceramic sharpening steel before every knife use, but I expect (hope), that these knives will hold longer before I will need to sharpen them a bit.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes, most are synthetic, some are wood ones.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
I never sharpened Japanese knife, even I have seen some vids before. Some tips would be appreciated.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Definitely I will need them.
