New knife: Looking for advice, guidance thoughts...
- Thread starter Peter R
- Start date
Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:
I’d be more than happy to give some impressions of what I like and don’t like about it after a month or so. That being said, I’m quite the newb when it comes to high end Japanese cutlery. I can maybe compare it to the testing of other knives in shops like Korin. Should I start a new thread for that or post here?
Also, since this is a 270 and I already have a utility knife (though I rarely use it), and I have a decent cleaver, what might be a nice knife to compliment this purchase?
I was thinking a 170 santoku even though it’s also a multi-purpose knife. It would be quite a different size. And it could be a knife for my wife (who also is an accomplished home cook). I’m liking the look and blade make of the Saji Urushi & Makie Series R2.
Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
I have a 165 mm santoku as well as a 165 mm nakiri. I find myself using them both, sometimes in preference to a 210 mm gyuto.
The santoku is nimble, lighter than the gyuto, and shorter. If I'm making a meal for just myself, with small amounts to be cut, the santoku is nice. That one knife does everything for the whole meal, especially if there isn't any slicing of meat or fish, where I'd reach for a longer blade.
The nakiri is great when I'm making a big pot of minestrone or some such. Loads of veggies to be cut. Hard to beat for that, and I can wave it around with abandon without banging into things and damaging the tip. It's compact, tight, fast, robust, and pragmatic. I don't have to watch every move I make when using it.
Still the gyuto rules for me. If I had only one knife, that would be the one. But, like any other all-purpose tool, it makes compromises, too. (Universal spanners, anyone?)
The santoku is nimble, lighter than the gyuto, and shorter. If I'm making a meal for just myself, with small amounts to be cut, the santoku is nice. That one knife does everything for the whole meal, especially if there isn't any slicing of meat or fish, where I'd reach for a longer blade.
The nakiri is great when I'm making a big pot of minestrone or some such. Loads of veggies to be cut. Hard to beat for that, and I can wave it around with abandon without banging into things and damaging the tip. It's compact, tight, fast, robust, and pragmatic. I don't have to watch every move I make when using it.
Still the gyuto rules for me. If I had only one knife, that would be the one. But, like any other all-purpose tool, it makes compromises, too. (Universal spanners, anyone?)
milkbaby
Well-Known Doofus
Congrats, that is a very nice knife. I especially like the hybrid handle shape with the octagonal style top turning into oval bottom.
If you're looking for a smaller knife that your wife will use because she doesn't like this large knife and for use yourself when you don't want to bother with 270mm either, then a shorter santoku or gyuto can do a lot of similar jobs. Like Michi, I like a nakiri for variety, but at the same time, some people do not like the edge profile of a nakiri and the lack of a tip for some tasks. Some Western makers make a nakiri with a sharp front corner that can be used like a tip, but most Japanese nakiri are rounded instead.
Tsubaki oil is a good traditional choice to put on the blade as protectant, but I just use food grade mineral oil if need be since I always have that around for wood cutting board conditioning. The main thing is to make sure the blade is thoroughly dry before using any oil protectant and then use an oil that will not go rancid (don't use olive oil for example).
If you're looking for a smaller knife that your wife will use because she doesn't like this large knife and for use yourself when you don't want to bother with 270mm either, then a shorter santoku or gyuto can do a lot of similar jobs. Like Michi, I like a nakiri for variety, but at the same time, some people do not like the edge profile of a nakiri and the lack of a tip for some tasks. Some Western makers make a nakiri with a sharp front corner that can be used like a tip, but most Japanese nakiri are rounded instead.
Tsubaki oil is a good traditional choice to put on the blade as protectant, but I just use food grade mineral oil if need be since I always have that around for wood cutting board conditioning. The main thing is to make sure the blade is thoroughly dry before using any oil protectant and then use an oil that will not go rancid (don't use olive oil for example).
Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
Tsubaki works well. Has a tendency to go a little resinous over time. Use a very thin film of it only. It needs to be washed off with soap before you start using the knife, otherwise you end up working with a sticky blade. I guess this means that Tsubaki is more suitable for longer-term storage.
As an every-day oil, I suspect that an ordinary food-grade mineral oil would be more convenient because you can just wipe it off without having to use soap (but I haven't tried that yet).
As an every-day oil, I suspect that an ordinary food-grade mineral oil would be more convenient because you can just wipe it off without having to use soap (but I haven't tried that yet).
If you cook at least once a week, you probably don’t need tsubaki oil. Just wash with soapy water and wipe throughly dry and it’s good to go! There’s a bit of chromium so it resists rust a little better than carbon but not nearly as good as stainless. I live in a humid tropical country with nearly daily rain and there is hardly any rust on my full carbon knives.
Also, I believe the damascus cladding is stainless, so oil is not necessary.
Nice pick, let us know how it turns out for you. If not I’m ready to recommend other knives.
Also, I believe the damascus cladding is stainless, so oil is not necessary.
Nice pick, let us know how it turns out for you. If not I’m ready to recommend other knives.
