new to KKF & looking for knife advice :)

[tomaas]

Hi there,
I'm new to the forum but not so new to cooking... I am, in the first instance, very interested to get some advice on what kind of knife to buy... And with that in mind, I have the questionnaire filled in below... All suggestions welcome! Thank you!

(RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ARE IN CAPITALS)

LOCATION
What country are you in?

THE NETHERLANDS


KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?

NAKIRI

Are you right or left handed?

RIGHT HANDED

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?

EITHER...

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?

UP TO 200mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)

NO

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?

350 EURO



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

HOME USE.

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.)

SLICING VEGETABLES

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

NONE.

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)

GRIPS FREQUENTLY USED: HAMMER, PINCH, 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.)

CUTTING MOTIONS: ROCKING CHOP, PUSH SLICE, PULL SLICE, CHOP


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)?

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?

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)?

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?

I CURRENTLY USE WUSTHOFF'S BUT AM LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE SPECIAL... SOMETHING WITH BETTER FOOD RELEASE, AESTHETICS (ALTHOUGH I LIKE MINIMAL DESIGN, I'M OPEN TO DAMASCUS ETC). A KNIFE THAT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO MAINTAIN IS PREFERABLE TOO.




KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)

YES

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.) YES

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) YES



SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I have been looking at the Nakiri from Blenheim Forge, but am very interested an open to other suggestions.

Thanks!


Tomaas

 

[Matus]

Welcome to the forums. I see you went all in with the first post Let me move it to where it will get more exposure.

 

[Benuser]

Welkom hier, Tomaas!
Succes met je zoektocht.
Two remarks on a nakiri. A lot of people have one, but at the end they use it much less than their gyuto or chef's which is more versatile. That being said, go indeed for a 180mm. By the way, not sure whether a nakiri is so convenient when rock-chopping. Apart from the profile, a Wüsthof is far more forgiving the much harder and thinner edge of a Japanese blade.

 

[Slim278]

Watanabe is generally liked around here and is within your price range.

http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/petiteknife.htm#
http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/nakkiri.htm

 

[tomaas]

Welcome to the forums. I see you went all in with the first post Let me move it to where it will get more exposure.

Sure thing! That would be great! Where did you move it to?

 

[tomaas]

Welkom hier, Tomaas!
Succes met je zoektocht.
Two remarks on a nakiri. A lot of people have one, but at the end they use it much less than their gyuto or chef's which is more versatile. That being said, go indeed for a 180mm. By the way, not sure whether a nakiri is so convenient when rock-chopping. Apart from the profile, a Wüsthof is far more forgiving the much harder and thinner edge of a Japanese blade.

Good points about the type of knife and regular chopping action I tend to use. I realise a new skill would be required if/when purchasing a nakiri compared with what I've mainly been using... I see it as all part of the experience to develop a new skill while learning more about the knives and sharpening too.
Thanks!

 

[JayS20]

Hey Tomaas,
right now there is a Kaeru Nakiri V2 with Iron clad on sale at JNS, looks pretty good especially for the price. Got a Kaeru 240 White which I really like- Sale - Japanese Natural Stones Kaeru Kurouchi Nakiri 165mm plus 26€ shipping
Other Carbon ones I would recommend:
https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/yoshimi-kato-aogami-super-nakirihttps://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/nakiri/nakiri_kasumi-detailhttps://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/nakiri/nakiri-13-detailhttps://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/nakiri/nakiri_yoshikane-3801-detailhttps://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/nakiri/nakiri_kashima_sanjo-detailStainless ones:
https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/yu-kurosak-fujin-nakirihttps://www.meesterslijpers.nl/ryusen-bonten-unryu-nakirihttps://www.meesterslijpers.nl/shiro-kamo-sg2-nakirihttps://www.meesterslijpers.nl/yoshimi-kato-sg-2-nakiri*Yoshimi Kato VG-10 NakiriD-1903218.999957
Cleancut wants 15€ for shipping
Personally I really like Nakiris

 

[daveb]

Nakiri I are fun to use at home. And there's a reason the Wat is the standard by which others are judged. Why not have the best?

 

[JayS20]

Nakiri I are fun to use at home. And there's a reason the Wat is the standard by which others are judged. Why not have the best?

Wat is definitely great but answer to your question is money/budget.

 

[daveb]

He's got 350 Euro. What is that in real money?

 

[Slim278]

43,665 JPY or 412 USD

That custom Wat iron clad W#2 is going to run about 37,000 JPY with shipping included, which leaves money to spare.

 

[juice]

He's got 350 Euro. What is that in real money?

350 Euro

 

[daveb]

Touche

 

[JayS20]

You guys ignoring Vat and custom duties. In Germany you have to mutliply the (price+shipping)x1,3

 

[daveb]

Not ignoring it at all. But knowing that shipping / duties / etc will be roughly the same for all suggestions.

The original OP, Tomas, will know what those additional costs are for his country and include them in his decision.

 

[tomaas]

Thanks so much for this! I appreciate the interest and discussion.

 

[cotedupy]

My answer here is probably going to be fairly predictable... I really like Blenheim Forge knives, and the Nakiri is probably actually my favourite of the ones I have. Pull the trigger!

(FWIW- it also has a bit more of a curve to it than some other Nakiris I think.)

 

[tomaas]

Nakiri I are fun to use at home. And there's a reason the Wat is the standard by which others are judged. Why not have the best?

In the end I went with the Watanabe kurouchi nakiri 180mm and am so very happy with it.