Yearly tax return: what would you buy?

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Panamapeet

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I am quite a fanatical home cook, based in the Netherlands (EU). I love experimenting with new techniques, cuisines, equipment etc. Since about a year I have totally fallen (probably very familiar for all of us here).

I currently have a Takamura R2 210, Shiro Kamo 240 in AS, Toyama 300 suji, Itinomonn 180 nakiri, a 210 Fujiwara Maboroshi and a 135 blue 2 petty I picked up in Japan.

I have also picked up sharpening, which I’m getting better at every time I sharpen a knife. I have slowly invested in nice stones and am currently using the following line-up: Atoma 140 – JNS 300 – JNS 800 – JNS Synthetic Red Aoto – JNS 6000. It may sound a bit weird, but after sitting at a desk and working 12 hours a day, working with my hands feels quite relaxing and rewarding.

Now why am I telling you all this? As a result of the yearly tax return I will run into a bit of money (about € 1.000), and I really want to just spend this money and buy some nice things knife and stone related for myself. Since you all have way more experience and knowledge than me, I would like to ask you what you would buy if you were me. Basically, the amount of choices are so overwhelming, that I don’t know that to do.

I have thought of a few things to do:
1. Venture into single bevel knives and buy a deba and/or yanagiba that I can use for breaking down chickens and (slicing) sashimi, which I occasionally do
2. Buy a natural stone that complements my current stones (but I should really do some more research before I buy any)
3. Buy a really really really nice knife (Shig, Kato, custom, a honyaki)
 
I like the JNS 800 (and the rest of your stones) but find I use it for refinishing the blade face more than actual sharpening. Perhaps a 1 or 2K stone for your line-up?

If you only occasionally slice sashimi, I suggest using your suji for the task. It will work almost as well as a Yani and be more versatile. A Deba is a fun knife to have for breaking down fish and more than one has been used on chickens. The Honesuki is better knife for chicken but ill suited for anything but poultry.

A Usaba would be a nice knife to have in your kit. Peeling vegs, ken cuts, , are all fun tasks with a Usaba - definitely not in the "need" category but a knife I like a lot. 0

A custom is also nice to have. If I was on that side of the pond I would look at Catchside for something special.

A nice board also merits consideration.
 
Just as an aside... but do you already have a pass to shop at Sligro & Hanos? Otherwise I'd spend 50 euro's (one-time investment), find a friend, and start a 'cooking association' (vereniging), so you can shop at wholesalers. Might want to get a good freezer as well. Was the best thing I ever did for my cooking.

Regarding the single bevels... I wouldn't get one for breaking down chickens. That's what honesukis are for... which are best bought in a double-bevel version. Certainly nice to have, though not absolutely necessary. It can be done with almost every kind of boning knife, petty or even chef knife, so I'd only get one if you take down poultry on a regular basis.

Can't really comment about the rest. If I was in your position (with your lineup) I'd probably go for a 180 petty...but that's simply because I do quite a bit of meatwork and it's on my list. So that might not make any sense for you.
 
Wait with spending your money on a knife untill you run into that 'need'/desire to buy a particular knife. Just keep reading the forum, it won't take long... ;)

As you enjoy sharpening, trying a Jnat will be a fun experience. I wouldn't read too much, just get into contact with vendors known for their good advice...
 
I like the JNS 800 (and the rest of your stones) but find I use it for refinishing the blade face more than actual sharpening. Perhaps a 1 or 2K stone for your line-up?

If you only occasionally slice sashimi, I suggest using your suji for the task. It will work almost as well as a Yani and be more versatile. A Deba is a fun knife to have for breaking down fish and more than one has been used on chickens. The Honesuki is better knife for chicken but ill suited for anything but poultry.

A Usaba would be a nice knife to have in your kit. Peeling vegs, ken cuts, , are all fun tasks with a Usaba - definitely not in the "need" category but a knife I like a lot. 0

A custom is also nice to have. If I was on that side of the pond I would look at Catchside for something special.

A nice board also merits consideration.

Thanks for your thoughts. You're right about the JNS 800, any recommendations for such a stone?

Would you use an usuba to slice veggies like you would a nakiri? Or only softer vegetables since the edge is probably a bit weaker than that of a double beveled knife?

Just as an aside... but do you already have a pass to shop at Sligro & Hanos? Otherwise I'd spend 50 euro's (one-time investment), find a friend, and start a 'cooking association' (vereniging), so you can shop at wholesalers. Might want to get a good freezer as well. Was the best thing I ever did for my cooking.

Regarding the single bevels... I wouldn't get one for breaking down chickens. That's what honesukis are for... which are best bought in a double-bevel version. Certainly nice to have, though not absolutely necessary. It can be done with almost every kind of boning knife, petty or even chef knife, so I'd only get one if you take down poultry on a regular basis.

Can't really comment about the rest. If I was in your position (with your lineup) I'd probably go for a 180 petty...but that's simply because I do quite a bit of meatwork and it's on my list. So that might not make any sense for you.

I have a Sligro card yes :). A 180 petty is also an interesting thought. Do you have anything in mind for yourself already?
 
Thanks for your thoughts. You're right about the JNS 800, any recommendations for such a stone?

Would you use an usuba to slice veggies like you would a nakiri? Or only softer vegetables since the edge is probably a bit weaker than that of a double beveled knife?

With the rest of your line-up the JNS1000 makes sense. I have the JNS 1200, now discontinued, and will frequently go from 300 (if needed) to 1200 to synthetic red aoto to finish gyuto or step to a natural for carbon or single bevel finish.

You can use Usaba to thinly slice most veggies, just use some common sense. Be gentle on the board. No torque. Not the knife of choice for hard squash.
 
I like Riba's advice. Might modify it to 'go through lists of knife typs to see which one would be most useful to you'. So for example, for me it made lots of sense to get a honesuki because I take apart ten's of chickens every year. But for someone who always buys prefiletted chicken or doesn't eat it, a honesuki makes no sense. Likewise, I never do any Japanese style cooking, never do sashimi (or raw fish at all), and don't have the patience for fancy Japanese style decorative cutting and garnishes, so it makes fairly little sense for me to rush out and get a single-bevel knife. The few fishes I do fillet I can do just as well with a cheapo western fillet knife.

Regarding the petty. I occasionally buy bigger parts of untrimmed meat (longhaas, bloemstuk, procureur, hele lendes) and found that my ultra cheap fillet knife actually is great for trimming meats... if a bit too flexible and of ****** steel. So a thin laser-style petty with a low profile would be ideal for me. Think 'small suji' instead of the taller 'small gyuto' you sometimes see. So that would narrow it down to one of the Sakai brands. Think Ashi/Gesshin Ginga, Konosuke, Suisin inox honyaki, Sakai Yusuke.... or something along those lines. JCK also sells a stainless version under their home-brand (Fu Rin Ka Zan). Personally I'd prefer a version in white steel so I can turn it into a long scalpel as quickly and easily as possible. :)

But again, that's a specific solution to a specific desire / usecase. Might not make as much sense for you. Some might also prefer a 150 petty (I guess more versatile in general use?).
I also like Dave's recommendation of a good cutting board if you don't already have one. Since you already have a lot of bases covered in your knife collection it might make sense to also look a bit further.
 
Unless you have a problems with Germans (ha, you never know [emoji6]) do yourself a favor and buy a Xerxes knife.... won't regret it, I promise. It certainly is a better bang for your buck than a Shig (yes, I went there and said it.... sue me Australia LOL)
 
If I were smart, I would buy everything I would need to make my own knives. Countless time and money spent on buying and sharpening knives.
 
As people's tax refunds start coming in, I wouldn't expect the Gengetsu knives to last very long.
 
Get yourself a nice finisher if you are thinking of jnat that slots in with your stones or an Aizu or Ikarashi to occasionally finish on instead of the JNS6k. Hold out for Kato 180mm petty or if you like you Maboroshi, get a Denka
 
Get yourself a nice finisher if you are thinking of jnat that slots in with your stones or an Aizu or Ikarashi to occasionally finish on instead of the JNS6k. Hold out for Kato 180mm petty or if you like you Maboroshi, get a Denka

I contacted jns and jki today :). Any suggestions for other trusted vendors of jnats?

As people's tax refunds start coming in, I wouldn't expect the Gengetsu knives to last very long.

Yes they are already on my radar... but EU VAT and import duties are a b*tch...

Unless you have a problems with Germans (ha, you never know [emoji6]) do yourself a favor and buy a Xerxes knife.... won't regret it, I promise. It certainly is a better bang for your buck than a Shig (yes, I went there and said it.... sue me Australia LOL)

Thanks, I will look into this! What's so great about these knives in your opinion?
 
Sounds like a "buy a $200 version of whatever single bevel interests you most, and once you learned handling it, use the saved money for a honkasumi or honyaki version".

I'd be tempted, too, by Hinoura's damascus if I had that kind of money to just spend :)
 
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