Most modern homes nowadays have a more keen sense of utility and aesthetics when it comes to their home tools and appliances. And believe it or not, the same goes for knives, which can go two ways: Western or Japanese.
Most homes go for Western-style knives, which feature honed blade edges on both surfaces of the blades. This edge type is also known as the double-ground or double-edged or double-beveled blade. It has a tougher blade design than traditional Japanese knives’ single-edged blade, making western-style cooking knives ideal for any kitchen.
Japanese makers’ innovations greatly aid these irregularly beveled sides in steel-making, tempering, and edge crafting. Meanwhile, lower standard steel will not hold this tilted edge design, and it would quickly dull, and a knife formed with less versatility would chip or break when polished so thinly.
Most Western knives available on the market these days feature a 50:50, or symmetry “V”-shaped blades that are sharpened from both sides in the same way. However, even though 50:50 edges are easy to sharpen, most contemporary Western-style knives are honed to a narrower, asymmetrical edge. In addition, sharpening is concentrated on the front of the blades at a shallow angle than on the rear side, resulting in a narrow cutting edge that matches the quality of the classic single-edged blade.
Here are some of the varieties of knives you might see on the market:
Gyuto
The Gyuto is just a multipurpose chef’s knife, and it is useful for creating Western food while it may cut meat, fish, and vegetables. Japanese chef knives are lighter and thinner, with a sharper blade that lasts longer than other chef knives.
Sujihiki
A Sujihiki is made for slicing and designed specifically to slice boneless fish steaks. It is also great for cutting boneless meats, hams, and chicken breasts. The blade’s low height produces less friction while slicing, and it smoothly cuts across meat and fish. Moreover, the Sujihiki is the Westernised version of traditional Yanagi knives.
Yo-Deba
As one of the western-style cooking knives, Yo-Deba is a variant of the Traditional Japanese Deba. It is a bulky chicken butcher in Melbourne knife that is used to chop into bones and moderately frozen food.
Santoku
The santoku, which means “three virtues,” is a knife named for its versatility to readily deal with meat, vegetables, and fish. In addition, the santoku’s high profile makes it ideal for small kitchens and maintains the knuckles far above the chopping board.
Garasuki
The Garasuki, like the Honesuki, is a big chicken boning knife. Its origins may be traced back to specialty chicken restaurants, and it is often employed to break down entire birds. However, you may utilize it for other applications that demand heavy knife labor and a shorter blade owing to its weight and thickness.
Honesuki
The Honesuki is a boning knife for chicken that is used to remove the flesh from the bone. It is thinner and lighter than Garasuki that can be used instead of Western boning knives.
Nakiri
It is a veggie chopping knife with a Western-style dual ground blade that is easy to sharpen. The boxy form is inspired by the traditional Japanese Usuba knife, which is also used for cutting and creating Katsuramuki-style veggie sheets.
Hankotsu
Made as a boning knife, it is used to remove meat from bones rather than to cut apart bones. When boning, frenching, and trimming, the cutting depth and upright grip make it easy to manage.
Whatever knife you choose to buy for your kitchen needs, the most important is how you will properly clean, sharpen, and ensure that silverware lasts and is enjoyable to use. Also, ensure your knives are properly stored. As such, magnetic strips, knife blocks, and plastic edge protectors are inexpensive ways to preserve delicate knife edges.
Author Bio:
Ester Adams is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.
