Japanese Chef Knives
Types of Chef knives – A Quick look at the Japanese Chef Knives
Unless you are really into cooking as a profession, you probably think that all knives are the same. They have a handle and they cut things, nothing more nothing less. Well that’s what I thought until my friend who is currently studying the culinary arts at his university decided to tell me about the different types of knives that chef’s use and there history. It seemed boring at first; I mean let’s face it, nobody cares about the history of knives. That is until he begun to tell me about Japanese Chef Knives. Wait one second! What! The Japanese make chef knives? Having been to Japan I took an interest on the subject.
From what I learned chef knives are also called French knives, and they are usually multi-functional for almost all kitchens. They may be use for the following purposes:
• Dicing
• Cutting meats
• Smashing garlic
• Slicing
• Chopping vegetables
• Mincing
One the best knives out there is the Japanese chef knife; also known as the gyuto it has many different edges in comparison to the knives made in the west. The Japanese also went a step further and made their knife out of a harder steel which makes it more innovative than those manufactured in the western hemisphere.
When choosing a chef knife be it Japanese chef knife or regular Western chef knife one needs to take some key points into consideration. The materials that make up knives fall into two main headings the sharp edge and the handle.
1. Sharp edge or Blades - these can be made out of carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, ceramic or laminated. You may be wondering how and why this is important. Apparently they affect the way how food is prepared and ease of maintenance. For example if you need a knife for filleting then you want a titanium knife. Because it is lighter, can maintain its edge and more resistant to wear and tear.
2. The Handle – these can be made out of wood, plastic, rubber, micarta, leather and stainless steel. We can all safely agree that the handle material will affect how easy/hard it is to hold the knife. Case in point; if you have a wooden knife handle you will find that it is easy to hold but not easily maintained, plus over time it may break. Compare that to a knife with a plastic handle, sure you can maintain it easily, however, they may prove a challenge to use especially if your hands are wet.
Well this lesson on knives has enlightened me to the fact that to a chef a knife isn’t just a knife. That there are produced in different countries and that the West has now taken an interest in Japanese chef knives. So for that cooking guru in your family this could very be a perfect gift for them.