[2024] How to use a knife
I am Okudaira, the owner of "Japanese Kitchen Knife TOKU''.
We want to sell knives made in our hometown of Sakai, Osaka, so we purchase and sell knives made in Sakai from a knife manufacturer in Sakai.
We don't just sell knives, we visit a number of blacksmiths and bladesmiths in Sakai to help our customers understand knives, experience the actual work, and hear from the craftsmen. I'm here. In addition to Sakai, we also visit Seki in Gifu, Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata, Tanegashima in Kagoshima and Katsushika in Tokyo, in an effort to deepen our understanding of the characteristics and commitment of each.
How to use a knife
Do you know the correct way to use a knife?
Some of you may be thinking, "Of course I already know that."
But think about it for a moment. How did you learn how to use a knife, either at school or from your parents?
Haven't you only been taught to "Hold the knife in your right hand and make a fist with your left hand, fingers facing inwards, to hold the ingredients down and cut?"
So, what is the correct way to move a knife?
From top to bottom? Move it forward? Pull it towards you?
The correct way to cut is to move the knife back and forth.
In old TV dramas and movies, when a mother is cooking in the kitchen, do you remember her tapping the knife on the cutting board? In this image, the knife would only make a tapping sound if it was moving up and down and hitting the cutting board, right? However, this is incorrect in terms of the correct way to move a knife, and I imagine that in TV dramas and movies, it is easy to convey that the mother is cooking if the knife is tapped on the cutting board, so it is created that way.
However, this image may have spread the mistaken understanding that a knife is used by tapping it on a cutting board.
As we mentioned earlier, knives are cut by moving them back and forth, which means that if you cut by moving them back and forth, you won't hear a tapping sound.
In reality, each knife has its own appropriate use.
What about the Santoku knife, which is probably used by many of you?
When cutting carrots or radishes, start cutting from the tip of the blade and push forward to cut. If pushing forward alone is not enough to cut, pull it towards you and cut with a back and forth motion.
The same applies when cutting a block of meat or steak.
How about a deba knife?
When cutting off the head of a sea bream or horse mackerel, you also cut all the way to the bone by moving back and forth along the pectoral fin.
To remove the bones, insert the knife blade between the bones and move it back and forth to cut the bones.
How about a sashimi knife?
When preparing sashimi from filleted fish, the correct way to use a yanagiba knife is to pull the blade from the base to the tip. With a yanagiba knife, it is important to use the length from the base to the tip to cut in one go, so even for a household knife, a blade length of around 210 mm is required.
So, so far, how do you use your own knives?
Were you using it correctly?
If you don't use a knife properly, it won't cut cleanly no matter how sharp you sharpen it.
Even if you try to cut a tomato with a sharp knife by pressing it from top to bottom, you won't be able to cut it cleanly. I think the way you use a knife can change the taste of the food, so please use your knife correctly to enjoy delicious food.
Let's go to a knife store!
If you don't understand it until you see it, go to a knife store and try holding a knife. However, most stores do not allow you to try cutting the knife, so you cannot check the sharpness before purchasing.
"Japanese Kitchen Knife TOKU'' does not have a store, but we set up stalls at events, so please feel free to stop by if we have one in your area.If there is no knife specialty store nearby, it is a good idea to purchase from an online knife specialty store.
"Japanese Kitchen Knife TOKU'' has posted a video showing the actual cutting process, so please use it as reference.