Stepping up to a bigger blade

[paulraphael]

About a year ago I bought a 240mm gyuto (about 9-1/2 inches) by Hiromoto. It's a great knife that I've enjoyed using. But a funny thing happened. Gradually the knife started training me to use different cutting techniques, and partly because of this, it started to feel too small. I never imagined this would happen, since I've used 8" chef's knives happily for years.

I decided to try a 270mm (10-1/2 inch) version of the same knife. I was worried that it would be poorly balanced or that it would be unwieldy for tip work ... I want to be able to use use it for garlic and shallots and other small things.

Well, I picked it up, started to cut with it, and couldn't believe how great it was. Where had you been all my life?? It was the perfect size. No unwieldiness. And the extra blade made me so much more efficient. I also realized that I like a slighlty heavier knife. The 270 in this model is 2 oz heavier than the 240 ... not much, but it just feels better in my hand. Many people love the lightness of a thin gyuto, but the 240 was so light that it always felt like it might fly away. The result was that I overgripped it. With the 270, I'm comfortable holding it lightly. The knife does the work ; my hand is just along for the ride.

On saturday I made 3 quarts of salsa by hand, gratuitously brunoising the tomatoes. I wanted to do more! It was over too quickly.

I don't know if how many people would have the same experience, but I'd urge anyone to try a knife in this size. I couldn't believe the difference it made.

[scubadoo97]

Paul, I agree that the 270mm gyuto is not all that much bigger than the 240mm and with a pinch grip I find it is a very nice size for a lot of kitchen work. I have also enjoyed my recent purchase of a 210mm and 165mm carbon kiritsuki knife. I thought the smaller size was going to be a problem but they all seem to have their place in the kitchen. Bottom line is that they are all fun to use as long as they are sharp. hehe

I forgot to mention that a 300mm gyuto is not the beast I thougth it was. I purchased a 300mm Hiromoto HC gyuto a while back and was very hesitant. Now it is kind of large but has it's place in the kitchen as well.

Edited August 25, 2008 by scubadoo97 (log)

[paulraphael]

What do you like the kiritsuki for? What does it do better than the longer gyutos? I mean, besides look so much more badass.

[scubadoo97]

The kiritsuki is like a santoku, flat blade with no belly but with a nice angled tip. One thing I don't like about the santoku is the lack of a pointed tip. Many kiritsukis are single edged. Mine are slightly asymetric but not a single edge.

[phatj]

Heh - I was worried the 240mm gyuto would be too big. I could probably use a 270mm but I'd need a bigger cutting board.

[paulraphael]

Heh - I was worried the 240mm gyuto would be too big. I could probably use a 270mm but I'd need a bigger cutting board.

←

The other night I cooked dinner at a friend's house and brought my 270. One of her cutting boards was made of glass (Ack!), and the other was wood, but measured about 5x8 inches. Which was actually ok in one sense, because there wasn't room for anything bigger on the counter.

To my surprise, it wasn't all that hard to work on the wee board. Lack of counter space was a worse problem than the big knife. My only concern was trying to keep the blade from banging into things like the dish drying rack and the coffee maker.

I didn't need to do anything like mince a big pile of herbs, luckily. But basic things like chopping an onion were easier than they'd have been with a small knife. Just being able to make the horizontal cuts with one slice instead of sawing back and forth ... that kind of thing.

[Octaveman]

Phatj, what size board do you have? I agree with Paul in that the 270 on an average sized board is not a problem. Certainly a large board gives you more breathing room but it's not necessary to do general stuff. I have a 12x14 board I find myself useing more often than my 18x24 and my 270's don't pose any issues. The larger board though gives more room for the cut up food so I can go from veggie to veggie without first clearing the board. A larger board does have it's advantages.

Honestly, if you have a 240 there is no need to also have a 270 as it's too close in size to justify IMHO. Paul sold his 240 and bought a 270 so that is an option if you think you'd want to go larger.