Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Selecting Nakiri Knives

Chris Amirault

By Chris Amirault
in Kitchen Consumer

 Share

Recommended Posts

scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

I see that at JCK they are now listing an additional line they call "Inazuma": the styling is more traditional, and they use a different steel. Does anyone know anything about 19C27 steel, and how it compares to the VG10 in their Gekko line?

Chris, check out Gators website on Japanese knives and steel composition and resource information.

http://zknives.com/index.shtml

"19C27 - Sandvik steel, very pure alloy. Popular with Japanese knifemakers, referred simply as Swedish steel. Often seen in Japanese kitchen knives, where it is hardened in the range of 62-64HRC.

Alternate designations: 19C27(Sandvik)."

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

I'm a lefty and need the double-beveled edge of the nakiri.

OK, so why not a kamagata nakiri??

(That's what I wanted to ask in a previous post of mine!)

An example of kamagata nakiri can be found here. Scroll all the way down to the last photo, and you will see a Shigefusa kamagata nakiri.

I am the proud owner of a Shigefusa nakiri and a Shigefusa kitaeji petty knife as I mentioned here. They are both great!

My blog
Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

That seems like a great option! I hadn't ever knowingly seen one of those before.

Kamagata (sickle-shaped) nakiri are nothing new; even Kaijirushi (Kai in the United States) makes them, like this one.

By the way, I found that your nakiri is listed here in the shop's website.

The one in the photo doesn't look like yours, but the description is exactly the same.

Now, let's see your nakiri in action!

My blog
Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

Posted
Posted

I love getting mail from Japan:

1 of 1 - Nakiri.jpg

This is the Inazuma Nakiri from JCK. It comes pretty sharp out of the box, so I don't know that I'll bother sharpening it right away. Off to make dinner to see how it performs!

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

Dakki

Dakki

Posted
Posted

Those are some handsome knives. Congratulations to both managers named "Chris"!

This is my skillet. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My skillet is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life. Without me my skillet is useless. Without my skillet, I am useless. I must season my skillet well. I will. Before God I swear this creed. My skillet and myself are the makers of my meal. We are the masters of our kitchen. So be it, until there are no ingredients, but dinner. Amen.

  • 2 weeks later...
Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

Posted
Posted

Richard, so far I'm very, very happy with the aesthetics of the knife, but still adapting my cooking to to the different blade shape. I've cooked with a standard Chef's knife my whole life, some of the habits I built up don't work when the blade is so wide at the end.

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Absolutely. I get tempted to rock and roll with that rounded-end nakiri and it just doesn't work the same. Best to adjust technique to the thin, sharp blade and use that long, straight edge to your advantage.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

  • 2 weeks later...
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I just sharpened the two nakiris I have and noticed that the new one is a much softer steel. It's now as sharp as any knife I've ever had, too. Makes me think I want to stick to very strict vegetable, fruit, and boned meat use. Does anyone have any information about the steel in it?

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

I just sharpened the two nakiris I have and noticed that the new one is a much softer steel. It's now as sharp as any knife I've ever had, too. Makes me think I want to stick to very strict vegetable, fruit, and boned meat use. Does anyone have any information about the steel in it?

Do you want to know the hardness of your powder HSS Damascus blade? And, the exact composition of the steel? If you post any specific questions you want to ask, I can send the shop another inquiry.

My blog
Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

That would be terrific. Thanks.

Sorry, no reply from Tsubaya up to now.

Got a reply from them just now.

It says that they checked with Kappabashi Tsubaya, which said that they would send an inquiry to the factory (plant?, workshop?), so that a reply would be sent next week.

My blog
Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

A summary of the long reply from the factory:

Alloy ingredients: Carbon, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, etc.

Hardness: Approx. 63

My blog
  • 8 months later...
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Belated thanks for this, Hiroyuki.

I will again state that this knife is a godsend. However, due to it getting a small nick from careless washing, it is now the one knife in the house that may only be touched by me. I'm thinking of going the Nigel Tufnel route and instituting a "no pointing, no looking" policy....

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

  • 5 months later...
paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted

So as a very happy multi-purpose user of a Tojiro DP 240mm gyutou, what might I use a nakiri for?

Some people like the compact size of a nakiri. It's a popular style among Japanese home cooks in very small kitchens. Think of it as the precursor to the santoku. It does nothing that you can't do with a gyuto, and it does nothing better. The reverse is not true.

Notes from the underbelly

 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...