Top 10 Best Custom Damascus Knives For All Recipes

Japanese kitchen knives are perfect for cutting food and preparing any dish to perfection. Born for oriental cuisine, today they are used by chefs around the world for their great precision, reliability, and resistance. Like chef's knives, Japanese knives include several models designed to cut and process different groups of food. In this guide, we see which are the best Japanese kitchen knives, what are types, and how to choose them according to the type of food to be prepared.

The best and most sophisticated Japanese kitchen knives are made of durable materials such as Damascus steel and worked with the ancient techniques that make the knife not only sharp but also resistant for many years. Thanks to their characteristics, these knives are used in professional kitchens and are perfect to be used at home by those who love cooking and are sensitive to researching and preparing dishes in an impeccable way. Also, if they are cleaned and stored with proper care they will not need to be sharpened for a long time.

 The cutting of the food is very important and it is different depending on the cuisine that we are going to do. In addition, cutting food into slices or chunks with the appropriate blade allows for better preserving its qualities. For example, filleting fish or cleaning fruit and vegetables with the right knife means, first of all, not spoiling the food and preparing it for cooking the right way. Chopping the toughest vegetables like carrots and potatoes, or chopping meat for the stew will become a very easy operation without relying on food processors.

 Buying Japanese knives means, therefore, buying high-quality products that last for years, add value to our table and help us improve the recipes and the presentation of the dishes.

Japanese kitchen types and features.

• Cut. 

One of the most important aspects of Japanese kitchen knives is that the blade has a sharp cut on only one side. If you hold the knife in your hand, the left side of the blade is not sharpened, so your left hand can handle the knife more safely than normal knives.

• Leaf.

 The most common material used in Japanese knives is steel or Damascus steel. The steel is worked with special techniques to be bent dozens of times in order to obtain a strong and durable blade, almost indestructible. Japanese knife blades do not corrode, rust, or warp. The weight of the knives is greater than that of common knives, this favors the precision of the movements, without the need to force by hand.

Types of Japanese knives.

As mentioned, there are different types of Japanese knives, let's see which ones are the most useful in the kitchen and for which foods they are best suited.

• Santoku.

Japanese santoku knives are the most common and the most used. The main reason is that they are suitable for cutting vegetables, meat and fish, so they are very versatile. Their shape is very similar to that of Western knives, so they are easy to use even by those who are not familiar with Japanese knives.

• Nakiri.

Nakiri knives are wide blade knives, perfect for cutting vegetables and fruits. The shape of the leaf is not smooth, but it has small cells, which prevent the vegetables from sticking to the leaf while they are being cut or chopped.

• Sujihiki.

The Sujihiki, unlike other Japanese knives, has a sharp blade on both sides. This allows more experienced chefs to slice and cut faster.

• Yanagiba.

Japanese Yanagiba knives are specific for making sushi and sashimi. Therefore, they are perfect for filleting and cutting both raw and cooked fish, even in Western recipes, because they have a delicate and precise cut. The Yanagiba is lighter than other Japanese knives.