All of these types of Kiritsuke have less blade curvature / 'belly' than the the typical Gyuto, making them less ideal for 'rock chopping', but better suited to 'push cutting' and 'pull cutting'.
The Kiritsuke is best for cutting vegetables and slicing fish, just like the Usuba and the Yanagiba. It can also be used to thinly slice or portion boneless proteins, such as chicken.
The kiritsuke knife is a Japanese style slicing knife that is used mainly for thinly slicing fish, vegetables, and fruit, using push/pull cutting. It is traditionally only used by executive chefs because of its difficulty of use and significance as a symbol of status in the kitchen.
The single bevel knives have a ridiculously thick spine which makes using them more difficult due to the added heft. Also since the kiritsuke is a multi-purpose knife, the flat cutting edge can make slicing meats more challenging to the uninitiated.
You can use aGyuto knife to cut, chop, slice, and dice vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. You can even use it to disjoint meat cuts. The Gyuto has a sharper tip that is normally more curved than the Santoku, making rock-cutting motions easier.
Japanese cleavers are excellent for cutting vegetables and proteins, thanks to their weight and thin edges. However, they are not meant for butchery. Avoid cutting through bones to prevent damaging the steel blade and to keep your knives sharp.
What Kitchen Knives Do I Need? As mentioned, if you had to buy one knife, make it a chef's knife. These versatile blades are good for chopping and slicing, and you can even break down a chicken with them.
In Japan, the Kiritsuke is considered a multi-purpose tool suitable for most kitchen tasks including cutting vegetables or meats.
If precision and specialized tasks are your focus, a Kiritsuke might be the right choice. However, for versatility and everyday kitchen tasks, a Santoku knife offers ease of use and efficiency. Whether you choose the Kiritsuke knife or the Santoku knife, you will elevate your kitchen capabilities.
The kiritsuke yanagiba is designed for three primary cutting methods: push-cutting , pull-cutting, and chopping. Push-cutting works well for thin slices of sushi-grade fish, while pull-cutting is ideal for long vegetables like cucumbers. Use chopping for denser foods such as root vegetables.
Kiritsuke Knife Uses and Versatility
Although it takes some practice when you first use the Kiritsuke, this multi-purpose kitchen knife excels at precision cutting, slicing thin slices, dicing, filleting and julienne.
They only really significantly differ in their length, as what we call a bunka typically isn't longer than 200mm (7.9 inches), while we usually find kiritsuke knives somewhere in the 210-240mm (8.3-9.4 inches) category, though some can also reach the 270mm (10.6 inches) mark.
The Santoku knife is a multipurpose knife because of which it must have a tall and clean edge. The higher edge creates more space between the food and the blade, resulting in cleaner and more defined slices. You can effortlessly use santoku knives for slicing sushi and vegetables.
Knife Blade's Thickness – 2.5mm.
The Santoku knife is an all purpose Japanese knife, adept at slicing, dicing, and mincing. The name santoku means 'three virtues' for the knife's ability to cut fish, meat and vegetables equally well.
For slicing meat — whether breaking down an entire animal, cutting steaks, or turning a whole fish into fillets for grilled king salmon — you need a butcher knife. These blades come in different styles built for different tasks, but at least one should be on your list of essential kitchen knives.
A Kiritsuke is a cross between a Yanagi and an Usuba. A Yanagi is typically used to slice raw fish for sushi and an Usuba is intended for vegetables. Most Kiritsuke designs retain a single bevel, although double bevel Kiritsukes are becoming more popular.
There are a few knives that can cut through bone. Other than the cleaver, the most common knife used for cutting through bone is the standard butcher knife. In fact, the terms "butcher knife" and "cleaver" are often interchanged by casual users.
Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades.
A large chef's knife is ideal for chopping and dicing, while a paring knife is better suited for peeling and slicing small fruits and vegetables. A serrated knife is perfect for cutting through tough bread crusts or delicate items such as tomatoes.