Shorter bunka knives are great for chopping vegetables and herbs, as well as cutting smaller pieces of meat and fish. Longer bunkas are great for vegetables as well, but even more suitable for taking apart larger pieces of meat, cutting anything from steaks and roasts to slicing sashimi and sushi rolls!
Similar to the Santoku knife, the Bunka knife is best for chopping, dicing and mincing food such as meat, fish and vegetables. The sharp, thin blade combined with the Bunka's straight cutting edge makes it the ideal tool for executing swift clean cuts in an up-and-down motion or using a tap-chop or a push-cut.
Anatomy of a Bunka Knife
This tip features in another traditional Japanese knife, called the kiritsuke knife. Unlike the single-bevel kiritsuke, however, the bunka is designed with a double bevel, which makes it both easier to sharpen and more versatile.
The Santoku shape has a “sheep's foot” geometry while the Bunka has a “K-Tip,” which is short for kiritsuke tip. The shared characteristic is that the tip of the knife is generally smaller and is the longest as it gets closer to the board.
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades. The Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife, handcrafted in Japan, is Bobby Flay's recommendation for the best chef's knife. He's talked about the Shun brand many times, and says he uses this particular knife for most everything.
The Best Celeb Chef's Knife: Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The knife that topped our testing is Bobby Flay's favorite, the Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The heft and comfort of the handle, sharpness of the blade, and overall balanced proportions made it stand out against the others.
That's how I landed on this golden oldie on Reddit: Anthony Bourdain talking about and using his favorite knife, the Global G-2 Chef's Knife.
Bunka in Japanese literally translates to “culture”.
Nakiri: The primary use of a nakiri knife is for vegetable preparation – it's not meant to be used for meat or other ingredients. Bunka: Also more of a general-purpose kitchen knife, more like a santoku knife, but with added capability for tasks that require finesse and precision.
Why is kiritsuke difficult to use? The Kiritsuke knife requires precision and control due to its long, straight blade and angled tip. It's typically used by experienced chefs for complex cuts.
The ko-bunka is a smaller take on the popular bunka knife, allowing for some in hand cutting as well as nimble chopping and slicing of smaller items on the board, this knife is truly a versatile utility knife. Handcrafted in Seki, Japan with a lifetime warranty.
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.
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.
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.
The Torii Signifies the Gateway to Sacred Ground. So Make a Bow Before Passing Through. At the entranceway to most shrines stands a large gate called a torii.
Artists have long used kirigami (from the Japanese kiri meaning cut and kami meaning paper), a less heralded cousin of origami, to create everything from pop-up cards to castles.
Bunka is a form of Japanese embroidery done with a punch needle and a flexible chain stitched thread. The special rayon thread or cord used is known as Kayo, although outside of Japan it is most often sold as "bunka thread." It is similar to the material used to make decorative tassels and graduation tassels.
Bunka (文化, culture) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. 'year name') after Kyōwa and before Bunsei. The period spanned the years from January 1804 to April 1818.
Nakiri are vegetable knives, though they can be used to slice meat and fish, too. While they can handle sturdy produce like sweet potatoes and honeynut squash, super thick-skinned produce (lookin' at you, kabocha) is best avoided lest you chip the blade.
What is a Kiritsuke knife best for? 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. However, it is not a substitute for a Chef's Knife or the Gyuto, and should not be treated like one.
According to MasterClass, Ramsay prefers Henckels knives, which are a German style brand. As Acit Group states, German style chef's knives are noted for their bulky blades that are tough enough to handle the likes of chicken bones owing to their extra heft.
Description: Julia Child called this 20-inch-long knife, with its serrated, stainless steel blade and rosewood handle, her “fright” knife. She wielded it in several of her early, televised cooking shows to great comic effect, memorably tapping each of the “Chicken Sisters” with its blade (“Miss Broiler! Miss Fryer!