What is a Japanese all purpose knife called?

Author: Prof. Alisha Kunze  |  Last update: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Santoku / Multipurpose Santoku, which means 'three virtues' in Japanese, are all-purpose Japanese chef knives with a taller blade profile than a gyutou. Its three virtues are the knife's ability to cut fish, meat and vegetables.

What is the Japanese all-purpose knife?

The Santoku knife (which translates to "three virtues") is a widely-used multi-purpose knife, used to cut vegetables, meat, and fish. This knife type is generally flatter and shorter than the gyuto knife, with a less sharply-pointed tip.

What is the most versatile Japanese knife?

A gyuto is one of the most versatile knives because it can be used with vegetables, fish, and meat. It resembles a Western-style chef's knife, with a rounded blade that lets you rock the knife while chopping, but it's a bit longer and not as tall.

What is a Japanese utility knife called?

PETTY (Paring/Utility knife)

Petty knife, sometimes also referred to as paring or utility, is a smaller version of the Gyuto (Chef's knife), and is used for all sorts of delicate tasks where a larger knife would be unwieldy.

What knife is used for all purposes?

This all-purpose knife is ideal for peeling and other small tasks. A chef's knife is usually 15 and 30 cm or 6 and 12 inches long. The chef's knife is the most commonly used knife in the kitchen for all kinds of tasks.

Top 7 ESSENTIAL Japanese Kitchen Knives for 2022

Which knife is best for everything?

If you want a multi-purpose knife for cutting larger quantities of meat, fish and vegetables, Gyuto (Chef's knife) or Bunka are an excellent choice. If you prefer a bit shorter blade type, Santoku knives are the way to go.

What is the universal knife?

Universal KnivesWe have learned that Asians do not eat bread or cheese and therefore neither need bread knives nor cheese knives. Now there is a PanoramaKnife for those who already have everything. A little bit bigger than the usual kitchen knife and therefore ideal for anything that needs cutting.

What is another name for a Japanese knife?

Most knives are referred to as hōchō (Japanese: 包丁/庖丁) or the variation -bōchō in compound words (because of rendaku) but can have other names including -kiri (〜切り, lit. "-cutter").

What is a Hori knife?

A hori-hori, sometimes referred to as a "soil knife" or a "weeding knife", is a heavy serrated multi-purpose steel blade for gardening jobs such as digging or cutting. The blade is sharp on both sides and comes to a semi-sharp point at the end. A hori-hori or weeding knife.

What is the sharpest Japanese knife in the world?

If you're looking for a really sharp knife, you should take Aogami Super knife into consideration. It is the sharpest and longest lasting sharpness Japanese knife.

What should you not cut with a Japanese knife?

All cuts on frozen foods are strictly forbidden. The hard blade of your Japanese knife will not resist well the hardness of the frozen ingredient. Our suggestion: Use a special knife designed specifically for frozen foods, or use a thick blade of an old knife that you do not use that much anymore.

What is the best general purpose Japanese knife?

The best all-round Japanese chef's knife is a Santoku knife. A Santoku is a multi-purpose knife that is adept at cutting a range of foods which include meat, fish, and vegetables, and its name can be translated to 'three virtues', which means it's suitable for mincing, slicing, and dicing for full versatility of use.

What is an all-purpose knife?

A utility knife is generally six inches long and works well for slicing fruit, tender pieces of meat, or sandwiches. As the “knife of all trades,” it's a handy go-to for the everyday chef.

What is a garasuki?

The Garasuki is a heavier and more substantial version of the traditional Honesuki, a Japanese boning knife designed specifically for poultry.

What knives are illegal in Japan?

In Japan, knife laws are strict: Carrying Knives: It's illegal to carry knives with blades longer than 6 cm (2.4 inches) in public without a valid reason. This includes folding knives and utility knives. Owning Knives: Kitchen knives and tools are fine for home use.

What knife does Gordon Ramsay use?

Gordon Ramsay

Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades.

What is a Yanagi knife?

The Yanagiba is one of the three basic knives of Japanese cuisine, along with the Deba and Usuba. The Yanagiba is a staple for sushi connoisseurs, as the uniquely long and narrow blade with its ultra-sharp edge results in very little cellular damage to the surface of the cut fish when used correctly.

What is a Tengu knife?

The Benchmade Tengu 601 is a unique pocket knife. Designed by world-famous knife maker Jared Oeser who is mostly known for his traditional pocket knives. The Tengu is enhanced with a fancy black-white G10 handle. The contrast is amazing and the knife will look great when combined with a neat outfit.

What does hori hori mean in Japanese?

The word 'hori' literally means 'to dig' in Japanese, and the phrase 'hori hori' is the onomatopoeia for a digging sound. Although by definition it's a digging tool, the hori hori knife can be used in an eclectic range of gardening tasks.

What is a Kwaiken knife?

The kwaiken is like a dagger. It's a type of small tanto, historically carried by both men and women of the samurai class.

What does Ryoba mean in Japanese?

Ryoba. In simple terms Ryoba means double or both edge and refers to western style knives that are not Kataba. Ryoba is a minefield of styles and edge profiles but the important thing to remember is they are sharpened on both sides of the blade even if it varies from 50/50 to a whole lot and just a little bit.

What are Chinese knives called?

Generally, these knives are classified into two types. First, meat cleavers, or gudao (“bone knife” in Mandarin), tend to weigh more, have thicker blades, and are meant for hacking through hard bones. The other type is a vegetable cleaver, often called a caidao (“vegetable knife”), a slicer, or a Chinese chef's knife.

What knife is used for everything?

The chef's knife, also known as a cook's knife is ideal for slicing, chopping, and mincing both meats and vegetables. Designed with a curved blade that is ideal for mincing and capable of handling a variety of ingredients, you can use this knife for a vast array of prep tasks.

What is an all purpose Japanese knife?

Santoku / Multipurpose

Santoku, which means 'three virtues' in Japanese, are all-purpose Japanese chef knives with a taller blade profile than a gyutou. Its three virtues are the knife's ability to cut fish, meat and vegetables.

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