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 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.
Take your index finger and thumb to hold the base or bolster of the blade while your other three fingers wrap around the handle. Pull up toward yourself and push down and away from yourself. Not as much of a rocking motion as with other knives, unless the blade of your kiritsuke is curved.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
➝ Bunka has a shorter blade with a wider profile and a double-bevel edge, which means it makes for a great multi-purpose knife, suitable for a wide range of tasks and dishes. ➝ Kiritsuke is a single-bevel knife, specialized for the traditional preparation of raw fish and vegetables.
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.
In Japan, the Kiritsuke is considered a multi-purpose tool suitable for most kitchen tasks including cutting vegetables or meats.
The word Kiritsuke means “slit open” in Japanese. The traditional version of this kitchen knife features a single bevel, straight edge blade and a flat, sword-like front end.
Knife Blade's Thickness – 2.5mm.
Which Knife Is Harder? The hardness of a knife is measured by the Rockwell scale. Harder metals rank higher up on the scale. When comparing Japanese and German knives, the type of steel used to construct Japanese knives is harder, scoring a higher number on the Rockwell scale.
In Japanese the word Gyuto translates to mean “cow sword” which we feel is pretty telling of the kind of kitchen knife we're working with.
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.
A thinner grind, although resulting in much greater sharpness, means that a Japanese kitchen knife may be prone to chipping or breakage if used improperly (torquing/twisting the blade while cutting, or hitting or chopping hard or frozen objects).
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.
If all the consonants surrounding a vowel are unvoiced, then "I"s and "U"s are silent. Example: Sou desu (Soo Dess) Sou desu ga (Soo Desu ga) In the first phrase, you don't pronounce the "u" at the end of "desu", because all the consonants around it are unvoiced (again, the unvoiced consontants are S, T, H/F, and K).
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.
The Bunka is a versatile general-purpose Japanese knife and a common variation of the widely popular Santoku knife. It is regarded as a multi-use knife that is adept at cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing foods such as meat, fish, vegetables and herbs.
The Yanagiba is a traditional-style Japanese sashimi knife with a thin and long blade that is mainly used to slice boneless fish fillets for sashimi or nigiri sushi. The Yanagiba is also used to fillet small to medium-sized fish or to skin fish.
Handcrafted by skilled artisans in Japan using traditional techniques, high-quality materials and feature a unique octagonal handle made from Japanese magnolia wood and water buffalo horn.