All You Wished to Know About Japanese Nakiri Knife

For a lot of new cooks being introduced to the finest Japanese kitchen blades, the Nakiri is one of the finest options. This Japanese kitchen knife resembles a cleaver but is the best instrument for that delicate and perfect slice of eggplant, dicing onions, carrots, and julienne vegetables. On the flip side, it’s also an intriguing tool for chopping and mincing meat.

The Japanese Nakiri knife is a kitchen blade that most professionals and seasoned cooks swear by. Are you planning to add one to your kitchen arsenal? Well, then this guide is meant just for you.

Understanding the Nakiri knife

The Nakiri knives, also called the Nakiri bocho knives, are among the most celebrated Japanese kitchen blades. The name translates to cutting greens. The earliest forms of these knives appeared to be like Samurai swords and were crafted for centuries together. It took the shape of the modern Japanese Nakiri knife in the 17th century and is based on the older design of an ordinary vegetable knife.

Besides, the best Nakiri knife offers hordes of benefits, and some of them are highlighted below:

• The flat blade is extremely useful in making very thin and evenly distributed slices. So, if you are planning to make vegetable slices, this can be a great option.

• The flat blade is great for cutting through the fruits and vegetables, delivering a very clean cut. This means you will not see the little threads of vegetables hanging from them.

• They are mostly long, with the blade size a least 7 inches long which is very useful for versatile cutting and chopping.

• There is no chance of squishing when you are cutting soft vegetables like tomato, ripe mango, or melons.

• The broad and rectangular blade shields your knuckles from being hurt by the chopping board at the time of cutting.

• Also, the blade wouldn’t shorten a bit even after using it regularly for years. This is owing to its rectangular shape which is far more effective compared to the triangular-shaped ordinary kitchen knives.

Selecting the best Nakiri knife

If preparing sushi is one of your regular culinary activities, it’s a must for you to invest in the best Nakiri knife. It’s a brilliant and reliable means of cutting veggies into super thin slices. But before you shell out your money on a particular piece, here are a few considerations that you can’t ignore:

Material of the blade

This is perhaps the most critical factor when it comes to choosing any knife. Even though most modern knives are made of stainless steel, the premium ones like the 7” Nakiri knife are made of high carbon stainless steel. As a result, the sharpness of the edge remains intact for many years. When choosing a knife for your regular needs, make sure that the blade is high carbon stainless steel.

Hand-forged embossing

In the best Nakiri knife, you will find the embossing on the blade to create tiny air pockets between the blade and the vegetable you are trying to cut. This, in turn, reduces the resistance that is generated at the time of cutting which adds to the ease of cutting.

This ensures that the slices will never stick to the surface of the blade. Check whether the knives come with a hammered finish which is referred to as tsuchime in the Japanese language. This helps in reducing the drag when you are cutting something.

Length of the blade

The best Japanese nakiri knife is equipped with a mid-sized blade, usually 7 inches, apart from the strength, durability, and sharpness. This makes the motion of chopping easy and comfortable. You should opt for this mid-sized kitchen blade for versatile use like the imarku 7” Nakiri knife.

The hardness of the blade

The hardness of the blade is measured using the Rockwell scale. It shows a dimensionless number where having a higher score refers to higher stainless steel.

The regular kitchen knives generally fall between 53 to 55, which can go as high as 65 in premium class kitchen knives. When opting for a Nakiri knife, make sure that the hardness of the blade is at least above 60.

 

Ergonomically designed handle

The handles of these Nakiri knives are typically made of Pakkwood, which ensures a good balance while using them along with an ease of movement.

The knife you choose should give you a comfortable grip and stability so that your wrist is not fatigued from constant usage. The best quality imarku 7” Nakiri knife ensures that your fingers or wrist won’t pain even when you use the knife for hours on end.

Versatility and comfort of use

Last but not least, versatility is one of the greatest benefits of the Nakiri knife. The Nakiri knife is easy to sharpen and offers a lot more comfort even to the casual cook. Moreover, you should ensure that the knife gives a premium and sturdy-feeling and is not susceptible to chipping or cracking.

You will see that a premium-class Nakiri knife is lighter than most of the ordinary knives with the same blade length. This is because of the technology involved in the construction of the blade which makes it ultra-thin and easy to sharpen.

Best ways of using the Japanese Nakiri knife

When equipped with the best Nakiri knife, you can work through all kinds of fruits and vegetables very quickly. No matter whether you have to make smaller pieces of vegetables for coleslaw or thin slices for soups, the imarku 7” Nakiri can be your one-stop solution for all.

Conclusion

The Japanese Nakiri knife has a history that lasts for centuries, and it has gone through several alterations and modifications to become the precious piece that it has become today.

If you are skeptical about whether or not you should invest in this top-notch knife, it’s going to be a purchase that you will cherish forever with the fruits and vegetables sliced better than the food processor.