I recently received my new Syosaku nakiri knife with a 6.3” blade. It’s a beauty!


The wood sheath (optional) will save me the trouble of making a cardboard sheath.

Thanks to member kkina, we know that “nakiri” is Japanese for "vegetable cutter." So it’s a specialised knife, but that’s no problem for me – I can’t remember the last time that I used my chef’s knife for any purpose other than cutting veggies. Now I have a knife made just for that purpose. My chef’s knife is likely destined for Goodwill.

The Syosaku’s blade is quite thin despite having three distinct layers. The middle layer is high carbon stainless steel (HRC 60-62). The two outer layers aren’t as hard, but may have better toughness and/or corrosion resistance.

In the brief time that I’ve had the nakiri I’ve only used it to cut carrots and Brussels sprouts. Not much of a challenge, but it did a fine job. Very handy to use thanks to its light weight, sharpness, and compact blade shape. I have no use for the sharp point of a chef’s knife. Next will be turnips. They’re harder, so will be a bit more of a challenge.

A couple of nakiri knife how-to videos:
2’ 40”
https://youtu.be/0OgiIvRlOEA
3’ 36”
https://youtu.be/8rFpcnndugI

That is a beauty for sure. I have been researching for a Nikiri. This is another one to look into.

Cleavers are great, very underrated tool for the kitchen, particularly in Western kitchens.

I personally prefer the broader, heavier Chinese cleaver but, use what's comfortable and get good with it.

I'm a big fan of Japanese kitchen knives, both Traditional and Western styled. Super thin super hard edges that cut like magic. Just be careful and use a good cutting board. Those super hard thin edges don't like bone or ceramic much. My wife wrecked one of my knives cutting on a ceramic plate. Had to completely reprofile the edge. The wife now has her own set of knives that are somewhat more forgiving of abuse...and dishwashers...which is the same thing.

I noticed this knife on Amazon:

WÜSTHOF 4.5” Cheese Knife
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000...SPQRERPKJEP4MQ46F96H

“Son of a gun,” I said to myself, “that would make a nifty mini nakiri knife!” So I bought one for that purpose. And, by George, I was right!

“Nakiri” is a Japanese word that means “vegetable cutter”. The principal characteristics of a nakiri knife:
* A sharp, straight cutting edge
* A thin, blunt blade.
This Wüstof fits that description pretty well. It’s not as blunt as a true nakiri, but it’s more blunt than a chef’s knife.

My Syosaku nakiri knife (see OP of this thread) is great for cutting large veggies such as collard greens and cabbage. But this little Wüstof is handier for cutting smaller veggies, such as Brussels sprouts and shallots. And for cross-cutting carrots, celery, etc.

A few observations:
* The knife is VERY sharp out of the box.
* The blade is 0.055” thick at its back edge and progressively thins towards its cutting edge.
* The Amazon description says that its blade is 4.5” long. But the cutting edge of mine is 4-15/16” – nearly 5”.
* I have good evidence that its steel blade is very hard
* Its haft is substantial, well made, and nicely finished. The rivet heads are undetectable by touch.
* Its offset blade keeps my knuckles clear of my cutting board.
* It’s made in Germany.
* The diamond pattern etched on the blade is strictly decorative.

Yeah, I like this knife – for veggies! I just wish that Wüstof had included an edge guard. I’ll have to make one myself from cardboard.

It’s a decent cheese knife too, especially for hard cheese. But I seldom use it for that purpose because I have the best cheese knife ever made, even though its maker didn’t expect it to be used so. When I get some time I’ll compose a post about that unusual knife, with photos.

I recently added a nakiri to my collection. HERE
I like the shape very much. Tojiro is often mentioned in the chef knife forums as a good entry level Japanese knife.
Chris

I found a Nakiri on a Black Friday deal and I really like it.