Trivia about kitchen knives
What is a Japanese knife?
It is based on a Japanese sword, and its sharpness attracts chefs both in Japan and overseas.
Most of them are single-edged, and because of their excellent sharpness, they produce beautiful cuts without destroying the texture of the material.
It goes without saying that it also affects the taste and appearance.
It is also a feature of a single-edged blade that it cuts well and the chopping action can be done quickly.
It is also unique to Japanese knives that the handle can be removed and replaced with a new one when it gets old.
One of the advantages is that the entire knife can be repaired 100% by removing the handle. (Since western knives are integrated with the handle, only about 70% of them can be repaired.)
Japanese knives can be used for a long time with proper maintenance.
For home use, you can use it comfortably for over 50 years.
Difference between single-edged and double-edged
It is divided into right-handed and left-handed, and the left and right are made differently.
Since it has a blade on one side, it is called a single-edged knife, and it has the disadvantage that it is difficult to cut long ingredients (carrots, etc.) straight. The single-edged blade is suitable for thinly peeling the skin of julienned and small-sized pieces, and for grated fish and sashimi, which makes a difference in the finish.
For this reason, most Japanese chefs use single-edged knives.
In terms of maintenance, it is much easier than a double-edged blade because you only need to attach the blade to one side.
Many of the knives used at home have a double-edged blade.
Maintenance is a little difficult because you have to sharpen left and right symmetrically, but once you get used to it, you won't mind.
Unlike single-edged blades, it can be used regardless of whether you are right-handed or left-handed.
Compared to single-edged knives, it has less thickness, so it feels lighter than it looks.
If you are going to use it for home use, I think it would be nice to have one double-edged blade.
*Not suitable for cutting fish.
Knife types and characteristics
Types of steel (fabric) and their characteristics
All Marushin knives are made from Yasugi steel, and are manufactured from the following high-class steels required by professional chefs.
white steel
It is a well-balanced steel in terms of hardness, durability of sharpness, and resharpening. The steel is easy to sharpen even for beginners.
Ginsan steel
It is extremely close to Shirani steel and has the property of being rust-resistant. The difference from general stainless steel is that it is handmade and quenched one by one, just like the rust type. As a result, the sharpness lasts for a long time, and it is possible to sharpen the blade firmly with a household whetstone. There is no trouble that it will not cut immediately after resharpening.
V Gold No. 10
It is harder than Ginsan steel. Since the steel is hard, resharpening is a little difficult until you get used to it, but the steel is resistant to fatigue and has excellent durability. Therefore, the number of resharpening is reduced and the life of the knife is long. It is a kitchen knife that is handmade one by one like Ginsan Steel.
white steel
It is harder than Shirani steel. In terms of sharpness, it is said to be the best among steels. Another characteristic of white steel is that it is resistant to fish oil.
blue steel
It is harder than Shiraichi steel, and the sharpness lasts for a long time, and the knife has a long life.
blue steel
It is harder than Hakuni steel and requires less resharpening like V gold, so the knife has a longer life. One of the features is that it is resistant to meat fat.
Honbazuke / Kobazuke
Knives sold in shops are finished with a slightly thicker blade in anticipation of Honbazuke.
This process is also called small cutting.
(If you use it at home, I think that only Kobadsuke is enough.)
Even if you use a new knife as it is, the original sharpness of the knife will not come out.
When cutting soft materials, drop the small blade and thin the edge to make it sharp. (The angle of the blade is about 25 degrees for home use and about 45 degrees for professional use.)
Conversely, when cutting hard objects (pumpkins, frozen foods, and other hard foods), sharpen the blade with an obtuse angle to make it less prone to chipping.
Honbazuke is resharpening the blade to suit the intended use.
By performing this process exactly, you can demonstrate the original sharpness of the knife.
In reality, it is sometimes difficult to finish the blade perfectly, and it takes a long time (depending on the product, some knives take more than 30 minutes even for sharpeners). In most cases, a sharpener is requested.
finishing
Premium Kasumi polishing finish (left photo)
Mirror finish (right photo)
Gusset mirror finish
By chamfering the gusset, it prevents your fingers from hurting or getting damaged. Furthermore, by making it a mirror surface, it becomes even smoother, feels better on the finger, and looks beautiful.
Mine (breast) shaving process
As with the gusset, the rims (breasts) are also chamfered.
Pattern type
・Round pattern
The cross section is circular.
The gold mouth (black part) is made of water buffalo horn and the handle is made of magnolia wood.
It is strong against water, light and hard to crack.
The material is soft, so the more you use it, the more you will get used to it.
One of its characteristics is that it does not slip even when touched with wet hands.
・Octagonal pattern
The cross section is octagonal.
By making the handle octagonal, you can grip it firmly without slipping.
・Ebony pattern (Octagonal pattern)
The cross section is octagonal.By making the handle octagonal, you can grip it firmly without slipping.
The material is smooth and durable.