It’s a Japanese vegetable knife known as a Nakiri. Straight, broad, symmetrical, and blunt are the features of a nakiri knife. There are two distinct ways to use a Nakiri: a straight up and down action or a slicing forward and backward with an up and down motion. The design of the blade tells you exactly how to use it. Tender veggies may be swiftly and efficiently chopped by cutting up and down. Using a straight edge, you’ll get a smoother cut if you’re slicing back and forth on the cutting board. To transfer the food to a bowl or pan, the broad blade helps you to pick up the chopped food.
With a narrow blade profile and a double edge, the Nakiri is widely used in Japan by home chefs for cutting, slicing and mincing vegetables and fruits. It has become a favourite knife among vegetarians.
Despite being mistaken for a little Chinese Cleaver, the Nakiri can’t handle heavy-duty chopping and should never be used to cut bones or hard materials. Like the Nakiri, the Usuba has only one bevel edge designed primarily for chopping vegetables. Compared to the Nakiri, the Usuba features a heavier and thicker blade and the option of longer blades.
The Nakiri, like the Santoku, has a somewhat higher blade than a Gyuto or Petty knife of the same size. You’ll have more room for your knuckles while cutting immediately above a cutting board, and your free hand will be better equipped to guide the blade in ‘tap chopping, push cutting, or pull cutting’ when using this technique.
For example, unlike non-rectangular blades like the Santoku and Gyuto, Nakiri’s rectangular shape doesn’t shorten when the blade is repeatedly sharpened.
It’s becoming increasingly fashionable to choose Nakiri in 165 and 180mm diameters.
NAKIRI KNIFE USAGE: CUTS TO BE MADE
What foods are best chopped using a Nakiri may be determined by the motion you’re employing. This cannot be used as a meat cleaver, either. You may use this knife to cut up your fruits and veggies.
For chopping veggies, the Nakiri is an excellent choice. The following is a list of a few items:
- Because of the flat blade, it can cut extremely thin and even slices of food. Making veggie ribbons is a breeze because of this.
- For most veggies, Nakiri knives are the best option.
- If you’re looking for clean and precise cuts, a flat blade is your best option. It’s impossible to acquire a piece of vegetable with tiny threads attached to it.
- If you use nakiri knives, you won’t have to worry about squishing the delicate vegetables.
- The Nakiri’s straight edge eliminates the need to ‘rock’ the blade when chopping vegetables.
- Your knuckles are protected from slamming onto the cutting due to Nakiri’s wide blade.
- With its rectangular blade, the Nakiri will not get shorter due to frequent sharpening, unlike other knives with triangle blades.
Top-notch Nakiri knives.
The most fantastic nakiri knives on the market come in various shapes and sizes. The Miyabi 5000FCD Nakiri Vegetable Knife is an excellent place to start. An ergonomic grip and Damascus steel blade with traditional Japanese honing give this 17-inch full-tang knife exceptional quality. It’s also more durable and has a sleek, modern style.
Tojiro Traditional Pro Series Nakiri Chopping Knife is another option. The blade is 160mm long, and the overall length is 300mm. The handle is made of magnolia wood, which is sourced from Japan. Molybdenum and vanadium alloy steel are also used in their construction.
HOW TO USE A NAKIRI KNIFE SHARPENER :
Nakiri knives have a double-bevelled edge that is both straight and square. As a result, this knife may be sharpened in the same way as any other knife. To sharpen the blades, you can run the blade over a piece of steel. If it’s convenient for you, you may take your Nakiri knife to a professional knife sharpener around once a year.
