Time for a new kitchen knife? Which type should you choose? When buying a new kitchen knife, you must consider many factors. size, shape, style, weight, knife blade, steel, etc.
Don’t be scared. It’s easier than you may think. To help you, we have made a simple guide to help you make the decision when choosing knives.
Which knife should you buy first?
Start with a good chef knife and then build on your knife collection. We recommend that you choose a “Gyuto” or “Santoku” as your first purchase.
These two knife types are extremely versatile and can be used for about 90% of your daily kitchen work. If you already have a good chef knife, buy a smaller scale knife or all-around – utility, which is used for all smaller cutting tasks.
What does the steel mean for the kitchen knife?
Many have tried to own or at least handle a cheap kitchen knife – perhaps bought at the supermarket. These knives become dull after fairly short use. But just calm, genuine kitchen knives are in a completely different league.
Various types of steel have emerged in recent years, and it is simply fantastic to own knives that will produce the wildest “wow” effect when you use them. You should look for knives of VG-10 or other piston steel. Why?
Because these blades are sharp extremely long and require minimal maintenance. The hardness of these knives is typically 60-62 HRC on the Rockwell scale, which is significantly harder (and sharper) than other knife types. That is why we also use VG10 core steel in our kitchen knives.
Kitchen knife maintenance
Japanese kitchen knives usually require a little more maintenance than cheap alternatives. The hard steel becomes sharper, but also requires you to take care of them. You should not cut metal or other hard materials that do not belong when cooking with your knife.
Don’t worry – the knives are designed to be used as tools and with very few tips you can keep your Japanese kitchen knives sharp for the rest of your life.
The most important tip is that you should never wash your knives in the dishwasher. Wash them gently by hand and dry the knife with a kitchen towel – then your knife will become beautiful and sharp for an extended period of time.