[0 - 7] - All right, say it with me. This is not a cleaver. (upbeat music)
[8 - 10] - Welcome back to "Gear Heads."
[10 - 11] While Hannah's still out on maternity leave,
[11 - 13] we are joined, once again, by Kate.
[13 - 14] - So happy to be here.
[14 - 16] - And we're gonna talk about knives,
[16 - 18] Japanese knives to be exact.
[18 - 21] - Japanese knives, like Gyuto, Nakiri, and Santoku,
[21 - 23] have been rising rapidly in popularity.
[23 - 24] They're prized for their precision
[24 - 26] and beautiful ergonomic designs.
[26 - 28] Should you have one in your kitchen?
[28 - 30] - Today, Kate and I are gonna get up close and personal
[30 - 33] with some of the best Japanese knives on the market.
[33 - 36] We'll review how they're made, how to use them,
[36 - 38] and more so you can decide if they're right for you.
[38 - 40] - But first, we have a book coming out.
[40 - 43] It's called "Kitchen Gear: The Ultimate Owner's Manual."
[43 - 46] - The two of us have 30 years of combined experience
[46 - 47] testing kitchen gear
[47 - 50] and we packed all of our favorite tips and tricks
[50 - 51] into this book.
[51 - 53] - We give you our unbiased take on what's worth buying
[53 - 54] and what's not.
[54 - 57] Plus you'll find over 100 ATK recipes
[57 - 58] that bring out the best in your gear.
[58 - 60] - Get your copy of "Kitchen Gear:
[60 - 62] The Ultimate Owner's Manual" today.
[62 - 68] - First up, Lisa with the Gyuto. (upbeat music)
[68 - 72] - The Gyuto is a knife that was developed in 1870s in Japan,
[72 - 74] and that was at the end of a period
[74 - 77] of 250 years of isolation.
[77 - 79] At that time, Western influence started
[79 - 80] to permeate Japanese culture,
[80 - 83] and food and kitchen gear was no exception.
[83 - 87] So the Gyuto is a Western-influenced Japanese knife.
[87 - 89] That's probably the closest thing
[89 - 91] to an all-purpose Chef's knife.
[91 - 92] These knives are great.
[93 - 94] If you have one, let me know in the comments.
[94 - 96] You know, a lot of our test cooks love them
[96 - 97] and use them every day.
[97 - 102] So how are Gyuto different from Western style chef's knives? First, weight.
[102 - 104] Generally, these are very lightweight
[104 - 107] compared to some typical chef's knives from the West.
[107 - 111] The knives that we tested weighed from three to five ounces.
[111 - 113] A lot of Western style knives are much heavier,
[113 - 116] although our favorite from Victorinox is fairly lightweight.
[116 - 118] The blade design is also different.
[118 - 123] Now, Gyuto are generally narrower from spine to edge.
[123 - 125] So this is the spine and this is the cutting edge,
[125 - 127] and they're thinner from here to here
[127 - 129] than Western style chef's knives.
[129 - 131] The blade also tends to be less tall
[131 - 133] and less curved at the bottom.
[133 - 134] They also lack a bolster,
[134 - 136] which is that vertical piece of metal
[136 - 137] at the end of the blade.
[137 - 140] Many chef's knives in the West have that bolster.
[140 - 142] Japanese knives tend not to.
[142 - 145] That spine being narrower means that it's less of a wedge
[145 - 146] when you're cutting into food.
[146 - 149] It's sliding in a little bit more gracefully
[149 - 151] and less pressing the food apart.
[151 - 153] The lack of bolster means that the blade is lighter.
[153 - 155] It's also easier to sharpen
[155 - 157] because when you get to that back part of the knife,
[157 - 158] when there's a bolster that goes all the way
[159 - 160] to the heel of the blade,
[160 - 162] you can't pull it through a knife sharpener.
[162 - 163] Or when you're going over whetstone,
[163 - 164] you're gonna hit that spot.
[164 - 167] And so it's easier to get the whole edge sharp
[167 - 168] to the same extent.
[168 - 170] They also tend to be straighter across
[170 - 172] with less of a bowed shape.
[172 - 174] There's less of a rocking motion
[174 - 176] and more of a slicing motion.
[176 - 178] The next big difference is blade material.
[178 - 182] So in general, Japanese knives have a harder steel
[182 - 184] than Western knives,
[184 - 186] and that means that they can get them very, very, very thin.
[186 - 188] That also makes them more brittle.
[188 - 191] You don't wanna chop into a pumpkin or a squash.
[191 - 193] You don't want to chop up frozen foods.
[193 - 195] You wanna do more push pull cuts
[195 - 198] and slicing boneless meats or vegetables
[198 - 200] and just being a lot more delicate with this
[200 - 202] than you would a Western knife.
[202 - 204] These knives are about precision.
[204 - 207] It's about finely cut, well-presented food.
[207 - 210] You know, most Japanese food is already cut for you,
[210 - 212] and the presentation is very important.
[212 - 213] The pieces are very regular.
[213 - 215] So you get the benefit of that
[215 - 218] really tremendous technical precision with these knives.
[218 - 221] So a lot of traditional Western chef's knives,
[221 - 223] that tradition came from Germany.
[223 - 225] Companies like Wusthof and Henkels,
[225 - 228] they were much bigger and heavier.
[228 - 231] They had 22 degree angles on the edge of the knife.
[231 - 233] So when you have the the point of the knife,
[233 - 235] 22 degree angles on either side.
[235 - 238] A lot of Japanese knives are much thinner.
[238 - 241] They can be down to 10 degrees, so much narrower edges.
[241 - 244] A Japanese knife will sometimes have what's called
[244 - 245] an asymmetrical bevel,
[245 - 249] where one side is a different angle from the other side.
[249 - 251] Western knives tend to be symmetrical,
[251 - 253] the same edge angle on each bevel
[253 - 255] on each side of the cutting edge.
[255 - 258] You'll see the asymmetry described in terms of a ratio.
[258 - 262] So you'll see things like 80:20, 70:30, even 90:10.
[262 - 264] If you have an asymmetrical edge,
[264 - 267] the knife will kind of guide through the food
[267 - 268] a little bit differently.
[268 - 270] If you wanna buy one of these knives
[270 - 273] and you wanna buy one that's an asymmetrical bevel,
[273 - 275] you've gotta really learn how to sharpen it on a whetstone
[275 - 278] or take them to someone who knows how to take care of them.
[278 - 280] We do have information about that,
[280 - 282] of places that we recommend on our website.
[282 - 285] Any knife has gotta be sharpened periodically
[285 - 287] or it's really worthless.
[287 - 290] For this review, we looked at Gyuto
[290 - 294] that were 210 centimeters or about 8.2 inches.
[294 - 297] And that's because it's closest to what we like
[297 - 299] for our typical all-purpose chef's knife,
[299 - 300] which is eight inches.
[300 - 303] There really were no duds in this lineup.
[303 - 305] It really just came down to a few distinctions
[305 - 308] in performance, sharpness, and comfort.
[308 - 311] Some of the factors to think about are the blade material,
[311 - 313] stainless steel versus carbon steel.
[313 - 314] Stainless steel is great
[315 - 317] because you're not gonna have to worry about keeping it dry.
[317 - 319] It's not gonna rust or change appearance.
[319 - 320] A carbon steel blade,
[320 - 323] some people love the way it develops a patina
[323 - 324] and changes as you use it.
[324 - 325] But you need to know that going in.
[325 - 329] You may need to remember to keep it wiped dry and clean
[329 - 330] so that it's not gonna rust.
[330 - 333] Those factors of carbon versus stainless steel
[333 - 336] applies to all knives, not just Japanese knives.
[336 - 338] We tested knives with both Japanese style handles
[338 - 340] and Western style handles.
[340 - 342] I was very surprised by how much I loved
[342 - 343] this Japanese style handle.
[343 - 345] It's got a really light feel to it.
[345 - 348] It's very easy to hold onto,
[348 - 352] and it really helps make the knife very easy to work with.
[352 - 353] It's surprisingly comfortable.
[354 - 357] This one is a typical Western chef's knife handle
[357 - 359] and it is a little bit heavier.
[359 - 361] And if you like that feeling, that's great.
[361 - 363] But you should try to pick up both
[363 - 365] and decide which is right for you.
[365 - 368] So what makes a Japanese style handle distinctive?
[368 - 370] As you can see, it's set back a little farther
[370 - 371] from the blade.
[371 - 373] You see this neck of the knife is sticking out a little bit.
[373 - 375] It tends to be a longer handle,
[375 - 377] at least makes the knife overall longer
[377 - 378] than some of the other knives.
[378 - 381] You can see that these are technically the same size blade,
[381 - 383] but the handle makes it much longer.
[383 - 386] A Western style handle, smoother,
[386 - 387] it's a little bit heavier,
[387 - 389] and it's a little bit closer to the knife.
[389 - 392] We have two co-winners and a best buy.
[392 - 395] The first is a Japanese handle, and it's by Hitohira,
[396 - 398] and it is really a fantastic knife.
[398 - 403] It is so lightweight, it's sharp, and it's so easy to use.
[403 - 405] Everyone fell in love with this knife.
[405 - 407] This is our other co-winner by Masamoto.
[407 - 409] This has a Western style handle.
[409 - 411] It's a little bit heavier than the Hitohira.
[411 - 414] That gives some people a little feeling of power,
[414 - 417] a little bit of control that they like in a heavier knife.
[417 - 420] It's still not as heavy as some Western style knives,
[420 - 422] but it's a little heavier than this one.
[422 - 426] Very, very sharp. Glides through food. We loved it.
[426 - 428] They're beautiful knives and you'll love them,
[428 - 430] but they're about $200.
[430 - 433] So if you want an alternative, we chose a best buy.
[433 - 436] It was only about $50, which is pretty amazing
[436 - 438] because this is a great little knife.
[438 - 439] It's by Kanetsugu.
[439 - 443] This one is a little bit less sharp than the other two.
[443 - 445] The handle was a little bit more roughly finished,
[445 - 447] but either way, it was a great knife.
[447 - 449] Next up, here's Kate with some more
[449 - 453] excellent Japanese knives. (upbeat music)
[455 - 457] - Traditionally, the Nakiri was one
[457 - 460] of the most important knives in Japanese home kitchens.
[460 - 461] It's meant for slicing, dicing,
[461 - 462] and chopping vegetables,
[462 - 465] which form the backbone of Japanese cuisine.
[465 - 468] It has a rectangular blade and a double-beveled,
[468 - 470] fairly straight cutting edge,
[470 - 472] and also a pretty blunt tip.
[472 - 474] And that straight cutting edge means that it's meant
[474 - 476] to be used pretty parallel
[476 - 479] to the cutting board in a roughly up and down motion
[479 - 481] as opposed to rocking like you would
[481 - 482] with a Western chef's knife.
[482 - 484] The tall blades are really helpful
[484 - 486] when you're cutting large vegetables like a big cabbage
[486 - 488] or working through a big pile of greens.
[488 - 490] It helps you kind of keep everything in line
[490 - 491] as you're cutting.
[491 - 493] They're also great for scooping up the food
[493 - 494] once you're done cutting or slicing it,
[494 - 496] but you should never drag the blade
[496 - 498] because it's fragile and it will chip.
[498 - 499] We found that Nakiri
[499 - 501] that we're about six and a half inches long
[501 - 503] and two inches tall were best.
[503 - 506] Some blades were too long or too thick,
[506 - 508] which felt imprecise and kind of clunky.
[508 - 510] Like the Gyuto that Lisa talked about,
[510 - 513] Nakiri are made from really high quality steel.
[513 - 514] They're very thin.
[514 - 517] The spine is almost as thin as cutting edge.
[517 - 519] This makes them great for precision tasks
[519 - 520] where you really wanna be careful
[520 - 522] and get super precise accurate results,
[522 - 525] but they're not meant for breaking down chickens.
[525 - 526] You don't wanna cut through bone.
[526 - 528] You don't wanna cut anything frozen.
[528 - 532] This is not a cleaver. I know the shape resembles one.
[532 - 535] You might think that you can just hack at food with this,
[535 - 537] but that's not what these knives are designed for.
[537 - 540] Nakiri are meant to be used more gently.
[540 - 542] Stick to things where precision is really important.
[542 - 544] Like a lot of Japanese knives,
[544 - 546] Nakiri are pretty lightweight.
[546 - 548] You're using them to cut through a lot of food.
[548 - 551] Some of the Nakiri we tested were heavier.
[551 - 553] And as we used them throughout testing,
[553 - 555] we found that they really felt like the cleavers
[555 - 556] that these are not supposed to be.
[556 - 558] So testers' arms got tired.
[558 - 560] Another big factor is the tang,
[560 - 563] which is how much metal extends into the handle.
[563 - 565] When the tang is longer, it's heavier.
[565 - 567] The Nakiri that we liked best
[567 - 568] weighed about five to six ounces
[568 - 570] and had a thin blades.
[570 - 573] The best Nakiri had textured materials
[573 - 574] that were easy to grip.
[574 - 575] You're prepping a lot of vegetables,
[575 - 578] you're washing vegetables, you're washing your hands,
[578 - 580] so you want a knife that is still really easy
[580 - 583] to hold securely, even if it happens to get wet.
[583 - 584] As with the Gyuto,
[584 - 587] the material of the blade is really chef's choice.
[587 - 589] There's carbon steel, there's stainless steel.
[589 - 590] Both are great,
[590 - 592] it really depends on what you personally prefer.
[592 - 595] Through testing, we found three favorites.
[595 - 597] Each have different pros and cons,
[597 - 599] but generally have everything we're looking for
[600 - 601] in this style of knife.
[601 - 604] This is our stainless steel favorite from Masamoto Sohonten.
[604 - 608] Some things we loved about this knife were it's tall blade,
[608 - 611] it's flat cutting surface makes it really easy for you
[611 - 613] to make contact with the cutting board.
[613 - 616] The handle is an oval, Japanese style handle
[616 - 618] made from Magnolia wood.
[618 - 620] It was super comfortable for testers to grip.
[620 - 623] Everyone really liked the way that it felt in their hands
[623 - 626] and found it really easy to hold in a variety of positions.
[626 - 628] It also had really good traction when it was wet,
[628 - 630] which we thought was super important.
[630 - 632] And this is our carbon steel favorite
[633 - 634] from Sakai Kikumori.
[634 - 635] It has the tallest blade
[635 - 638] and also the thinnest blade of anything we tested.
[638 - 640] And although it's carbon steel,
[640 - 643] a lot of the blade is clad in stainless steel.
[643 - 644] That means that your daily maintenance
[645 - 647] and care of this knife is gonna be a little bit easier
[647 - 650] than you normally think of with a carbon steel knife.
[650 - 652] It also has this really nice,
[652 - 654] octagonal Japanese style handle.
[654 - 657] It was really grippy, really comfortable to hold.
[657 - 659] Also just really beautiful.
[659 - 662] And this is our best buy from Masutani.
[662 - 665] Our other two favorites are upwards of $200,
[665 - 667] but this is about 70.
[667 - 670] So although it wasn't quite as good as them in some areas,
[670 - 673] it's still a really great knife, excellent craftsmanship,
[673 - 675] and considerably less expensive.
[675 - 679] Compared to our favorites, it's narrower from top to bottom.
[679 - 682] So when you're chopping really tall vegetables,
[682 - 684] you'll have a little bit less command,
[684 - 686] but this is still a really great Nakiri.
[686 - 689] This is one of our newest knife reviews,
[689 - 692] so I don't own a Nakiri yet,
[692 - 694] but I've been playing around with them to get ready
[694 - 697] for this video, and it has been so much fun.
[697 - 698] I was slicing a red pepper
[698 - 701] and I was just floored by how easy it was.
[701 - 703] The knife just slid through the pepper,
[703 - 705] didn't get stuck on the skin.
[705 - 710] And at home, I'm not fussy about things being super precise
[710 - 712] and really photo camera ready.
[712 - 713] But when I looked down at my cutting board,
[713 - 718] I had just this pile of perfectly even, gorgeous red pepper.
[719 - 720] And that's definitely
[720 - 721] because I was using one of these knives.
[721 - 723] Unlike a Western knife,
[723 - 725] which I sort of typically use at home,
[725 - 726] which are much thicker,
[726 - 728] these have narrower blades.
[728 - 729] So that means when you're cutting,
[729 - 732] you're not wedging the knife into something,
[732 - 734] you're really slicing it super cleanly
[734 - 737] and that leads to really impressive precision
[737 - 740] and also just a really fun cooking experience.
[740 - 742] Next, the Santoku.
[742 - 744] This was developed in post-War Japan
[744 - 747] as an all-purpose cooking knife for home cooks.
[747 - 749] Like the Nakiri that I just talked about,
[749 - 750] it has a fairly tall blade
[750 - 752] and the edge is also fairly straight.
[752 - 755] A big difference here is that it has a rounded tip.
[756 - 759] It quickly became Japan's most popular kitchen knife
[759 - 761] and is wildly popular in the United States too.
[761 - 764] So what makes a good Santoku?
[764 - 767] First, you want a slim, sharp cutting edge.
[767 - 771] Most Santoku we tested had the typical Japanese blade angle
[771 - 775] of 15 degrees, but some were small as 10 degrees.
[775 - 777] Many Santoku traditionally have a more rounded
[777 - 779] sheep's foot towards the tip.
[779 - 780] Our testers preferred Santoku
[780 - 783] that had a slightly less rounded tip.
[783 - 785] It was just a little easier for them to work in maneuver.
[785 - 787] Our favorites had a spine thickness
[787 - 789] that was about two millimeters.
[789 - 792] As with all knives, the handle is really important.
[792 - 794] With Santoku, you wanna look for something
[794 - 796] with a moderate length and a moderate width.
[796 - 797] This is an all-purpose knife,
[797 - 799] so you're gonna be holding it in all sorts of ways
[799 - 802] as you slice and dice and chop things.
[802 - 804] So a neutral shape is really key.
[804 - 805] It'll be much more comfortable.
[805 - 807] On some of the knives we've tested over the years,
[807 - 809] there's a piece of metal that sticks out
[809 - 811] above the top of the handle,
[811 - 812] and when you're using a pinch grip
[812 - 814] to really push with this knife,
[814 - 816] that metal digs into the underside of your hand.
[816 - 818] It's just not comfortable.
[818 - 820] So look for something that's nice and smooth on top.
[820 - 823] Newer Santoku, including many of the models we tested,
[823 - 825] do have a slight curve towards the tip.
[825 - 828] This makes them good for a rocking motion as you cut.
[828 - 830] That's great for mincing herbs.
[830 - 831] Also, if you're accustomed
[831 - 833] to using a Western style Chef's knife,
[833 - 835] that motion will feel really familiar to you.
[835 - 838] We also tested Santoku that had Granton edges
[838 - 840] or a little hollows carved into the blade.
[840 - 842] These are supposed to prevent food from sticking
[842 - 844] as you slice or chop it.
[844 - 846] We found they didn't actually make a difference.
[846 - 848] Knives that had a perfectly smooth blade
[848 - 849] performed just as well.
[849 - 851] This is our winner from Misono.
[851 - 853] It impressed testers who'd use Santoku
[853 - 855] and those who are new to them.
[855 - 857] It's sharp, it's agile.
[857 - 859] The balance of the knife is really great.
[859 - 862] This is really an excellent all-purpose knife.
[862 - 864] It features an asymmetrical blade
[864 - 866] sharpened at a 70:30 bevel,
[866 - 868] which the company hand sharpens
[868 - 870] for either righties or lefties.
[870 - 872] We also have a best buy from Mac.
[872 - 873] The handle was a little bulky,
[873 - 875] especially for testers with smaller hands,
[875 - 878] and the overall length of the knife was a little short
[878 - 879] at 11 and a quarter inches.
[879 - 882] But overall, it's still a really great Santoku.
[882 - 884] Santoku are excellent knives.
[884 - 887] And I find that often people will have a Santoku
[887 - 889] and they'll have a Western Chef's knife at home,
[889 - 891] and just depending on the day, their mood,
[891 - 893] the thing they're cutting, they'll use one or the other.
[893 - 896] A Santoku is a great all-purpose option
[896 - 898] for just about anyone's kitchen.
[898 - 901] We loved the majority of the Japanese knives we tested.
[901 - 903] They were sharp, they were comfortable,
[903 - 904] they were a joy to work with.
[904 - 906] If you're in the market for a new knife,
[906 - 909] you should definitely consider one of these Japanese knives.
[909 - 910] - For more information on these knives
[910 - 912] and all the other models we tested,
[912 - 915] check out the links below or go to americastestkitchen.com.
[915 - 917] - Do you have any Japanese knives?
[917 - 920] Let us know in the comments. We'd love to hear about them.
[920 - 921] And be sure to like and subscribe
[921 - 926] so you never miss an episode. (upbeat music)