菜切 · vegetable cutter · from €920
Nakiri
A square blade for vegetables. Dead flat, so every cut meets the board along its whole length.
Commission a nakiri ↗Measured heel to tip.
Knuckle room over the board.
With an ebony handle.
50/50 grind.
(01) — Drawing
The nakiri,to scale.
Every knife is drawn before it is forged, and measured against the drawing after the stone.
(02) — The shape
Made forthe cut.
There is no tip to speak of: the nakiri is all edge. Daikon, cabbage and leeks come apart in clean, full-length strokes.
The tall face carries what you cut to the pan.
Forged a little heavier at the spine, it does the work and your wrist does not.
(03) — Steel
Three steels,one edge.
The same shape in three steels. Carbon for the keenest edge, stainless Damascus for the easiest life.
Drag to turn the knife
| Steel | Hardness | Edge | Easy care | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirogami #1 white paper steel | 63 HRC | base | ||
| Aogami #2 blue paper steel | 62 HRC | +€120 | ||
| VG10 Damascus stainless, 67 layers | 61 HRC | +€380 |
Nakiri · in the kitchen
One stroke.No saw.
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The chef’s knife.
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Three virtues: meat, fish, vegetables.
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The small one.
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The willow-leaf blade for raw fish.
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The santoku’s sharper cousin: a reverse-tanto tip for fine work, a flat edge for everything else.