What Is a Chef’s Knife? A Guide to Its Purpose and Versatility
Japanese chef knives, also called gyuto, meaning ‘beef knife’ are the gold standard kitchen tool, world renown for their sharpness, craftsmanship and thoughtful design. They are versatile kitchen tools with a design based on the german or western European workhorse kitchen knife with some key distinctions.
A chef’s knife is one of the most important tools in a knife block for home cooks and professional chefs alike. In this article we’ll cover some features of high-quality chefs knives and what sets them apart from other style knives.
What Is a Chef Knife?
Both a Japanese and western style chef’s knife will usually have blade lengths ranging from 7-10”. The chef’s knife is meant to be all purpose, it can easily cut vegetables and hard produce like roots, portion raw meat and proteins, and slice roasts like a carving knife would and more. H3: Features of a Chef Knife
The Japanese version is generally made from harder steel that keeps a sharp blade for a longer time. The Japanese blade is usually thinner, very notably at the spine and lighter in weight with a steeper angle at the blade’s cutting edge.
Blade length: Usually between 7-10 inches
Materials: Japanese chef knife blades are available in a range of steel types, from stainless steel, damascus steel and high carbon steels.
Japanese Chef Knife vs. Western Chef Knife
Blade Shape A traditional western style chef’s knife tends to have a rounder shape where the blade edge meets the cutting board. This rounded belly favors chopping with a rocking motion. The Japanese-style chef’s knife usually has a leaner profile and flatter design at the blade’s edge, while being extremely sharp and more built for precision..
Blade thickness The Japanese versions tends to be much thinner throughout the blade and also the spine.
Weight The Japanese version tends to be more lightweight than the typical French or German chef’s knife.
Edge angle Japanese knives tend to have steeper blade angles.
Edge retention The Japanese version tends to hold an edge much longer thanks to the high performance steel used for the blade.
What Is a Chef Knife Used For?
Here are just a few of the things a Japanese chef’s knife can do.:
Cutting: A chef’s knife is perfect for chopping vegetables and cutting all manner of produce, even hard and dense ingredients like root vegetables, potatoes and squash
Slicing: A chef's knife can evenly slice delicate and soft ingredients like tomatoes and fruits.
Dicing: A chef’s knife provides the stability for precise dicing for essential ingredients like carrots, onion and celery.
Mincing: use a chef’s knife to finely mince garlic, or to chiffonade herbs and aromatics
General Tasks for a Chef Knife
In addition to all the tasks above, a chef's knife is also useful for portioning raw proteins like beef, chicken and fish and can also be used as a carving knife for roasted meats.
Unique Uses of Japanese Chef Knives
In addition to empolying a wide range of French cutting techniques, Japanese cuisine places a strong emphasis on precision, aesthetics, and preserving the natural flavors and textures of ingredients. Sharp knives are essential for achieving these goals. Japanese cuisine, especially in dishes like sushi, sashimi and kaiseki, values visual appeal. A sharp knife ensures clean, smooth cuts that enhance presentation, no tearing or crushing of delicate ingredients and uniform slices, which improve texture and balance
For example, when slicing sashimi, a razor-sharp knife allows chefs to make a single, fluid cut, keeping the fish’s surface silky and intact.
The Unique Purpose of a Japanese Chef Knife
Japanese knives have a deep-rooted history connected to the country’s legendary samurai sword-making traditions. The craftsmanship of modern Japanese kitchen knives evolved directly from the forging techniques used to create katanas, blending tradition with culinary precision.
Specialized Japanese Knives
Gyuto: Meaning literally ‘beef knife’, the gyuto The Japanese equivalent of a Western chef knife, versatile for all tasks.
Santoku: The santoku knife is a smaller knife, with a name meaning three virtues, for it’s ability to cut meat, fish and vegetables. It has a slightly taller blade, flat cutting surface and shorter length, designed for slicing, dicing, and chopping.
H3: Materials & Craftsmanship
Blade materials: Chef’s knives are available in a range of steel preferences for all manner of use. Popular options are stainless steel, powdered steel, high-carbon steel, damascus steel and other blends.
Handle materials: A Japanese chef’s knife or gyuto can have traditional Japanese octagonal wood or ergonomic western handles. The western handles feature a full tang that can make for a hefty feel in the hand that some people like.
Choosing the Right Chef Knife for Your Needs
When choosing the best chef’s knife for you, there are quite a few factors to consider.
Blade angle: When looking at chef’s knives, there is always some angle on both sides, generally 50/50 or 70/30. The 50/50 is equally balanced and therefore great for both right- and left-handed use. You can find the bevel balance included in the specifications listed for each knife. You can also use our filter system on the left-hand side to include or exclude certain blade angles.
Blade length: Chef’s knife’s blades are usually between seven and ten inches long. The length that is right for you will be determined by two factors. First, how big your hand is, and second, what you are cutting most. The knife should be comfortable and easily controlled and more or less be able to cut your ingredient in one stroke. If you have small hands and mostly cut onions and carrots, a seven-inch gyutou might be right for you. The eight-inch is most popular and suitable for a wide range of users and ingredients. More experienced cooks might find that choosing a chef’s knife with a nine-inch blade allows for quick work when dealing with large ingredients.
Weight: Overall, Japanese knives are considerably lighter than the German- or French-made knives you may have used before. The weight you choose will come down to personal preference, but some blades are exceptionally thin and light, such as our Takamura and Shibata lines.
The majority of knives will fall into medium weight, like those in the Sakai Takayuki and Chubo Inox lines. Lastly, some people are drawn to heftier knives where the natural weight of the knife can assist in cutting denser ingredients. For those situations, we recommend knives from Kazan and Glestain.
Steel types: There are pros and cons to every type of steel, but the first consideration is choosing between a stain-resistant or a high carbon steel option. Carbon steel knives are popular with professional chefs, thanks to their ability to get super sharp and hold an edge through heavy use, but they need to be kept very clean and dry, especially when cutting acidic ingredients. Among the options for stainless blades, most every Japanese option will stay sharp longer than average. The options then come down to balancing different pros and cons like blade strength versus brittleness of sharpening.
Handle Type: You may notice two major options for handles on Japanese knives. First, the Western style is attached to the blade with rivets like you would expect with any high-quality knife. Second is a wood handle, either round, D-shaped, or octagonal and attached with a ferrule usually crafted from horn. This is mostly a matter of personal preference, but many find the natural wood of the handle comfortable, stable to grip, and versatile for various tasks and angles.
Price: Price is usually a key factor in choosing a chef’s knife. We have a wide range of chef’s knives for all budgets. At the introductory level, lines like Chubo Inox or Tojiro are a great value for a knife that is made with a lot of attention to detail and care. High-technology steels and more valuable handle materials lead to higher prices like you’ll find in our Takamura and Makoto Kurosaki lines. Lastly, hand-forged knives from master blacksmiths and those created entirely by hand will be priced according to the materials, skill, and amount of time that it takes to produce. Knives from makers like Takeda, and Kagekiyo are made in small quantities by true master craftsmen and are meant to last a lifetime, and the prices reflect that.
Care & Maintenance of Chef Knives
With proper care, a chef’s knife can last a lifetime. Follow a few simple rules to keep your blades performing at their peak.
General Maintenance Tips
Hand wash and dry immediately after using. This is especially important when using carbon steel blades to prevent corrosion.
Never put knives in a dishwasher.
Avoid cutting frozen food or bones.
Sharpening & Storage Tips
Always use a whetstone for sharpening Japanese knives. Avoid honing, which will not restore an edge and automatic pull through knife sharpeners which can damage the blade.
Store knives properly for safety and to maintain edge sharpness.
Discover the Artistry of Traditional Japanese Chef Knives with Chubo Knives
A Japanese chef’s knife or gyuto can be one of the most useful tools in your knife set. This all purpose blade is one of the most important pieces of cookware for a range of kitchen tasks. A good quality chef’s knife will improve your knife skills and probably be used more often than paring knives, utility knives, boning knives or a cleaver.
Learn more about our wide selection of Japanese Chef’s knives.