NAKIRI VERSATILITY #shorts

It's not infrequent to hear that a nakiri isn't super versatile due to the absence of a tip on the knife, we've even said it before! While this certainly isn't the first shape I'd pick up to cut off the florets of a head of broccoli, that doesn't mean that it isn't good at other detailed work that you may assume you need a delicate tip for!

Knife seen here : Masutani Tsuchime Nakiri 165mm

[arckangal]

I work as a professional line cook in a Japanese restaurant and almost my entire kitchen uses a nakiri for everything, they're way more versatile than people think.

[duncanrussell]

I mean, at the end of the day its who is using the knife not what kind it is. I dont know kitchen knives well, but I do throwing knives. Anything with a point can be thrown by someone who knows, just like most skilled chefs can use a majority of knives.

[smoak]

How many different ways will he say nakiri?

[roman]

I use a Wüsthof Nakiri for probably 80% of my cooking. It’s compact, great for chopping through vegetables fast and easy to move food around with. It weighs less than the Chinese chef knives I used to use and I’m less worried about accidentally poking into stuff than with my beautiful Tsubaya Gyuto that I mostly only use for “special meals”. And when I make chicken the Honesuki is top tier

[McSpuds]

I think the thing that would help put it into perspective is:
Edge is for cutting.
Tip is for stabbing.

How are you preparing food that you think you need spend a lot of time stabbing it instead of cutting to prep it?

[joshd]

I use a 160mm santoku that does most things perfectly, if you want a more blunt style knife that still has a tip, the santoku is a far superior choice in most situations, as someone who has used both, the nakiri is a bit short on the end and doesn't slice through where you think it will.

[badingledongle]

My nakiri is my main workhorse kitchen knife. It's fantastic for cutting stuff into lengths/cubes of any size. Wouldn't use it to bone or filet, and something with more curve does better with rocking cuts, but I reach for it over my chef's knife and santoku nine times out of ten.

[karelenhenkie]

Thats why i chose the kiritsuke. I love using the tip to slide out of sticky veggies so i can slice nice and thin when needed.

[raghunathevar]

My background is in south east asian cuisine. A nakiri / cleaver is the most common knife used by most cooks ( especially those not professionally trained )

[prenticedriskel]

no one going to mention the rotten shallot

[arnimsnoopie]

As long as the tip” however it looks; is sharp will work comparatively well.

[yankeelongshoreman]

As a professional cook, my $50 nakiri is almost the only knife I use. It's an absolutely perfect knife for general use, as long as you know the correct techniques to use.

The only times I dont use it are for boning, which i have a boning knife for, and breaking down primal and sub-primal cuts, for which I use a scimitar.

Any chef that has more than 4-5 knives is just showing off.

[vygalnix]

It’s almost a Chinese cleaver. It’s a matter of adjusting your grip and cut depth. Sometimes you have to use what you got. If a nakiri is the only knife available that’s what you got to use.

[mythdweller]

Literally no one says you need a tip to do it. Also, nakiri is designed for veggies - which a shallot, coincidentally, is. Seriously, guys, clout is good, but there's a line.

[joncapybara]

someone already said this, but it's the skill of the user, not necessarily the shape of the knife. imo, it all comes down to the task and the way the user approaches the task. when i small dice onions, i use a different approach and style based on the intended use - if they're so small they're almost brunoised, i might use a style of cutting that a nakiri is perfect for, but for another style, i might prefer a petty or small gyuto. If you do a lot of push cuts you probably like nakiris and santokus, if you rock the knife more you'll like knives with a belly. it's too case-specific to say "this knife is for this task and this knife is for another, " as many of them can multitask.

that said, i don't think i'd ever use a nakiri for butchery, but my 7 1/2 in chefs knife can do just about everything my nakiri can and also butcher. to each their own i suppose

[Nihlink]

Idk in the end if you you use a flat blade you have to pay more attention. The rolling action on a chefs knife is safer to half pay attention to. Always preferred that when doing veg prep because you’re cutting for like 4 hours straight and you don’t want to making a chopping motion for that long.

[texasred]

I’ve always liked my nakiri knife the best, I’ve always worked in Cajun French restaurants but I’d take my nakiri knife over a western chef knife

[Mo]

I'm genuinely irl jealous of how sharp your knives are

[LightingUpTheAbyss]

That nakiri seems to be better than with tip as it prevents over cutting and just slicing

[handleisGG]

there's another angled knife forgot what it's called, defo prefer it to this one, it's like a slanted square, it's PERFECT