The Nakiri knife is the Western-style double-edged version of a single-edged Japanese usuba or vegetable knife.
A well-sharpened blade is essential for every knife, whether it’s a chef’s knife, a santoku, or a nakiri knife.
Knives get dull as a result of the blade sliding through the ingredients and the contact with the chopping board. As a result, soft synthetic or end-grain wood cutting boards are ideal for extending the life of your blades’ edges. Whatever the case, all knives will get dull over time and will require periodic sharpening on whetstones.
This post will go through everything you ned to know about nakiri knife and how to properly utilize this famous vegetable knife.
What exactly is a Nakiri Knife?
The Nakiri knife is the Western-style double-edged version of a single-edged Japanese usuba or vegetable knife. It has a straight rectangular blade, similar to that of a tiny cleaver, and is suitable for vegetable cuts like julienne, brunoise, and allumette. The Nakiri knife is suitable for precision vegetable cutting and is an excellent choice for cutting through dense, hard-skinned crops such as melon, pumpkin, and root vegetables.
Is it possible to carve meat using a nakiri? Cutting through boneless portions of meat with a good-grade nakiri knife is doable, but not perfect. When cooking meat, a user will eventually require the sharp tip of a chef’s knife or santoku.
What exactly does nakiri mean? Na-kiri means leaf or vegetable cutter in Japanese. This is the knife most typically used in Japanese household kitchens for dealing with a variety of vegetables, including hard-skinned foods such as squash, beets, and root vegetables, as well as leafy greens such as spinach. A nakiri creates crisp slices, just like you would think a high-quality Japanese kitchen knife would.
The Nakiri knife design
A nakiri is a small rectangular knife with a flat blade that is ideal for precise vegetable cutting. The surface of the blade is beneficial for nakiri knives. Its surface and thickness prevent solid items, such as potatoes, from sticking to the blade. This rapid food release enables more effective cutting.
Weight and balance vary depending on the knife manufacturer, but usually, nakiri knife is light to medium weight.
A nakiri’s rectangular blade form is intended to allow for the effective vertical chopping of big, hard vegetables. One of the best features of a nakiri is the ease with which you may cut materials that are normally difficult to cut.
What can you cut with a nakiri knife?
Nakiris are designed to chop a variety of fruits and vegetables. The following is a list of objects that a nakiri can efficiently cut.
- Pumpkins, melons, honeydews, butternut squash
- sweet potatoes, yams, and potatoes
- onions, radishes, cucumbers, peppers
Hand Positioning
A pinch grip, in which the thumb and pointer finger grasp each side of the knife and the other fingers curl around the handle, provides excellent blade control. A hammer grip is the second choice, and it is just what it sounds like.
Hold the knife handle like a hammer, with your thumb on one side and your remaining fingers curled around the handle.
Knuckles should be pressed up against the knife. Fold your four fingers underneath and use your knuckles as a guide to push the ingredient toward the knife blade, keeping your fingertips out of the way of the blade.
Stand straight with your feet firmly lodged on the ground. Maintain a comfortable neck and shoulders.
How to cut different vegetables with nakiri knife
- Greens – First, remove the tough stems, fold them up, and cut the proper width pieces like a chiffonade.
- Apples – Take the core out and chop off the four sides of an apple to make apple slices. In one movement, cut the appropriate width.
- Onions: Cut in half from root to tip, put flat side downwards, then slice towards the middle for slices. To form ideal cubes, make equal cuts from the top of the onion to the cutting board, then rotate the onion 90o and slice again.
- Herbs – For bushy herbs like basil, separate the stems from the leaves and pile them before rolling and cutting to desired thickness. Cut the hard stems from parsley and basil and finely slice the leaves to the required fineness.
You can buy Paudin Nakiri knife here!
