Which Japanese knife brand is most suitable for your kitchen?
Japanese knives are renowned for having beautiful, detailed design, and they produce the finest cuts. Most Japanese knives feature an incredibly sharp, thin, and lightweight blade in comparison to Western knives. This makes it great for delicate tasks like cutting vegetables and slicing fish.Professional chefs and home cooks alike can agree that Japanese knives bear a hefty price tag because you are assured of the quality and craftsmanship. However, there are plenty of affordable ones to choose from. Another thing to consider is the plethora of Japanese knife brands booming in the current market, overwhelming purchasers with choice.
Finding the right Japanese knife should not be difficult. We've narrowed down our favourite Japanese knife brands which are ideal for professionals and home cooks.
Shun
The Shun brand may be young, but its origins date back over 111 years where the makers of Shun produced fine cutlery in Japan's famous Seki City – a well-known city with a blade-making tradition that dates back over 800 years. The company initially produced folding knives and razors but soon moved to kitchen cutlery.Today, Shun's highly skilled artisans still produce blades that exude durability, style and functionality. Inspired by ancient Japanese blade-making traditions, each knife is handcrafted and takes at least 100 individual steps to ensure the peak of perfection.
Our favourite Shun knives:
Shun Premier knives feature a contoured Pakkawood handle designed for a more controlled grip. The palm rests comfortably on the handle when slicing and cutting food. The stunning hammered finish is not only beautiful to admire but also helps food release easily when cutting.
Shun Classic chef's knife features a well-balanced blade that's light enough to slice vegetables, yet heavy enough to cut meat. Its Granton edge creates small air pockets that allow easy food release when finely chopping ingredients at a fast pace.
The Shun Sora 3-Piece Knife Set is an all-rounder that delivers the same unparalleled quality and beauty at an affordable price point. These knives are easy to use and maintain, perfect for the home cook. It features three of Shun Sora's most popular knives which are perfect for you to chop, slice, julienne, dice, and mince ingredients.
MAC
MAC knives are no stranger to professional cooks and cooking enthusiasts. Even celebrity chef Marco Pierre White swears by MAC’s reputation of having a ‘fine blade with a backbone’ allowing him to through his kitchen tasks with ease. The knives are completely shaped, assembled, polished, and sharpened by professional Japanese craftsmen in Japan.
(image source: thetimes.co.uk)
The characteristics of MAC knives differ from traditional Japanese knives. MAC knives are a hybrid between conventional Japanese single bevelled chisel edge (Kataba), and the Western V-shaped edge (Ryoba). The edge carries a versatile combination of high precision in sharpness and control, ideal for thin slicing and straight cuts.
Each knife features a razor-sharp edge, comfortable handles and offers great balance. What's more, the thin, razor-sharp blades are sharper and stay sharp longer than other leading knife brands.
Our favourite MAC knives:
The Mac Professional Chef Knife is your go-to all-rounder kitchen knife for general tasks. The knife features a full tang and stainless-steel bolster designed for any chef.
The Mac Professional Granton Chef Knife features a slightly shorter construction similar to a santoku knife design. The Granton edge's beauty is that it creates air pockets with each slice, allowing you to cut food into fine and thin pieces effortlessly.
The Mac Superior Meat Cleaver knife is a hybrid between a chef's knife and a cleaver. This knife has excellent balance and control. As a result, it makes chopping and cutting larger and harder food such as crab and squash easy.
Global
Global kitchen knives were developed in 1985 by creative visionary, Komin Yamada. He successfully fashioned a series of comfortable and easy to handle kitchen knives appealing to professional and amateur chefs alike. Inspired by ancient samurai sword-crafting methods, Global knives have been crafted in Japan using the same tradition for over 30 years.
Each Global kitchen knife is forged using CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel. The unique construction of the steel is hard enough to hold a steep cutting edge for a long time, but soft enough to easily sharpen when needed. Each knife is weighted to ensure perfect balance and features Global's signature dimpled handle for a comfortable non-slip grip when handling kitchen tasks.
Our favourite Global knives:
The knife set is the perfect introduction to Global knives ideal for any apprentice chef or enthusiast featuring 3 of Global’s most popular knives; a chef knife (G2), vegetable knife (GS-5), and a paring knife (GS-38).
Our best selling Global Ikasu Knife Block Set comes with six kitchen knives carefully selected for your daily food preparation tasks. The knife block features a compact design with a clear window to easily identify the knives when cooking. The knife block sits perfectly against the kitchen wall and is also easy to clean with its opening at the bottom.
If you prefer a modern style setting, the Global Takumi 6 Piece Block Set offers a unique way to hold your knives. Featuring five knives, including a paring knife, a vegetable knife, sandwich knife, a carving knife, and a bread knife. The knives rest on a beautiful magnetic walnut wood knife block designed with a slightly diagonal position for ease of use.
Other wood types available sold as a separate purchase:Next Read: The Most Popular Kitchen Knives in 2020
