The making of Japanese knives meets high culinary standards: precise cutting and perfect handling. The Nakiri thus allows you to slice your vegetables quickly and accurately. Meanwhile, the blade length of the Gyuto excels at cutting fish to prepare sashimi or sushi. A versatile knife, the Santoku helps you slice meat successfully.
To preserve the performance of a Japanese knife in the kitchen, proper care of both the blade and handle is essential on a regular basis. This is especially true for high-end traditionally made Japanese knives. Crafted from Damascus carbon steel, the blades of these knives deserve attention that matches the quality of their edge.
Why is caring for your Japanese knives important for the sharpness of their blade?
In Japan, cutlery is part of the ancestral craftsmanship of samurai sword making. A heritage that creates a close link between the forging of blades and the spiritual dimension of their use. That is why Japanese master chefs take great care of their kitchen knives. A chef's respect for meaningful, high-quality craftsmanship.
In Western cooking, caring for Japanese knives is more pragmatic. Whether professional or amateur, maintain the sharp edge of the Japanese knife to preserve its exceptional cutting performance. To slice cleanly rather than tear meat, fish, or vegetables.
Made from carbon steel, Damascus steel, or stainless steel, the blades of Japanese knives are subject to wear from cutting. These micro-damages eventually dull the edge. These effects are accelerated when you use a Japanese knife inappropriately in the kitchen. For example, when you use a chef knife to bone meat.
Maintaining the blade of your Japanese knife to preserve the quality of its edge
Do you own a Nakiri knife, a Yanagiba, a Kengata, a Gyuto, or a Santoku? Here are our tips for sharpening and caring for the edge of your Japanese knives every day.
Sharpening the blade of a Japanese knife: frequency and tools
An amateur cook should sharpen their set of Japanese knives every 3 to 6 months, depending on how often they are used. If you are a professional chef, sharpen each knife blade every month.
To preserve the sharpness of your Japanese knife, we recommend using a Japanese whetstone. Using this stone allows you to sharpen a blade while respecting the sharpening angle (15 degrees). And thus restore a clean, precise edge.
To choose a sharpening stone, first check the carbon steel content of your Japanese knife blade. The more carbon the steel blade contains, the finer the stone grit should be. Second, as in Japan, take into account the food to be cut. Unlike vegetables and meat, fish require a very fine sharpening grit (#8000). The ideal solution is to own one sharpening stone for each type of knife. This makes all your perfect cutting goals possible.
Maintaining the cutting edge quality of a Japanese knife every day: our advice
On a daily basis, respect the intended use of your Japanese knives to preserve their steel blade. Choose the Nakiri for slicing vegetables and not for deboning meat. And use a Takohiki, Mioroshi, or Deba knife to prepare sashimi and sushi fish, rather than a Kasumi knife.
In the kitchen, also use a cutting board suited to your cutting task. Preferably choose a wooden board. Especially for meat to be deboned. Wood preserves the cutting edge quality of the carbon steel blade of your Japanese knives. Finally, avoid moving meat, vegetables, and fish with the cutting edge of the blade of these quality knives.
For cleaning Japanese knives, avoid the dishwasher. Clean each knife with water and no abrasive product on the blade. Also remember to clean the handle of the Japanese knife. Impurities can stick to the handle and hinder its handling in the kitchen. And a chef's dexterity is priceless! Then dry each knife immediately to prevent corrosion of its carbon steel blade. Finally, store each of your Japanese knives on a wall mount or in a protective sheath.
Maison Damas: the online store for your Japanese knives
Maison Damas makes Japanese knives from Damascus steel in the finest tradition of traditional Japanese cutlery. The blades of Maison Damas knives are crafted from layered Damascus carbon steel. This gives them exceptional hardness and remarkable cutting performance. This Damascus steel knife range meets the most demanding expectations of both professional and home chefs.
The Japanese knives Maison Damas are sold individually or in sets of 2 to 6 knives. To cover the most common kitchen uses, choose a knife set with a versatile knife, such as the Santoku or chef knife. Then choose one or more specialized Japanese knives from our stock (Gyuto, Nakiri).
Whether you are a professional or home chef, quickly discover our range of Japanese knives in stock on our online store. And remember to order our essential accessories for maintaining and protecting their blade: sharpening stone and wall mount.
