Where to find this knife?
January 18, 2024 6:29 AM   Subscribe

Any ideas on where I might find a kitchen knife like this one, as seen in Jamie Oliver's preparation of Store Cupboard Fried Rice from Keep Cooking & Carry On? (I am more interested in knives with a blunted nose like this one than its fancy handle, as it were).
posted by chavenet to Food & Drink (10 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Where to find this knife?

Japan! Usuba, Nakiri.
posted by zamboni at 6:32 AM on January 18, 2024 [5 favorites]


Best answer: Zamboni has it right. Chefknivestogo.com (despite the somewhat silly name, they are a fantastic resource for pro-quality knives, with tons of options at many different quality/price points, especially in Japanese-style cutlery) or if you feel really high end, Bernal cutlery (online or brick and mortar in SF), were my go to places for my cutlery when I was a cook/chef.
posted by HVACDC_Bag at 6:41 AM on January 18, 2024 [2 favorites]


Best answer: And there's a great review of Nakiris at Serious Eats.
posted by garo at 7:06 AM on January 18, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I was given a Pioneer Woman Nakiri, which is a mass-market knife that sells for around $25.00 but has proven to be a decent utility kitchen knife.
posted by zombiedance at 8:35 AM on January 18, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: If this knife (and not the silly handle, which is shaped more like a pocket knife handle--too awkward for anyone but the most experienced cooks, I'd venture...) appeals to you, get a Nakiri knife like this one that I have.

If you've ever chiffonaded herbs or sliced green onion tips and wound up with those ugly, incompletely sliced-through sections that look like telephone cords, a Nakiri is perfect for you. Just remember never to rock it when you cut; it won't rock.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:41 AM on January 18, 2024


Best answer: What you want is a nakiri, which is a double-edged knife for cutting vegetables. A usuba is a single-edged knife mostly used by professionals and others with highly developed knife skills. It's pretty easy to screw up a single-edged Japanese knife and maintenance is more difficult as well. Pretty sure Jamie Oliver is using a nakiri in the video you linked. Korin is the OG of Japanese knife shops in the US, but they appear to be sold out of nakiris.

One thing you might consider is whether or not your contemplated usage is best suited to a nakiri. A santoku with a straight edge profile, for example, has most of the characteristics of a nakiri but is more versatile. Unless you're doing a lot of very precise matchstick cuts and making sheets of daikon and the like, you'll probably get more use out of a santoku.

It's fairly common for high quality Japanese knives to be made of carbon steel, which requires diligent maintenance (wiping frequently while in use, washing immediately after use and lightly oiling when you put it away) or the edge may degrade and it will rust/discolor. So that's something to look out for.
posted by slkinsey at 8:46 AM on January 18, 2024 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Since everyone else has responded about that knife being a nakiri, another knife you might consider is a chinese style vegetable cleaver like this CCK one. I got that cleaver a year ago and it's now my favorite knife that I reach for most times over chef knives from Shun, Global, and Henckels. It's carbon steel which, like slkinsey mentions, does require different maintenance that you may be used to. It does take a VERY keen edge with little effort which is nice if you are used to harder stainless knives.
posted by Dr. Twist at 11:30 AM on January 18, 2024


Best answer: Knifewear, a smaller Canadian distributor, also has a nice selection of Nakiri knives (along with other Japanese cutlery). I've used this one for years and love it; probably the most-used knife I have.
posted by experiencing a significant gravitas shortfall at 12:33 PM on January 18, 2024


Response by poster: Thank you all, that's a great help.
It's a Nikiri I'm after now, will try to find locally.
posted by chavenet at 12:45 PM on January 18, 2024


I have the Milk Street Kitchen Nakiri and I love it for veggies.
posted by matildaben at 9:36 PM on January 18, 2024


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