New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Korin

post #1 of 16
9/2/11 at 11:48am
Thread Starter 
Made a trip down there today to pick up a stone fixer. Man, what a beautiful store.

I looked at a lot of knives and was very taken by several of them. I know that this one:

http://korin.com/Indented-Blade-Sole-Knife?sc=20&category=51928

is in my future. Best fliet knife I have ever seen. I was also very tempted by a Honesuki and a Hankotsu.

I played with several of the gyutos. I liked the look of the Masanobu very much but the Misono UX10 felt so much better in my hand, there was no comparison. I have no need for such a knife; my Shun is fine and I am able to get a very good edge on it these days. But this was fun. I will probably get a very nice gyuto some day, just not today or any day soon.

I asked about the traditional one-sided Japanese knives. They asked how I cooked and replied "You don't need one and wouldn't know how to use it anyway." I appreciate their candor and they are probably right.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 16
9/2/11 at 11:51am
yeah, it's a candy store. incidentally, they will do sharpening. i did an interview/took a class with the guy who is there ace. started on that big stone they have in front (not just for show). honestly, though, he didn't do an especially amazing job.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 16
9/2/11 at 12:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post

I asked about the traditional one-sided Japanese knives. They asked how I cooked and replied "You don't need one and wouldn't know how to use it anyway." I appreciate their candor and they are probably right.

Many American(?) people who buy into these expensive Japanese knives (mgm *cough*) don't know that the basic slicing motion in Japanese cooking is opposite to that which is taught in French cooking. I guess they just figure a knife is a knife, and the sharper the better.

I've seen guys in Asia peel potatoes for mashed potatoes using like 8" or 9" long gyutou type knives, for a lack of a long square-bladed vegetable knife at the time, faithfully paring out the peel in one long strip, very quickly. Just a very different way of cutting and paring.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 16
9/2/11 at 12:48pm
wait, the nenox mgm bought might be japanese made but the style of the knife is western ie made for a french cooking type of pushing and rocking motion vs a japanese pulling type of motion
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 16
9/2/11 at 12:53pm
this is all knife geeky, but there are two distinct types of cutting: chopping and slicing. Even with western knives, slicing should be done with a long pulling motion. Chopping can be the rocking up-and-down motion and it can be almost as well with a gyutou as with a wusthoff or something (in fact, a gyutou looks almost exactly like a traditional french chef's knife, with the exception of being chisel-bladed).
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
9/2/11 at 12:58pm
Once you go ceramic you never go back.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
9/2/11 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by idfnl View Post

Once you go ceramic you never go back.

do not like. way too light and very brittle. YMMV.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 16
9/2/11 at 1:08pm
Originally Posted by idfnl

Once you go ceramic you never go back.



Just do not drop them.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
9/2/11 at 1:10pm
^^ agreed, you have to be very careful with them, but to slice thru fish or a tomato there is no more satisfying cutting experience
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
9/2/11 at 1:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodguy View Post

this is all knife geeky, but there are two distinct types of cutting: chopping and slicing. Even with western knives, slicing should be done with a long pulling motion. Chopping can be the rocking up-and-down motion and it can be almost as well with a gyutou as with a wusthoff or something (in fact, a gyutou looks almost exactly like a traditional french chef's knife, with the exception of being chisel-bladed).

I was referring to the fact that the Japanese slice with a forward motion, in reverse to the Western way of using the knife as a fulcrum and pulling back and down.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 16
9/2/11 at 1:41pm
i'm not going to argue with the experts but i had thought the japanese style was to use both a push cut (for veggies) and a pull cut (for meats)

i had also thought a gyuto in fact is a french chef knife with modifications. iirc french chef knives became popular during the meiji era and when admiral perry banned samurai knives knife makers (esp post wwII) started making gyutos, but modifications came naturally due their historical context. also western style gyutos dont have a one sideded (ie chisel blade) because they really are french chef knives.

as a peace offering to ameliorate my stupidity and ignorance



i found it interesting that he doesn't use a pinch grip.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 16
9/2/11 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by indesertum View Post

i'm not going to argue with the experts but i had thought the japanese style was to use both a push cut (for veggies) and a pull cut (for meats)

i had also thought a gyuto in fact is a french chef knife with modifications. iirc french chef knives became popular during the meiji era and when admiral perry banned samurai knives knife makers (esp post wwII) started making gyutos, but modifications came naturally due their historical context. also western style gyutos dont have a one sideded (ie chisel blade) because they really are french chef knives.

sorry, i misunderstood. too long working teaching people not to slice by pushing down! as for gyutous, they are definitely adaptations of western knives ... but many of them (all of them that i tried) had chisel edges.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
9/2/11 at 2:20pm
Thread Starter 
99% of the Western style Japanese knives at Korin had 70/30 edges.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 16
9/2/11 at 6:18pm
Did you see the boy in the kimono sitting, sharpening knives?
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
9/6/11 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgm9128 View Post

Did you see the boy in the kimono sitting, sharpening knives?

Amazing how that stuck out for you.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home