Articles

All-steel petty with a patterned handle on a black leather mat

Petty: the small knife you end up using most

The petty is the Japanese utility knife, for everything that is too small for the chef's knife and too big for a paring knife.

Nakiri with a hammered blade and wooden handle on a tea towel with a judo print

Knife types

Nakiri: the vegetable knife with a completely straight edge

Rectangular blade, straight edge, no tip. The nakiri is made for vegetables.

Santoku with a hammered blade and blue handle on a black leather mat

Knife types

Santoku: the Japanese all-round knife for everyday cooking

Santoku means "three virtues": vegetables, fish and meat. Here is what it is good for, who it suits, and where it falls short.

Damascus-patterned chef's knife beside a halved onion on a wooden cutting board

Sharpening

Sharp knife: three tests, and how often it needs sharpening

A dull knife requires force, and it is the force that slips. Here are three tests that show whether the knife is sharp, how often it needs sharpening and how...

Sharpening

Are inexpensive knives worth sharpening?

Usually, yes. A cheap knife with a sharp edge beats an expensive knife that is dull.

Damascus-patterned knife in front of a double-sided whetstone in a holder, more whetstones behind

Sharpening

Whetstones: grit, how many you need and natural stones

What #1000 and #3000 mean, how many stones you need, why you also need a flattening stone, and when a natural stone is worth it.

Eight people lined up together in a Japanese knife workshop

Craft

With the smiths in Japan

Who we have met in the workshops in Sakai, and what we brought home.

Light synthetic cutting board with radishes and a small knife, spices around it

Care

Cutting boards: wood, rubber, plastic and titanium

The surface decides how long the edge lasts. Wood, ideally end grain, for most things, rubber for meat and fish, and the surfaces you should stay away from.

Gyuto with a black Western handle and three rivets against a black background

Knife types

Gyuto: the Japanese chef's knife

The gyuto is the Japanese chef's knife. It is modelled on the Western chef's knife, with a thinner blade and harder steel. Common lengths are 180, 210, 240 and 270...

The chef's knives, a whetstone and a knife roll on a steel bench in a restaurant kitchen

Sharpening

The pro's best friend: from apprentice to the final

From the workshop in Trondheim to cooking competitions and sharpening courses in your kitchen. This is what kitchens with a trade account get.

Japanese chef's knife with a damascus pattern and dark wooden handle in the basket of a dishwasher

Care

Do knives really go dull in the dishwasher?

The short answer is yes You may have heard that knives should not go in the dishwasher. That is true, and it applies to stainless steel knives as well. Four...