Nakiri

What is a nakiri?

A nakiri (菜切り) is the Japanese home cook's vegetable knife. The blade is a thin rectangle with a dead-straight edge and a squared-off tip. Because the whole edge touches the board at once, a single downward cut goes right through a carrot or a spring onion, with no strings of uncut skin.

Nakiri vs usuba

Both are rectangular vegetable knives. The usuba is the professional version: single-bevelled (sharpened on one side only), heavier and harder to sharpen, and used for precise work such as paper-thin sheets of daikon. The nakiri is double-bevelled, lighter and much easier to use and maintain at home.

Nakiri vs santoku

A santoku has a slight curve and a dropped point, so it can also handle meat and fish and do some tip work. A nakiri is a specialist: better at vegetables, but no point for fine work.

How do you use a nakiri?

Use a straight push cut, forward and down, or a simple up-and-down chop. Don't rock it: the flat edge doesn't rock. Keep your knuckles against the flat of the blade as a guide, and use the tall blade to scoop chopped food into the pan.

Making a nakiri

A nakiri is a good kitchen knife project: the shape is simple to lay out, but keeping the edge truly flat along its length takes care at the grinder and on the stones. Thin stock and a fine-grained steel such as AEB-L, 52100 or 14C28N suit it.