Nakiri vegetable knives are becoming more prevalent as people grow their skills and the number and type of knives they have in the kitchen. The time for most of us of having a drawer full of classic chef knives is over.

This is a near new 堺竹泉 Sakai Takeizumi nakiri. It sits well in the hand, is razor sharp and has a beautiful kurouchi finish.

THE HANDLE

The handle is best shown in photo 5, however photo 6 shows some of the missing kanji at the bottom of the handle. What is there suggests that it is 特製 or specially made.

Photo 7 shows the top of the blade and you will see that the blade is way thicker near the handle and has a distal taper out to the tip seen in the last two photos. From my understanding of knife making, this can generally only be achieved by hand forging.

Photo 10 shows the knife in the process of being hand sharpened. All knives restored and sold by me are hand sharpened on a variety of stones ranging from 400, 1000, 3000, 5000, 8000, 9000 and 12,000 grit. Knives leaving my workshop can trim down free standing magazine paper. Photo 11 shows a small burr removed from the blade and is included for budding knife sharpeners. Burrs must be created and then removed so that the edge can be refinded to razor sharpness.

The video shows the utility of this knife. Razor thin transparent slices of food ushers in the ability for precise slicing. The weight and 54mm depth enhances faster chopping.

DETAILS AT A GLANCE

The Nakiri 菜切り包丁 is the favoured knife, along with its social competitor the Usuba 薄刃包丁 as the vegetable knife of choice amongst chefs and home cooks. There are a few minor differences such as the Nakiri having a slightly taller blade and a little more curve on the cutting edge.

A Nakiri knife is a classic Japanese knife that is most commonly used for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables. It can be used on meats if you don't want to change and wash another knife in the middle of your meal prep. Its main feature is its straight blade, which encourages a specific style of cutting. Nakiri are ideal for an up and down motion, perfect for celery stalks, carrots, onions, leeks, zucchini, and eggplant. Nakiri are quite thin at the edge so as not to crack your vegetables. This goes hand in hand with the Japanese National pastime of accurate and clean slicing in order to present food in the most attractive, well preserved and most precise manner possible.

Please note that I will combine shipping on multiple items or purchases made at the same time. Please ask questions if you wish. I generally get back within an hour or two. Please note that none of my knives come with a saya.

Shipping Info: Generally, any item paid for before 08:00 on a weekday morning will be posted on my 09:00 postal run.