Japanese Kitchen Knives Essential techniques and Recipes

Sales of Japanese kitchen knives are booming, but how many people have the skills to use these superbly crafted tools to full advantage? Now, renowned chef Hiromitsu Nozaki shares his expertise and insights in a book that will help anyone who owns a Japanese knife to maximize its performance. In Japanese Kitchen Knives, Nozaki teaches the reader how to use the three main traditional Japanese knives: the usuba, the deba, and the yanagiba. He explains many essential details, such as the importance of the angle of the blade and how force is applied through it, and illustrates these lessons by working with ingredients familiar to Western readers, such as everyday vegetables and rainbow trout. The instructions are accompanied by simple, easy-to-follow recipes that use the cutting techniques described. As you read the book, you will gain basic knowledge not only about specific techniques using Japanese knives, but also about the knives in general, from basic cutting stance and sharpening techniques to knife anatomy, knife forging, and the enormous range of shapes these knives can take.

One of Tokyo’s most renowned chefs shows how to maximize the performance of the world’s best knives. Color photos (from the chef’s perspective) and detailed commentary cover the step-by-step process of cutting. Each cutting technique is accompanied by recipes that call for its use. All recipes are very straightforward, using easily available ingredients. Specialty knives are shown on location, from a unique unagi eel knife used in a specialty restaurant to a colossal tuna filleting knife wielded at the Tokyo fish market. Other sections include a look at artisanal Japanese knife-making and information on sharpening, storing and identifying the variety of knives.