Do You Like Korean Food - Bae Chu Kim Chi -The Original Kim Chi Recipe

[caption id="attachment_862" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bae Chu Kim Chee"][/caption]

I love Korean food! I must admit that I never ate Korean food until I went to college in downtown Los Angeles in an area very close to many Asian communities like San Pedro and Monterey Park. The closest Asian district to where I went to school was along Vermont Ave in Los Angeles and here I found China Town, Korea Town, Viet Nam Town, etc. You just name it and there as an Asian "Town" to be found and along with that the foods that came along with them.

I stayed in the dorms at the college that I attended and I had a Korean room mate. His name was Suk Yi, and it was Suk Yi that introduced me to Korean food. I would go to dinner at his family home in San Pedro and eat dishes like Bulgogi, Ox Tail/Bone soup ( Seolleongtang), All kinds of dumplings (Mandu), Korean style sushi (Kimbap) and every manner of food that his family would make. I didn't find one thing that I didn't love to eat! One of the foods that  Suk Yi introduced me to was Kim Chee/Kim Chi.

The first time Suk Yi made Kim Chee/KimChi for me, it was to believe it or not help me quit smoking. I was a champion wrestler in high school and a champion fencer in college, but through the years I also smoked cigarettes of various American and European brands. It got to the point that I wanted my wind back. I was coughing all the time and I didn't like what I saw coming out of my lungs. Suk Yi made Kim Chee/Kim Chi for me. It wasn't made from cabbage however. This Kim Chee/Kim Chi recipe was made strictly with garlic and Korean coarse chili powder.

Suk Yi made this Kim Chi recipe with garlic cloves split longwise, soy sauce and really, really hot Korean coarse ground chili pepper powder and let it stand on the kitchen counter for about five days until the split garlic cloves turned black. The first day I tried it Suk Yi told me to eat two pieces a day and work my way up to four and this Kim Chi recipe would help me to quit smoking. So, I took a split clove and ate the two pieces at one time. It was garlicky and delicious! It went down nice and easy. If any of you out there have ever eaten a garlic clove then you know what happened next. The garlic hit bottom and I kind of felt it explode in my stomach and then a big exhaling WHOOSH! of air got expelled from my lungs. It took a couple of breaths to get my wind back. Suk Yi told me one month of this and I wouldn't be smoking anymore.

Let me tell you that within that month this Kim Chi recipe had me expelling tar from my lungs that was quite visible. I swear in a month and a half I wasn't smoking anymore and it has been that way ever since. At this point is when I got into eating lots of different Asian foods and Suk Yi would take me shopping in Korean supermarkets, and take me to his home for dinner with his family. It was at this time in my life that Suk Yi taught me how to  make Bae Chu Kim Chi. He explained to me that this is the core basic Korean Kim Chi recipe that all others are based on and that there were as many variations of this Kim Chi recipe as there are families in Korea!

Suk Yi also explained to me that Kim Chi is literally the national food of Korea and that it is made in the late fall in Korea at time called "Kimjang." This is when Kim Chi is put in earthenware pots and placed in the ground to ferment. I was in a Kim Chi making mode this week and I decided to share with you the Bae Chu Kim Chi recipe that Suk Yi shared with me 25yrs ago!



The ingredients:

1 head of Napa cabbage

3 bulbs of garlic to start with or more if you prefer. I used between 8 and 12 most of the time. It is taste preference.

1 piece of ginger 2 to 3 inches cut up  into small pieces for the blender/food processor.

1/4 cup fish sauce.

2 bunches of scallions.

1 cup coarse ground Korean chili pepper.

2 Tsp. sugar.

1 Tsp. sesame oil.

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar.

1/2 of large Asian radish. (Daikon)

1 Tbsp. rice flour or AP flour if you don't have rice flour.

1 1/2 cups salt.

The Steps:

1. Cut Napa cabbage in half the long way.

2. Remove the stem at bottom with small knife and a "V" cut. Then cut the halves into quarters.

3. Cut up each quarter into 1 and 2 inch strips. I use a slightly diagonal cut.

4. Take a large pot and fill with some water, the pot should be able to hold at least a gallon of water.

5. Add 4 to 5 ounces of salt and mix until salt is dissolved in water.

6. Put cut up cabbage into the pot and add water to just cover the cabbage.

7. Press cabbage down into water and cabbage will begin to soften fairly quickly.

8. Cover pot and let stand with cabbage in it for 1 to 2 hours. I like 2 hours but I have let it go as long as 4 hours.

9. About half way through the soaking add your scallions and make sure they are cut up into 1 inch pieces or longer if you wish.

10. After you let the cabbage soak for however long you choose it is time to strain it and squeeze it.

11. Pour cabbage into a collander and strain it. Wash off excess salt and squeeze out excess water gently. Let cabbage stand for 20 minutes.

12. While the cabbage is resting it is time to make the rice flour glue that allows the ingredients to stick to the Kim Chi.

The Rice Flour Glue:

1. 1 Tbsp. of rice flour. If you don't have rice flour you can use AP flour and it will work the same way.

2. Put the rice flour in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup water and medium to medium  high heat and bring to a boil and let it thicken. Stir constantly. When mixture can stick to the spoon it is ready to let cool.  While the rice flour glue is cooling it is time to make the Korean chili paste mixture.

Korean Chili Paste Mixture:

1. Take the garlic, ginger, Asian radish, and blend in food processor or blender until it is a pulpy liquid consistency. (This step is done

While the rice flour glue is cooling down)

2. Take Korean chili powder, sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and mix all these ingredients up in a bowl.

3. Now take the garlic, ginger, radish mixture and add it to the chili paste mixture in previous step and mix it up well. Now you will have a red Korean chili powder paste.

Final Steps:

Rinse out the large pot that you used for soaking the cabbage.

Now take some of the cabbage that has been standing/straining and make a layer of cabbage at the bottom of the large pot you used to soak it in.

Put a couple of spoonfuls of the Korean chili paste mix on top and mix together with your hands. Make sure all the cabbage is covered.

Repeat this step of making cabbage layers and then putting chili paste on top of each layer and mixing until all the ingredients are used.

Then perform one final mix of the cabbage and paste to make sure everything is completely covered.

When done put all of your Kim Chi into an air tight jar. I have found that a 2 quart jar is just right for one large head of Napa cabbage.

Put the jar in a cool place on a counter top somewhere for about 2 to 3 days to allow the fermentation to take place. Make sure no sunlight gets to the jar.

At end of 2 or 3 days you may see some bubbling happening and that's fine, that is the fermentation process. Put Kim Chi in the fridge.

This will last for up to 2 months in the fridge, but I think it will not last that long once you start eating it!

The Final Product:

When you serve this you can put it on the plate with your food or in a separate bowl as with the pic at the beginning of this post. Add a dash of sesame oil for a nutty flavor and sprinkle some raw or toasted sesame seeds on top and serve! Kim Chi goes great with rice, noodles, beef, chicken just about anything can be perked up with Kim Chi!

[caption id="attachment_891" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jar Of Bae Chu Kim Chi"][/caption]

Best Kitchen Knives - Japanese Kitchen Knives Versus European Kitchen Knives

Today I want to talk a little bit about kitchen knives. I know, we all have them in our kitchens but I thought I would talk about some of the things one might want to consider when looking to purchase good quality kitchen knives/cutlery. So many times people are concerned with what is the best kitchen knife and I always tell them that there is no such thing. Each maker with a quality reputation makes the best kitchen knives, it is up to you to decide which are going to be the best kitchen knives for your purposes.  There are so many brands and types of kitchen knives today that it simply boggles the mind. The similarities, the dissimilarities. To some people they all just look alike. Well, we know that this is not so and we know that not all kitchen knives are created equally. So here are some of my tips to consider when looking for kitchen knives.

[caption id="attachment_839" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Shun Japanese Santoku"][/caption]

1. Are you a professional chef or cook? Do you consider yourself a gourmet home chef? If so then precision cutting performance is something you will be looking for and in this case I would recommend getting good quality Japanese Kitchen Knives. Today more and more chefs are using Japanese Kitchen Knives. Just take a look at how many television chefs are using a Santoku Knife! There are many advantages to Japanese Kitchen Knives over Western European Kitchen Knives. First of all Japanese Kitchen Knives are exceedingly lighter than their European Kitchen Knife counterparts. This means that the weight of the knife will not bring a burden to your wrist and hands over long periods of time. How many people do you know that have said that their hands get tired when using heavy knives? I know a bunch! Many modern Japanese Kitchen Knives have extremely sharp blades forged from Molybdenum Vanadium steel, AUS series steel, Inami Super, VG-10 steels just to name a few. These steels are a forged variety of stainless steel. There is also a  variety of forged and differentially heat treated carbon steel Japanese Kitchen Knives complete with a Hamon line or Hamaguri  or water temper line to prove out the differential heat treatment. This type of Japanese Kitchen Knife is very high end. Japanese Kitchen Knives are generally ground to between 15-18 degrees and this fine edge allows this type of knife to slice evenly and ultra thin if necessary and they do not have a hard "heel" or bolster at the back of the blade like the European Knives have and this means when it comes to Japanese Kitchen Knives, "it is all blade all the time!" European Kitchen Knives are generally ground between 20-25 degrees in a 50/50 "V" grind and this type of blade angle is thicker than the Japanese Kitchen Knife angle. Hence, the blade of the European Kitchen knife will hold it's edge longer but not cut as finely as the Japanese knives. The only true downfall of the Japanese Kitchen Knife over the European one's is that at 15-18 degrees, the Japanese knife will need to be "touched" up a bit more often. That's OK! Thinner blades are easier to sharpen than thicker one's and the thinner the blade, the sharper the blade. Some brands to consider are Shun, Global,  MAC, Misono, Kikuichi, Yoshihiro and Masahiro. My personal favorite that I have in my kitchen is Mac knives of Japan.

2. If quality and longevity are key to you then make sure that the knives you purchase whether they are Japanese Kitchen Knives or European Kitchen Knives are fully forged and full tang. The only time when the knives will not have a full tang running through handle slabs is when you buy traditionally made Japanese Kitchen knives like the venerable Sashimi knife or Yanagiba knife. Whatever you do in no way in my opinion should you buy  kitchen knives that someone says is quality if it only has a three quarter tang through the handle. The only time you will consider a three quarter or partial tang is in the aforementioned Japanese knives above.

[caption id="attachment_842" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Wusthof Grand Prix European Kitchen Knife"][/caption]

This type of knife as explained above is forged and differentially heat treated and assembled in the traditional way. Never buy a European Kitchen Knife if it is three quarter or partial tang. Full tang kitchen knives are stronger than the partial tang counter parts and it is a more durable knife overall. Examples of full tang kitchen knives from Europe are: Victorinox, Wusthof, Henckels, Messermeister. In Japanese Kitchen Knives like: Mac, Masamoto and Misono just to name a few.

3. Now, I know that most kitchens in the United States generally use only 3 knives total in the kitchen and I know this from 30yrs of selling kitchen cutlery in the United States. But! For the absolute best bang for your buck and for your kitchen I always recommend purchasing a kitchen knife set. Here is the kicker for you though. Today, a kitchen knife set can be only three knives if you want it to as there are tons of manufacturers making a variety of kitchen knife blocks with any number of slots in them. The fact of the matter though is that when you buy kitchen knives one at a time, it will generally cost you the consumer upwards of 50% or more then if you purchased a set right off the bat. One very important point is the make sure that the kitchen knife set you are going to buy has the knives in it that you want to use. Do not buy the wrong set with knives that you will not use and you will not have buyer's remorse.

4. This is very important to your kitchen knife set purchase or any purchase you make in life for that matter. Make sure that the manufacturer has a Lifetime Limited Warranty. The best kitchen knives will come with this kind of warranty. This means that the maker will cover the knives for any defects in craftsmanship and materials.  Lots of budget knives will have warranties and they will usually be only 90 days. Watch out! Be informed before you purchase anything. If you want to know if the kitchen knife set you want to buy is a good one then find out what consumers are saying about them. Read reviews, get educated and then make the best purchase knowing that the set you got was the right one!

Pizza - An EZ Pizza Recipe

I grew up loving pizza just like every warm blooded American does. I mean coming from New York City originally as far as I am concerned the best pizza is made in New York City. Actually, whether you are in NYC or not the best pizza is made in your home and the best pizza recipe is the one that you come up with. I had not had a pizza in a long time and where I live in the great Southwest believe you me a good pizza is hard to find. I also had not made homemade pizza in a long time and I really enjoy doing it because the combinations of ingredients are endless and you can never get bored because of that. The herbs and spices and the shapes and textures of the foods used for toppings makes sure that I never make the same pizza twice unless I want to!

I got off work the other night and I felt like having some pizza so I stopped in a local store and picked up a specialty pizza dough and some other goodies and went home. It was a long day and I was beat and just wanted a pizza and some beer to sit down and eat and relax. What more is there to ask for? The night before I made the recipe video you will see in this post I made a homemade pizza sauce recipe and let it sit overnight to let the flavors marry. I think this is the best way to make sauces. I decided to use two different cheeses in this recipe, mozzarella and Gorgonzola. The mozzarella used because that is what gets used on pizza and the Gorgonzola for the nice pungent aroma and creamy texture to offset the mozzarella cheese. For the toppings I chose fresh basil leaves and fresh baby spinach leaves. I also chose scrambled eggs and artichoke hearts along with red onion and Crimini mushrooms. I did however use a store bought pizza dough from a local specialty store because of it's great price and time saving ability and the fact that it had not artificial ingredients in it. I truly could not do much better myself for well under two bucks! So here they are the essential ingredients: Fresh basil, fresh baby spinach, scrambled eggs, red onion, Crimini mushrooms and mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheese and artichoke hearts. Silly me! I forgot to get the artichoke hearts in the pic but you will see them on the video. So there they are all the fixings you need to really make a great homemade gourmet pizza the EZ way. Check out the video below and  go ahead and make this pizza recipe and I am sure you will love it!


The pizza sauce I made is really simple and much better than buying pizza sauce in the can or in the envelope.

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

1 14.5 15oz can of crushed plum tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes. I used a 15oz can of whole plums and sliced them up into 1/4 inch slices.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. dry basil

1 Tbsp. whole dry Greek oregano bulbs. Any whole

dry bulb will do: Italian, Greek, Spanish, Mexican.

They all have a unique taste and is an instant flavor boost to almost anything!

2 to 2 1/2 Tsp. sugar. The sugar cuts the acid in

the tomato sauce and adds that little touch of sweetness against the background of that oregano. You can add more sugar to taste.

1 Tsp. Garlic granules or 1 or 2 finely minced garlic bulbs to taste. Remember some folks love garlic but too much can overtake the rest of the flavors in the sauce. Garlic is a note or accent in food and not it's own food group!

1 Tsp. Salt.

Red pepper flakes are optional if you want some heat in your sauce.

A dash of balsamic vinegar is optional if you like to use balsamic in your sauces for sweetness and a bit of tartness.

Cut up the whole plums tomatoes if using them or put the whole can of crushed tomatoes in a sauce pan. Bring the tomatoes and all the juice from the can to a boil and reduce to a medium boil. Then begin adding the rest of the ingredients in the list in no particular order. Bring the mixture to a boil again and then reduce to a medium or low simmer to allow the sauce to reduce. I like my sauce nice and thick so it really sticks to the pizza dough so I go for about a 20% reduction in the sauce. As a side note as I state in the video I made the sauce a day in advance because I really like the flavors to marry with each other and in the east coast where I come from that is the way we do it. To us the sauce always tastes better the next day. So that's it for the sauce.

Ingredients for the pizza:

[caption id="attachment_740" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Ingredients"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 16 inch pizza tin or pizza stone.

1 package approx. 1lb pizza dough. I used a garlic and herb dough with not additives.

1/2 small/medium red onion cut into rings.

1/2 cup Crimini or baby Portobello mushrooms sliced thin.

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves.

3/4 to 1 cup fresh baby spinach.

2 cups mozzarella cheese.

4 to 6 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese depending on your tastes.

2 small to medium eggs scrambled soft to medium soft.

4 to 6 ounces of sliced artichoke hearts either marinated, frozen or fresh.

The measurements of the ingredients used here will vary depending on whether you make a 12, 14, or 16 inch pizza or more.I made a 16 inch pizza and still had a tiny bit of spinach and basil when I was done making this pizza and I just made a salad out of it with olive oil, vinegar and garlic. OK!, first order of business.  Get out your pizza dough and follow the instructions on that package. In most cases it will be to take the dough out and place it on a lightly floured surface for about twenty minutes to allow it to breathe and expand a bit before using it. I used the pre-made dough as a time saver.Now get your dough and roll it out or if using a pan like I used form the dough into a circle and get it stretched out to the edge of the pan like in the video. Like I said, I used a 16 inch pizza pan. Now after that is done it is time to take your pizza sauce and get it spread out over the surface of the dough. Remember to leave about a half an inch of the dough untouched by the sauce as that is going to be your crust.

[caption id="attachment_728" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pizza Dough"][/caption]

Now, take about 1 of the 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and make a layer of cheese on top of the pizza sauce. You could use more cheese if you like in this recipe, but I like to taste the veggies so I don't bury my sauce in too much cheese. Once that has been done it is time to make your layer of baby spinach. I love baby spinach on pizza. Like the old Popeye cartoons used to say: "I am strong to the finish cause I eat meez spinach! Now after you make that layer of spinach, then make a layer of fresh basil leaves on top of that.

Once the greens have been put on the pizza it is time to whip out the Crimini mushrooms and make a layer of that on top of the greens. On top of the mushrooms put your red onion rings and then on top of the onion rings you can spread out your two scrambled eggs. Now when that is done it is time for the artichoke hearts. Spread them out. I love artichokes in any form I can get them. I used fresh artichoke hearts for this recipe, but if you really want a bang for the buck the marinated one's are killer for this type of pizza as well!Once the artichoke hearts get on the pizza it is time to put the Gorgonzola cheese to go on top of the pizza. Gorgonzola is a really pungent cheese that is creamy in the mouth and has a musky scent to the nose and musky taste to the tongue without a bad aftertaste. It works better that most of the "blue cheeses" in most recipes because of it's creamy nature and is an excellent offset flavor to the almost mundane flavor and consistency of mozzarella that goes on most pizza's today. Besides the rest of the ingredients in this pizza it is the Gorgonzola that really makes the rubber hit the road with this pie!

What I didn't get to show you in the video is that I sprinkled some more mozzarella on top of the pie before putting it in the oven, I just thought you should know that. I have been taking movie making lessons with Martin Scorsese, but there are some things that have just not stuck with me yet as far as film montage. (OK! If you believe that I have been taking lessons with Martin Scorsese then I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I wanna sell you! OK!, put the pizza in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees F. I know in the video I said 400 degree, but that is more of that stuff I have been learning from Scorsese. (Yeah! Right!) 450 degree oven for 30+ minutes  or until the dough rises and the toppings are nice and the cheese is brown and bubbly. When it is done take it from the oven and give a a couple of minute to rest and then serve. Enjoy!

Note: I used a 16 inch pizza pan for this video and a pan is OK!, but a stone is better because with a pan the pizza can sweat and get soggy in the middle and not rise properly. This was not the case with my pie, but it can happen. I will be getting a pizza stone and if you like to make pizza the way I do, then I suggest that you get a pizza stone to! The best pizza stone I have found is the American made Hartstone Pottery Pizza Stone. This stone makes sure that oven stays hot and dry and that the entire pizza dough will rise and not have a soggy spot in the middle. Stay tuned more EZ pizza recipes to come!

Caraway - Caraway Seeds

[caption id="attachment_690" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Caraway Seed"][/caption]

It is funny that the Caraway seed is referred to as a seed since it is a fruit! Caraway is a member of the parsley family of plant and it is a biennial herb. In the Latin Caraway is called Carum Carvi and it Greek it is called Karon and in Sanskrit it is Karavi and this tiny little fruit is about one fifth of an inch long and has tapered ends and pale ridges and the seed is quite hard. The Caraway seed comes from Asia and both central and northern Europe and in Europe it has been grown and cultivated since the middle ages. In the modern day the European country of Holland is the biggest grower/producer of Caraway seeds. Other countries like The United States and Canada also grow and market Caraway. In some arguments it is thought that the Caraway seed is the one spice that has been used longer than any other spice in all of Europe. As far back as the seventeenth century there has been written evidence that Caraway was used in baked goods like breads and cakes and used to flavor fruits as well. In many cultures Caraway has been considered an aid in digestion. Caraway has been used to produce many products on the market as well. One of the first that comes to my mind is Aquavit, a flavored vodka of Norway. It is used more in European cuisine than American, but we are getting smart and catching up on that front. The essential oils in Caraway are Limonene and Carvone. Caraway seeds have a semi-sweet Anise like taste and a pungent aroma. One of my favorite uses of Caraway seeds is using it when I make gravlaks. Everyone in the world knows the taste of Caraway! Who has not had rye bread? Sausages? Soups? All made with Caraway. Supposedly, Caraway has been used medically as a remedy for colic and of course as stated earlier as a digestive aid and for the loss of appetite and supposedly used to dispel intestinal worms. As with many herbs and spices Caraway seeds need to be stored in a cool, dry place that does not get hotter than 75 degrees F.

 

Richard

 

 

Photo Courtesy Of: Zoyachubby

Potato Recipes - EZ Potatoes Au Gratin

Sometimes I just don't get the time to go shopping and put together a recipe or variation of a recipe to make a video with. Sometimes, I just don't plan ahead and I think that is something that happens to all of us at times, right? Well, I think so at least. There are also the times like this week where things worked out to be a combination of both of these things mixed in with the plain fact that I really did not have a budget to go shopping with to come up with a video recipe for you.

There are just times when you have to work with what you have in your cupboard and refrigerator and make something happen with what you have on hand. That is what I did this week. I did not get to go shopping because of some "ghost" bills that had to be paid and I was getting hungry. So I started looking around the place and I found some of the staples of live like beer! Gotta have beer! I found that I had a bag of red spuds and some onions and some cheese. I also had some chop meat and butter (butter is the other staple of life!)

I thought about some potato recipes like making meat and potato pie? Nah! I thought about making Sheperds pie? Nah! Wasn't in the mood for those. I hadn't eaten all day and I wanted something quick and easy and satisfying, so I said to myself: "Ah Ha!, Potatoes Au Gratin!" Who here doesn't like potatoes au gratin? I can't see any of you out there saying to yourselves "Yuck! I hate potatoes au gratin" Come on! You know you love em! Call them what you will: potatoes au gratin, cheesy potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or just plain au gratin potatoes it is still yummy, EZ and tasty potatoes au gratin! OK! if you wanted to dress it up a bit you could make it with Gruyere cheese and then plain old potatoes au gratin now becomes the fine dining version called potatoes dauphine or dauphinoise.

Anyway, I thought I would do something quick and EZ because me and my Cockatiel Gizmo were getting hungry and potatoes au gratin was the ticket. I've loved this recipe since I was a kid and potatoes au gratin is one of the all time classic  comfort foods. So, I got my Mise en place together and then my camera gear and I went off to the races to make my dinner. I hope you enjoy the video and the recipe!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:23]

Kitchen Knives - The 7 Basic Japanese Kitchen Knives

The kitchen knives you use on a daily basis either in a professional culinary environment or in your home kitchen can be one of two basic types, Western European kitchen knives, or Japanese kitchen knives. In a prior post I wrote about the basic European styles of knives and in this post I will cover the seven basic Japanese kitchen knives for use at work or in the home.

[caption id="attachment_521" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Japanese Deba Knife"][/caption]

The Deba: This is a thick (and the thickness of each Deba is different from each maker or manufacturer) and it typically used for filleting and cutting fish. Here in the U.S.A, the Deba is typically associated as being used as a cleaver and one of the more common tasks as a cleaver for this knife is for butchering chicken. Many chefs and cooks here in the states use it for cutting bone and really guys this is not a recommended task for this knife. The Deba knife is traditionally made as a single grind or Japanese Chisel Grind although there are V-ground versions on the market today. The double ground version of the Deba is called a Ryodeba and they are being used more and more in today's professional kitchens as the V-ground blade style is more popular and recognized by American culinary pros. In the modern culinary market you can get Deba's with traditionally Japanese handles or Western European style handles as well. Standard blade lengths for this knife are about 7 to 9 inches and tell you the truth everything in between and beyond in the shop I manage.

[caption id="attachment_539" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Yanagiba"][/caption]

The Yanagiba or Sashimi Knife: This knife is also called a "Yanagi" which is just American slang for Yanagiba. many times but the Yanagi is a different knife that I will discuss later in this post. The Yanagiba or sometimes called a "Shobu" is the typical long thin, narrow blade that most people call a "sushi knife." These types of knives come in an array of sized from 8 to 12 inches by many manufacturers and in some cases can be even longer depending on the maker or manufacturer. It is strictly designed for the cutting of fish, but for the most part in the modern sushi house or Western style kitchen the Yanagiba can be used for most slicing and cutting chores for just about any kind of food whether meat or vegetable. For the most part the Yanagiba is a single grind or Japanese Chisel grind, although in a previous post with a video I explained how the Yanagiba is also made today with a western style secondary bevel. If you have not read that post then go here to learn about your standard culinary knife grinds where I explain this aspect of Japanese cutlery today.

 

[caption id="attachment_542" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Gyuto"][/caption]

The Gyuto Knife: For all intents and purposes the Gyuto Knife is the Japanese equivalent of the standard Western European French knife. It is an all around kitchen chore knife, although some people use there French knife as a cleaver at times when taking a chicken down, I would not do it with one of these. If I am jointing out a chicken then I could and would use one of these, but do not chop up chickens with this type of knife whether it is made of differentially heat treated forged carbon steel or carbon Damascus steel. This kind of knife is too good for that. Standard lengths for this type of knife can range from 5 to 15 inches. The standard Gyuto Knife is made from very hard steels and has a thinner blade than the usually Western European V-ground blades. Many Gyutos come with a double ground or V-ground blade like a Western European blade. They come with either a traditionally Japanese handle or Western handle depending on maker or manufacturer.

 

[caption id="attachment_546" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Usuba"][/caption]

The Usuba today is recognized by the rectangular blade and somewhat rounded front edge of the blade. Many manufacturers make the Usuba knife today both European and Japanese companies. Usuba means "square" in Japanese. The blade of the Usuba is thin for fast and accurate cutting and chopping of vegetables. The Usuba is a single or chisel ground blade although the European companies make them with a V-grind. The blade of an Usuba is generally 8.5 to 9.5 inches and once again some companies make Usuba smaller(mostly in Europe) as these are just modernized and modified for the particular user and kitchen. The Usuba is a vegetable knife just as a Santoku is a vegetable knife and in my opinion I find the Usuba to be the more versatile knife.

 

[caption id="attachment_558" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Takohiki"][/caption]

The Takohiki Knife: This type of Japanese kitchen knife is often called a "Yanagiba" and it is not. Sometimes people confuse the pointy tipped Yanagiba and this square tipped Takohiki knife and call them a "Tokyo" and an "Osaka" style Yanagiba. Both knives have similarities like the grind type, but the Takohiki has a squared tip and this type of Japanese Kitchen is manufactured or handmade for the express purpose of cutting octopus. What do you think octopus is called in Japanese? "Tako!" Standard blade lengths for this type of knife are as low as 8.5 to 15.5, each manufacturer is different so you have to look at a few.

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The Santoku Knife: Perhaps the most popular Japanese kitchen knife in America today. This is probably due to the fact that just about every celebrity chef in the world is using one in one form or another from a Kyocera Ceramic Santoku to the Mac Santoku to one of any of the Japanese cutlery companies and German cutlery companies alike. The Santoku is being used for everything these days.Yes it is a very versatile knife in the kitchen, although I feel that the French knife style is more geared toward versatility. I myself use Mac French knives in the 6, 8 and 10 inch versions, and yes I do have a Mac Santoku and I love it but I don't use it for everything. Today's Santoku knife can have either a traditionally Japanese handle or a Western European handle on it and is traditionally a double or V-ground knife. Many people call a Santoku a "Santuko" and this is incorrect. It is Santoku! Standard blade lengths are from 6.5 to 9.5 inches depending on the manufacturer. I have seen 10+ from some manufacturers trying to make a Santoku the new French knife. I don't think it is going to work!

 

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The Petty Knife: The Japanese Petty knife which is also called "the petit" in French is your everyday run of the mill Japanese version of the Western European Paring Knife. It is traditionally a single ground knife or Japanese Chisel Grind, but many manufacturers today are making The Petty Knife as a V-grind as well. I can think of a couple of the German cutlery manufacturers that are having Petty Knives made in Seki, Japan out of high grade Japanese steels like AUS series or VG series or even Inami Super series of steels and are having them made with a Western European V-grind on them for the American market. That's fine! Some of the more standard blade lengths are 4.5 to 6.0 inches and that again is a matter of design.

There you have it guys! I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something more about Japanese Kitchen Knives. In future posts I will cover more information about these types of kitchen knives as the Japanese culture has a rich language and high level of craftsmanship when it comes to these excellent cutting tools. Stay tuned!

 

Richard