Questions about a second knife

[Kaempfer0080]

I recently got a Togiharu G-1 Gyutou and I love it. Thing is, it's the only good knife I have. As versatile as a chef's knife is, I do need something smaller. To me, this is a problem. I'm not a professional so I can't say that I've had hands on experience with many knives, and I don't know the uses of all the many kinds of knives there are.

Basically, what I want is a knife for breaking down chicken, peeling onions, cutting green beans, trimming, that kind of small handwork. This leads me to wonder, do I need a paring knife, a utility knife, or a petty? I've also been considering a small ceramic knife which is a whole new argument. Any suggestions?

 

[Dillbert]

>>suggestions

I suspect you'll get a lot of that [g]

the tasks you mention don't "fit" well into one single knife design/size.

I rarely buy anything but whole chicken - and I'm fond of my boning knife for reducing whole to parts. it's thin, it's stiff, has a nice point. didn't always have a boning knife - used a 6 or 8 inch chefs knife. I use kitchen shears to cut out the back bone.

beans and dicing - I like the santuko style. there is more "flat" to the blade for a given length. the traditional one-sided bevel cuts easily/cleanly. it's wide tho, so for peeling an onion it's a bit awkward - but if I have it in hand, I use it.

a 4 inch paring / utility knife is not a bad tool to have on hand.

ceramics are nice - but they are brittle - there's a danger of chipping it working around bones. not so much on poultry - but beef bones are harder.....

 

[Kaempfer0080]

Yeah it's tough, I don't have a thousand to spend on a few knives so I'm trying to fill the gap temporarily. I was just browsing Korin again and it only made things worse. Honesuki, Hankotsu, Garasuki, Petty, Boning, Paring, and Utility all qualify somewhere.

 

[GB]

In the hands of a skilled chef, a cleaver can do all the above. I know I would never be able to use a cleaver that well though.

I would say if you are just looking for one more knife to do the majority of the other tasks you listed then a paring or petty would be the way to go.

Your Gyutou should actually be well suited for breaking down chicken, cutting beans, peeling onions as well. The Gyutou is similar to a Western chefs knife which can be used for all of the above.

The knife enthusiasts here (and elsewhere) will tell you not to bother with the ceramic knives. Japanese steel can get sharper than ceramic these days and you do not have to worry about them being brittle. I have no first hand experience with ceramic so I am just repeating what I have heard, but my Japanese blades get amazingly sharp so I have no need to look at ceramic.

 

[Kaempfer0080]

Excellent point. Personally, I don't have the confidence to comfortably use my 10.5" knife for some tasks. The tasks I listed may be some things I want done, but I think in general all I want is a smaller more handheld knife for safety and confidence.

 

[thecurrypot]

Im sure its not what you are really looking for, but I would just like to throw my two bobs worth in regarding the cleaver. My cleaver is the predominant tool in my arsenal, a smaller chefs knife is the runners up. I only really use a traditional knife for soft foods like tomatoes, that would get destroyed by the cleaver. On the flip side my missus uses a small pearing knife for almost everything. Its horses for courses, most importantly find something that sits comfortably in your hand.

 

[justplainbill]

I think you'd be best off making the petty your next purchase.

 

[NAchef]

Look at the Nakiri style knives, this may be what you are looking for.

Kershaw Shun Shun Classic 6.5-in. Nakiri Knife - Kershaw Shun Japanese Knives

 

[Witchlord]

Honestly, for the money, I would buy

Tojiro Flash 6-in. Chef's Knife - Tojiro Chef's Knives

I own a 8" Chef's knife, and a 7" Nakiri and they are my two main knives, and I will buy another one. I havent found a better knife. Ive used shuns and globals, and some other chefs at work have other japanese knives as well, and I still like this brand over all of them.

 

[NAchef]

Honestly, for the money, I would buy

Tojiro Flash 6-in. Chef's Knife - Tojiro Chef's Knives

I own a 8" Chef's knife, and a 7" Nakiri and they are my two main knives, and I will buy another one. I havent found a better knife. Ive used shuns and globals, and some other chefs at work have other japanese knives as well, and I still like this brand over all of them.

That is a nice knife!!! Any other pictures of this? The handle looks a little different but can't quit tell from that picture.

Which Nakiri knofe do you have? I am in the market and would like one by the end of the year.

 

[Rob Babcock]

It's hard to make a recommendation without knowing your "style" for lack of a better word. And you may not have enough knife experience to know what your style is yet. Take the petty for instance; to many people it's the go-to blade that's great for everything that doesn't require a large knife. But to many people it's a useless knife that doesn't do anything well. It's not ideal for paring and too small for dicing, etc. Jacque Pepin can pretty much pick up any knife and perform any task with it. Where will you fall in there?

I find that I use a gyuto for most things. A sujihiki/slicing knife is a very handy pattern for me, too. Great for slicing meat, fish & cheese. A serrated bread knife can be extremely useful, too, and not just for bread- think bagles, cakes, and also cooked meats at times.

For me a 6" petty is the perfect small knife. Very handy for veggies, fruit, cheeses and things like sandwhiches. But it all depends on your style.