# Size of Your Gyuto



## Smurfmacaw (Oct 7, 2015)

Ok,

I'm curious...I'm just a home cook that sort of likes knives (wife guffaws here).....I have a couple of 240 Gyutos and can't really see why something larger would be required. I thought I'd like a 270 but really, it would be more in the way than anything. Why do the pros like 270+ knives? I understand the slicers but the gyutos puzzle me? I'm assuming in the pro environment they would provide an advantage.....what is it?


----------



## chinacats (Oct 7, 2015)

Smurfmacaw said:


> Ok,
> 
> I'm curious...I'm just a home cook that sort of likes knives (wife guffaws here).....I have a couple of 240 Gyutos and can't really see why something larger would be required. I thought I'd like a 270 but really, it would be more in the way than anything. Why do the pros like 270+ knives? I understand the slicers but the gyutos puzzle me? I'm assuming in the pro environment they would provide an advantage.....what is it?



The bigger the knife the shorter the stroke to do the same thing...done many times over, it adds up. That said, I believe a lot of pros also enjoy using smaller knives depending on their workspace (I too am a home cook).


----------



## Keith Sinclair (Oct 7, 2015)

In production kitchens large quantities of food are often prepped. For buffets in Gardemanger liked a 270 for chopping up toss greens. Red cabbage, romaine etc. Also a larger knife will last longer as there is more steel to wear down. That said for many prep jobs I prefer a 240mm. For home use 240 & even smaller blades for preparing meals. Have a 270 but does not get much use mostly watermelons & pizza.


----------



## mkriggen (Oct 7, 2015)

Covered quite extensively in this thread... http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...nly-home-cook-to-prefer-a-larger-chef-s-knife


----------



## karloevaristo (Oct 7, 2015)

I think it's just a matter of preference I like 210mm gyutos cause they're not too bulky I can do almost any job without switching knives. from shallots, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, whatever and it fits my area perfect... 

but the guy right next to me has the same amount of space but prefers a 270mm but I doubt he'd use that for shallots though

i think only 2 out of 14 cooks uses a 270 but it could be totally the other way around in other kitchens


----------



## SolidSnake03 (Oct 7, 2015)

Adding a point to this though, doesn't a larger gyuto require more effort? So that although you have shorter strokes those strokes are requiring more energy from yourself to perform? As in, if you hold a weight further from your body it becomes harder and harder to hold (aka feels and seems heavier despite it being the same weight) so as the knife gets longer the area you are cutting with gets further from you (unless you just use the rear-most section). This would imply that as you use an area to cut with further from you it is actually harder to do. The shorter knife is allowing you to push/apply force more in a straight down direction which is more efficient than a longer knife causing you to apply force in both the downward and forward planes because you aren't as close to "above" where you need to apply the force anymore.

*Note* This isn't about it "feeling" easier, it is easy for the body senses to be mislead in how something "feels" it is about how the force you use is actually applied from a physics standpoint.


----------



## Dardeau (Oct 7, 2015)

You can cut more product with one stroke. You can line up almost twice as many green onions and cut them all at the same time. When this is one item in 25+ you have to have ready it makes a difference.

And from a physics standpoint if your knife is sharp you should do more lifting than you do pressing of the knife through product, that's how you bruise vegetables. 

That being said I don't use big gyutos anymore because of the needs of my job. If that changes and I have to cut big piles of product at once, you'll see me on the BST.


----------



## dough (Oct 7, 2015)

I could name a few reasons I like 270 but I think the main one is more edge to wear out means I have more sharp edge to use. the other one is how much work are you planning to do in what time frame. for instance you can sweep a floor with a 4" broom but if your trying to sweep a large room it will be much easier and faster to use a wider broom.
also all the 240-255 knives I like I wish i had bought the 270 but at this point variety is the spice of life. It's not a make or break just a preference. I heard a great chef(who passed away a few years ago) say "a long knife can do anything a short knife can do but a short knife cant do everything a long knife can do"
not sure I fully agree but he was rarely wrong in the kitchen and that quote is certainly out of context. he also isnt around to defend it so take it as you please. I stupidly said that to a young cook who went out and bought a 300mm knife and had no idea/ability how to use it. haha I rarely say that phrase anymore.


----------



## Asteger (Oct 7, 2015)

I don't have that much experience, but remember using 330 chefs knives to dice up bucketloads of (already peeled) shallots, for example, and they hardly seemed big at all. This was prep though, done back of the kitchen in space without real-time order-pressure commotion. Wouldn't have wanted something smaller and the size certainly made a long job shorter and less tiring. When the orders came, plate by plate, you'd definitely want a shorter, easier to keep around because it's smaller-type knife, and for me 240 would be too big and not as manoeuvrable as I'd want. 210 would be good. These days at home, 180 to 220-ish feels good to me.


----------



## aboynamedsuita (Oct 7, 2015)

I like 240 as an all-rounder, but have some other sizes. I use my misono 300 gyuto for large tasks such as when I (used to) cut cabbage by hand for sauerkraut, and I also like some 180s because it's easier to use the tip for detail work and still have knuckle clearance on the board.


----------



## WildBoar (Oct 7, 2015)

(home use here) My go-to is about 230, but we have gyutos ranging from 210 to 270. The 270 is pretty thin/ light; it's actually more nimble then a couple of the 250s. While a 210 is okay in a pinch, for bigger onions, sweet potatoes, etc. I like to pick up at least a 230. Until I found KF forums I thought a 180 chef knife was big... Now a 210 is like a paring knife


----------



## richard (Oct 7, 2015)

WildBoar said:


> The 270 is pretty thin/ light


 Highly depends on which knife that is...


----------



## WildBoar (Oct 7, 2015)

richard said:


> Highly depends on which knife that is...


Right. Poor wording on my part. The particular 270 I have is lighter/ more nimble than my 240-255 DTs and Catchside.


----------



## aaamax (Oct 8, 2015)

The working space dictates the size for me. I generally go as large as possible stoping at a 280 custom. 300 is my point of diminishing returns. For times when a 270-280 gyuto is too large, I go to either a nikiri or a cleaver. That little bit of decrease in face surface on most smaller gyutos bugs me. I have to have tall knives.
Cheers.


----------



## panda (Oct 8, 2015)

work prefer 270 as they're more efficient, 240 minimum with an ideal size at 255 (will get a custom of this length at some point). at home, 7" santoku due to space constraints.


----------



## IndoorOutdoorCook (Oct 8, 2015)

I've been using a chinese cleaver for 2 months. Now when I go to a 240mm gyuto (rarely), the flat spot isn't long enough. If I get another gyuto, it would be 270mm.


----------



## TheDispossessed (Oct 8, 2015)

Haven't been a pro in a while but 240 was my size then. Nowadays, a Kato 210 (actual heel to tip about 215) certainly cuts it at home and feels about perfect all around.
Keep in mind makers can vary drastically, Konosuke for example, generally run about 10mm short, shigs tend to be spot on, heiji and masamoto (KS line) run long by an average of 10mm. 
It's really all personal preference, and your workload. If i was a prep cook slamming through cases of veg all day i'd go 270. Working a hot line and mostly slicing and plating i'll take a thick, tall 210 suji. Since i'm usually just cooking for three now in a small kitchen 270 would be silly and kinda awkward.


----------



## Artichoke (Oct 8, 2015)

Just a home cook with pathetic knife skills here.

My first gyuto was a 240 and it seemed a little on the big side. I then acquired a 210 and then another 240. Now the 210 seems tiny.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Oct 8, 2015)

You guys are going to talk me into spending a whole lot of money on a 270 aren't you? If I keep getting bigger and bigger knives people are going to start thinking I'm making up for something.


----------



## WildBoar (Oct 8, 2015)

Bah, just prep naked. That will either prove them wrong, or confirm their suspicions.


----------



## Dardeau (Oct 8, 2015)

But don't drop knives.


----------



## richard (Oct 8, 2015)

But if you do, never catch a falling knife


----------



## drake (Oct 9, 2015)

240 is the best multipurpose knife. Most chefs tend to stick around this size. Space is often at a premium and more often than not a 300 gyuto just isn't needed.


----------



## cheflivengood (Oct 9, 2015)

When you're using a nice rocking slice motion (tip stays on the board), say for something like very thin chives or green onion, the longer the knife the closer your hand stays to the board, if that makes sense.


----------



## JohnyChai (Oct 9, 2015)

210 during service on a line, 240 for home cooking or prep work. 300 for slicing of all kinds where the space is available. 

If I had to choose I would go 240.


----------



## Mingooch (Oct 9, 2015)

home cook and love my 270's Also have a decent sized kitchen to work in so there are no space issues.


----------



## ThEoRy (Oct 9, 2015)

240's all day everyday.


----------



## sharptools (Oct 9, 2015)

ThEoRy said:


> 240's all day everyday.



lus1:


----------



## Lucretia (Oct 9, 2015)

Just watched Julia Child's onion soup video where she discusses knives. She recommends an 11" (279mm) and a 7" (177mm). Thought that was interesting.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Oct 10, 2015)

I've been playing around with a couple of Haburn Gyutos I have.......I think now I can articulate why I like them so much....the flat (sweet spot) is much larger .... much easier to avoid "accordion" chops.....


----------



## sharptools (Oct 10, 2015)

Smurfmacaw said:


> I've been playing around with a couple of Haburn Gyutos I have.......I think now I can articulate why I like them so much....the flat (sweet spot) is much larger .... much easier to avoid "accordion" chops.....



I love knives with profiles like this and usually why I prefer 240 over 210. Longer flat area.


----------



## Chicagohawkie (Oct 19, 2015)

I have settled in on 240 flat profile gyutos. For me 240 is optimal and am a chopper, push cutter so a large flat spot on the blame is best.


----------



## El Pescador (Oct 19, 2015)

When I was working, I loved a 270 for prep. As a home cook, I like gyutos in the 230mm size range...


----------

