# Videos of proper Gyuto technique



## griffinco (Dec 25, 2016)

Hi All,

Got my new 210 Ginga and looking to start with learning perfect technique. There are surprisingly few videos on youtube (in english) that I could find. 

I'd love to learn proper push cutting, pull cutting, slicing proteins and when to use each technique. While I'm sure you can use push vs pull for something like carrots, what's the recommendation for different vegetables and situations?

Could someone point me in the right direction? Not only do I want to make the most of the blade, but I want to minimize wear and chipping (or at least understand the risks.)

Thanks and Cheers!
Jamie


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## foody518 (Dec 25, 2016)

ThEoRy's vids have been very helpful to me on how to efficiently prep. I've been making pico de gallo more frequently to practice stuff like brunoise on tomato (well, maybe a bit more rustic cut than it's supposed to be XD )
[video=youtube;K7LtTbxIlTE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7LtTbxIlTE[/video]


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## chinacats (Dec 25, 2016)

[video=youtube_share;Rx1U-bja3i8]http://youtu.be/Rx1U-bja3i8[/video]


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## spoiledbroth (Dec 25, 2016)

Push cut for hard or dense veggies, 

Pull cut for protein or soft veggies.

Practice chopping rather than the "guillotine and glide" western technique (western technique keep tip of knife in contact with cutting board at all times, pointless).

Practice making silent cut, ie. If you can hear the knife hitting the cutting board "thunk thunk thunk" your technique is no good

Practice the pinch grip and clawing your off hand to protect your fingers.


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## griffinco (Dec 25, 2016)

chinacats said:


> [video=youtube_share;Rx1U-bja3i8]http://youtu.be/Rx1U-bja3i8[/video]



Perfect Video. Thanks Chinacats and Spoiledbroth. That's very helpful. Would anyone use chopping with a thin ginga gyuto? This seems to go against the "barely touch the board" advice. 

p.s. I love this forum...one of the best I've joined for expert advice and enthusiam :doublethumbsup:


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## griffinco (Dec 25, 2016)

foody518 said:


> ThEoRy's vids have been very helpful to me on how to efficiently prep. I've been making pico de gallo more frequently to practice stuff like brunoise on tomato (well, maybe a bit more rustic cut than it's supposed to be XD )



Thanks Foody. FYI, I ended up speaking with Jon and ordering the Ginga through Metier (he wholesales to them.) Was nice to support both of them. They're super helpful and it was surprising to find an enthusiast shop in Austin.


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## chinacats (Dec 25, 2016)

griffinco said:


> Perfect Video. Thanks Chinacats and Spoiledbroth. That's very helpful. Would anyone use chopping with a thin ginga gyuto? This seems to go against the "barely touch the board" advice.
> 
> p.s. I love this forum...one of the best I've joined for expert advice and enthusiam :doublethumbsup:




The knife is made of steel and cutting board is wood, no problem. An end grain will have less impact force than the edge grain shown in the video I posted, not sure what type board Rick (Theory) uses. Good technique will help to prevent edge damage...any force should be either down and/or forward/back but never lateral. With a very thin knife such as a Ginga you should likely be able to use the spine if you want to scoop/scrape food...edge down is a bad habit.


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## spoiledbroth (Dec 25, 2016)

Just don't hammer away is what I'm saying. Any knife, even a paper thin kiwi knife can be used to chop. Just gotta handle it properly. I just like to talk about the noise because it's helps keep you mindful while working .. "am I hammering away at this cucumber?"


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## daveb (Dec 26, 2016)

My experience with a GGinga is that they are so light and nimble that they feel more fragile than they are. Not suggesting you open cans or cut nails but the Ginga will hold up through any work a knife would normally encounter. All above remarks apply.


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## milkbaby (Dec 26, 2016)

I like to watch Theory's videos to relax, that guy is an artiste...

Always keep your fingers away from where the cutting edge is going to be!


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## Nemo (Dec 26, 2016)

Yeah, I think I'm gonna watch some of Rick's vids over the Xmas break. I've already picked up a few things just from watching him make mango salsa!

BTW, What's the knife in that vid Rick? You make it sing!


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## Marek07 (Dec 26, 2016)

According to the video post, Rick's knife is a Kikiuchi Performance aka TKC Clone 240mm Gyuto.


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## Nemo (Dec 26, 2016)

Thanks Marek.

The knife was never still, so I couldn't read the inscription. .

Cool vid Rick. Even cooler skills.


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## foody518 (Dec 26, 2016)

Every now and then you could kind of pick out the chrysanthemum of the Kikuichi logo


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## Nemo (Dec 26, 2016)

Yeah I see it now.


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## griffinco (Dec 27, 2016)

chinacats said:


> The knife is made of steel and cutting board is wood, no problem. An end grain will have less impact force than the edge grain shown in the video I posted, not sure what type board Rick (Theory) uses. Good technique will help to prevent edge damage...any force should be either down and/or forward/back but never lateral. With a very thin knife such as a Ginga you should likely be able to use the spine if you want to scoop/scrape food...edge down is a bad habit.



Excellent and thanks for clarifying CCats, Spoiledbroth and Daveb. That helps quite a bit and gives me some great boundaries for building my technique.


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## paulraphael (Dec 29, 2016)

Great thread. I think think this topic gets neglected generally. The world is full of instruction on traditional Japanese single-bevel techniques, and on traditional Euro Cordon-Bleu techniques. But the gyutoat least a thin oneis a hybrid knife that requires (or at least enables) hybrid techniques. And they haven't been nearly as well codified and documented. 

I cut quite differently now than I did when my main knife was German. The internet's been helpful, and I was lucky enough to get some instruction from cooks who had both Western and Japanese training. In addition to what you see where the knife meets the food, there was a lot of emphasis on relaxation, and on how to position your feet and body so the knife will fall into perfect alignment when you relax. A lot of the issues that people talk about, like "steering" and "food release" have disappeared from consideration because of these seemingly unrelated body-alignment techniques. 

I'm no master of any of these techniques. Always learning, and always appreciate a good video that's more than someone showing off how fast they can make little ones out of big ones.

If anyone here has training in hybrid Japanese techniques, and is in the NYC area, please contact me if you're interested in making a short series of videos for my blog. Jon at JKI might be taking on a similar project; if he goes ahead with it I'm not going to do mine. But if for some reason he can't do it, I'd like to make an attempt at creating a resource.


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## panda (Dec 29, 2016)

You should do one regardless if Jon does as well.


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## paulraphael (Dec 29, 2016)

panda said:


> You should do one regardless if Jon does as well.



Maybe so. I'll consider it if I get a volunteer or 2 or 3 who have good qualifications and who are articulate about what they do and why. 

I'm trying to make sure all my content is useful and doesn't just repeat what's available elsewhere. Jon likely has better connections than I do and better ability to produce a good video, so I'll wait to see what he comes up with.


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