# Nakiri technique suggestions



## crlums (Oct 30, 2017)

Reposting this here since I initially put this in the wrong section... sorry about that.

Does anyone have suggestions for videos or articles that demonstrate proper cutting technique with a nakiri? So far I've been using almost exclusively gyutos. I love the versatility of gyutos but have found myself thinking I might like to try a flatter profile. I initially thought of trying a flatter gyuto (maybe a K tip?) but I mostly want the flatter profile for veggies so maybe a nakiri makes more sense. I feel like the technique with a nakiri will be similar to the push cutting I do with a gyuto but I want to do my homework on learn more before purchasing. 

Currently I'm using a tanaka 240mm blue 2 gyuto, a 200mm miyabi 5000mct gyuto. The only flat-ish profile knife I've used is a henckel four star santoku. I dont like the santoku much at all, but I imagine that difference in steel quality, thinness, and grind could make a decent nakiri a totally different experience.


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## Matus (Oct 30, 2017)

Friend of mine is a chef in Prague. This is how he cuts with a nakiri:

[video=youtube;O-NZo_4c_5Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-NZo_4c_5Y[/video]


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## gotmail1414 (Oct 30, 2017)

Matus said:


> This is how he cuts with a nakiri:



Not OP, but this is great. Thank you!


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## crlums (Oct 30, 2017)

Thanks! Super helpful demo in that video


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## Noodle Soup (Oct 30, 2017)

Murray Carter has a video on using a nakari that is pretty interesting.


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## Jkts (Oct 30, 2017)

I slice a little more slower and methodically with a nakiri. For chopping and speed, a gyuto or cleaver might be more suitable.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Oct 31, 2017)

Using it similar to what is shown in the video, just not as securely or with as much speed  The trick, anyway, is adding as much backward slice as necessary if necessary, as with any chopping


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## CompE (Nov 2, 2017)

Sorry, this isn't helpful, but I couldn't resist.
[video=youtube;CXJRlpEfPnU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXJRlpEfPnU[/video]
:sofa:


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 2, 2017)

It is helpful. It reminds you of telling kitchen guests that your nakiri or chukabocho is not a butcher knife


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## Chef Doom (Nov 2, 2017)

crlums said:


> Thanks! Super helpful demo in that video


Although it is a cool video that is not a normal chopping style, at least for home cooks. Also it is not practicle for most edges.


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## Chef Doom (Nov 2, 2017)

Jkts said:


> I slice a little more slower and methodically with a nakiri. For chopping and speed, a gyuto or cleaver might be more suitable.


+1 My normal conversation goes

Stranger: I am looking to buy a nikiri for chopping veggies.

Me: Cleavers are the way to go.

Stranger: Yeah but I like my gyuto just want something flatter...

Me: Here is a great website for good quality clevers

Stranger: Something in the <$200 range

Me: There is a great sale on clevers right now!


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## Paraffin (Nov 2, 2017)

Chef Doom said:


> Although it is a cool video that is not a normal chopping style, at least for home cooks. Also it is not practicle for most edges.



I wondered about that. I've been playing with my first nakiri, and using it more slowly and deliberately. A lot of draw slicing, some vertical chopping, but not whacking it as hard on the board as that video. I suppose I'd do that in a production environment, but as a home cook I can afford to work more slowly, and be a little easier on the blade edge.

Might be an issue of how much you enjoy sharpening too. I'm a halfway decent sharpener, I think, but I'm not in love with the act of sharpening itself (yet). So I'm interested in extending edge life with whatever technique I'm using.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 2, 2017)

Or ... a santoku, or a 3/4 height cleaver? Cleavers are fun, but... the higher distance between claw and chopping hand can make one kind of nervous, and there seems to be a special "muscle memory program" needed to keep light cleavers straight (torque from a blade that wants to steer is obviously higher... I tend to get surprised by that if I haven't handled a cleaver for a few weeks, and I can be reasonably straight with a single bevel).

I probably SHOULD be a cleaver person given the kind of stuff I like to cook


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## Chef Doom (Nov 2, 2017)

Not into shorter cleavers. Might as well work with a gyuto. Plus the extra height has its uses


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## Matus (Nov 3, 2017)

Unless I am completely mistaken - cleavers to cut veggies are much larger and heavier than a nakiri and are not use for chopping but pull cutting. 

I agree that the video shows a techinique most of us would not be able to reproduce without an injury  Also, my friend likes cutting this way and knows that his style is on the 'tough side'. He of course sharpens his knives accordingly. He also uses nakiri mostly when cooking at home - at work it is 240 gyutos.


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## Chef Doom (Nov 3, 2017)

Cleavers are general purpose knives and the cutting motions vary. It is a lot more versatile than you think.


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## Jkts (Nov 3, 2017)

Cleavers are safer at high speed - because of the height of the blade, you can feel and control the blade (like a metal plate) with your knuckles and your fingertips are safe. There is less chance of slipping and the fingers drifting under the edge. The height and thickness of the cleaver also give it more mass, so the weight carries the cut through.

With nakiris, the edge does the work. Where a cleaver can chop through, a nakiris strength is in the slice - the way a sharp edge cuts through a tomato skin.

The technique is very different. Having said that, I love using both types of knives- depends on my mood and the food.


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## crlums (Nov 3, 2017)

I think I may just need to get one and experiment with cutting techniques. That video does it with more speed, precision, and style, than I can, but the overall motion is actually quite similar to what I've been doing with my gyutos when I have a bunch of onions to dice. For smaller tasks I mix it up and use a variety of push cuts and slices depending on the item. Am I being too rough on my edges with a rapid chopping motion? I've had zero micro chipping and my tanaka's OOTB edge is only slightly diminished after 6-8 weeks of regular use so I thought I was doing ok. I'm very willing to work on technique so comments/criticism is welcome.

Chef Doom: haha, thats a perfect summary of my questions and experience. You even nailed the price range. I guess many others have done this before me. Maybe I should broaden and consider bigger cleavers. Whats size would you suggest and what's the website you were thinking of? (So far I've been exploring JKI and K&S the most).

I'll likely get both eventually, but I also still haven't ruled out a gyuto with a flatter profile (possibly k tip) than my tanaka. Something around 220-230mm with a flat profile would fit right into my lineup since my 200mm gyuto is short at times, but the 240 is a little long to pull out for quick tasks.


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## Paraffin (Nov 3, 2017)

crlums said:


> I think I may just need to get one and experiment with cutting techniques. That video does it with more speed, precision, and style, than I can, but the overall motion is actually quite similar to what I've been doing with my gyutos when I have a bunch of onions to dice. For smaller tasks I mix it up and use a variety of push cuts and slices depending on the item. Am I being too rough on my edges with a rapid chopping motion? I've had zero micro chipping and my tanaka's OOTB edge is only slightly diminished after 6-8 weeks of regular use so I thought I was doing ok. I'm very willing to work on technique so comments/criticism is welcome.



Seems to me that edge wear from fast chopping like that video will depend on steel type, technique (do you follow through more than necessary?), and cutting surface. 

I'm using hinoki (light cypress) cutting boards that are softer than most boards. I can extend the life a bit with sanding, and they're not too expensive to replace when they finally wear out. A harder surface like maple with lots of glue joints, or hard plastic, wouldn't be as easy on the edge. As a confirmed hinoki board enthusiast, it makes me wince when I see videos of people doing rapid, hard chopping on a hardwood board. Maybe they just enjoy sharpening more than me.


WRT technique -- a taller nakiri has a bit more room for the blade riding against the knuckles when chopping or slicing. It's one reason I decided on a 180mm nakiri as my first one, for the height (57mm on this Kurosaki). The Watanabe 180mm that gets recommended so often here, is also fairly tall at 56mm. Nowhere hear as tall as a cleaver, but better than the smaller nakiris for knuckle action.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 3, 2017)

@Paraffin I admit to sometimes taking the bamboo board for chopping - for one simple reason: they stay straight without all the oiling business


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## Paraffin (Nov 3, 2017)

Yeah, I hate oiling boards, another advantage of the hinoki ones. You don't oil 'em, or at least I don't. I just take them over to the sink for washing, and wet down both sides to minimize warping. 

They do move a little bit sometimes, so that's a disadvantage compared to something like bamboo or maple. But usually if I flip the board over and cut on the very slightly convex side, it will settle down and be flat the next time I use it. Wetting down both sides when cleaning seems to be the trick to controlling it.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 3, 2017)

So i'd get softness like with the acacia boards (horribly warpy) and stability like tamarind? Maybe I need a hinoki board


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## Chef Doom (Nov 3, 2017)

crlums said:


> Maybe I should broaden and consider bigger cleavers. Whats size would you suggest and what's the website you were thinking of? (So far I've been exploring JKI and K&S the most).



Most suggest CCK line but I recommend the Suien VC which is what I bought from JKI. The steel and profile is so awesome that it convinced me to buy a second one but it works so well that I can't motivate myself to adopt a cleaver sibling. It is a weird paradox.

My second cleaver acquisition will be a Ginga in white steel. Still paying off credit card debt from past transgressions though [emoji23]


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## zetieum (Nov 4, 2017)

Matus said:


> Friend of mine is a chef in Prague. This is how he cuts with a nakiri:
> 
> [video=youtube;O-NZo_4c_5Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-NZo_4c_5Y[/video]



great vid! Thanks for sharing Matus! Great skills!

Personaly, I am more using them for a cut that is in between push/draw cut and chop. But in general, I am a push cutter


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