Japanese knives are known for their perfect design, ideal weight and balance in your hand. Chefs know that various types of cannot be cut or sliced with the same knife. For instance, you can’t cut perfectly thin slices with a thick knife for chopping. For that matter, you'll need to use a Sujihiki knife, also known as a slicer. Thin, long and with a double bevel, this type of knife is primarily designed to help you cut meat without bones, and other food that has no seeds. If you're looking to buy your first model, here's what you need to know.
Japanese Knives
Any chef will tell you that their knives are the most important tool in the kitchen. Some chefs will proudly show you their favourite knife that helps them cut the perfect chops or slices. Besides vegetables, meat is the most important food that requires the perfect knife. This is why clean and concise cutting is important when it comes to precious proteins such as beef tenderloin and bluefin tuna.
Japanese knives are known for their precise blades with the perfect balance that allow the chef to cut the ideal slices. Imagine what would happen if they just leave precious pieces of fish flesh on the skin - it's a waste of food and poorly cut fish. If you're looking for sharp, precise and perfectly designed knives, don't seek further than Japanese design.
Sujihiki Features
Japanese carving knives are known for their super thin blades that glide easily through boneless meat. Such is the case with Sujihiki - its spine which is supposed to be the thickest part is around 2mm wide. If you compare that with western knives, it's practically as thin as paper (western knives are about 4.5mm thick).
But, despite the double bevel, these knives are ground at a lower angle to have a rather long, thin and sharp edge. This also means the knife is delicate at the same time, so cutting dense ingredients isn't a good idea. Sujihiki knife is a kitchen knife for cutting any type of meat; it has a double bevel edge. You won't find single-bevel alternatives to it. If it had only one bevel edge, it's not a Sujihiki slicer, but a Yanagiba (they're similar).
The knife's blade is quite straightforward - it's long and narrow and looks like a needle.
The cutting edge is flat throughout most of the blade and it curves a bit at the top. Sujihiki knives have various length options that range from 20 to 30 centimetres. The right way to cut with this knife is by making a single pulling motion; cut the meat towards yourself (from the heel to the tip). This should be a good guide when choosing the size. Lightweight, with only 120 grams, Sujihiki slicers are ideal for balancing forward which makes slicing less dull.
Best Uses of Sujihiki Knives
The primary use of these knives is to slice boneless animal proteins. You can easily use it for filleting fish, but a Yanagibe knife might be a better choice for it if you plan to do this more often than slicing. Sujihiki knife's narrow blade makes it ideal for carving beef and poultry; it will stick less as the blade makes minimal friction and gives you the best slices.
Even if you decide to cut denser food such as squash, it won't be a problem. Any food that has no bones or other things that might get in the way, such as seeds is suitable for slicing with a Sujihiki knife. Its triangular end is ideal for cleaning up various types of meat from large fish to sirloin and chicken breasts. These knives can work both as slicing and carving knives, although they look like a slicing knives with their sharp tip.
Slicing Technique
Even though Sujihiki slicers are limited to cutting food without bones or seeds, they are excellent when used right. When you slice with these knives, you'll find yourself cutting from the heel or belly of the blade to the tip in sweeping motions. This technique of slicing is known as pulling; pull the place towards you as you slice. If you aren't used to this technique, you can use the knife only when you need to cut precise slices of fish or meat.
What to do Before Using Sujihiki?
These knives are thin and lightweight so they might be fragile. It takes a little adjustment to their shape to slice well. If you plan to use them for chopping or cutting meat with bones, then you should consider getting other knives, since these slicers won't endure the stress. Their thin spine simply isn't designed for such thing.
Do You Need a Sujihiki?
These knives are a perfect choice for deboning, cleaning up animal protein, or slicing fish or boneless meat. You can choose these knives over any other Japanese knives because of their sharp and thin blade that can create the most perfect and thin slices.
Keep in mind that this isn't a primary knife. It's specialized in slicing and should only be used for that purpose. If you're a chef or are learning to become one, you shouldn't rely only on this type of knife, only. But, sure, you can include it in your knife set, as it’s a very helpful and precise tool.
