Kiritsuke and chef are the most used knives in every kitchen. If you are not an expert and trying to buy your first japanese knife then it will be difficult for you to choose between kiritsuke and chef knife.
Both knives look the same which creates confusion for new users. But there are some major differences between both knives like design, materials, shape and sizes etc.
Let’s come to go through the kiritsuke vs chef knife comparison which makes us aware about the difference and similarity of both knives.
What is Kiritsuke Knife?
kiritsuke knife is a special and popular type of Japanese chef knife that is used for chopping fruits, vegetables and meat. Due to that reason it gets the name “katsuramuki” or “katsuretsu” in japan. Its length is more than 165mm and has only one edge on the both sides of the blade which is used for cutting a different food.
It is also widely used in the kitchen for preparing sashimi fish and other dishes. It is a necessary tool for filleting a fish, removing skin from the fish, breaking bones and making slices of vegetables. Kiritsuke comes with a thin blade that is perfect for narrow cutting of meat and removing of meat from the bones. Its sharp blade plays vital in precise cutting and makes the process of preparing meals easy.
Below we will also learn about the features of kiritsuke knives through the kiritsuke vs chef knife article..
What is a Chef Knife?
Another important kitchen tool is the chef knife which does almost all kinds of work so it should be available for chefs and home cooks. It is an extensive term for any knife having a blade of 8 inches or more. It makes the process of chopping and slicing easy. A chef knife has a broad blade with a curved blade that allows back and forth motion. It has some similarities with kiritsuke knife but is not equal to it.
History of Kiritsuke and Chef Knife
Kiritsuke Knife
The Kiritsuke is a new version of the Japanese knife that was invented in the mid-seventies. It was originally created by the samurai swordsmith Yasutsugu Nakamura. He named the knife kiri-tsuke after his previous post which means “to cut into pieces’.
Additionally, user feedback and preferences have changed the original design of kiritsuke over time. It also states that the kurtisuke knife was designed to prepare food for the Japanese tea ceremony, which has been used for hundreds of years. The first Kiritsuke was designed by an unknown blacksmith in 1603.
The main purpose of this knife invention is to cut fish bones and meat.
Chef Knife
The story of the chef knife is not clear at all. We can say that three types of stories get together and make a new history of chef knives. The 1st story of chef knife (gyuto in japanese) came from china. The 2nd story or myth was originally built in japan while the 3rd one was created in french.
Different Features of Kiritsuke and Chef Knife
In the above section, we already describe the term kiritsuke vs chef knife and now it’s time to see the differences between them. While both knives are versatile tools in the kitchen, you can’t use chef and kiritsuke knife interchangeably.
Those people who prioritise versatility should doubtless select a chef’s knife on this occasion. It’s right for begginer to handle a kiritsuke knife so they should also consider a chef knife.
On ther other hand, the experienced chef who wants a highly sharpened blade and precise cutting while working with fishes and vegetables should choose a kiritsuke knife.
Which Knife is Best ?
We have created key categories to compare both the knives in terms of its performance, effectiveness so that you can choose one or both as per your need and requirements. This is not a big list and is based on the opinions of some of them but we want to give you a more clear comparison and help you decide which knife is the best.
Blade Material
The kiritsuke knife is made up of a carbon steel blade which tells us it is lighter, thinner and holds sharp edges as compared to chef knives. It is good for precise work and chef knife is much better for tough cuts and less threat of chipping and damaging. No one is the winner, which one blade material is perfect depends on your personal requirements.
Size
A chef knife is a well balanced tool for a variety of cutting tasks and users feel it takes a long time to control it but it’s not true. The kiritsuke knife is long but difficult to handle. While this is great for cutting long pieces you need a certain level of skill to use it.
Maintenance
A stainless steel chef knife is easy to clean, easy to sharpen, less prone to sticking and incredibly hard to wear. While Keratsoak requires careful maintenance, it is prone to sticking. It takes a lot of time and skill to perfect, especially a single bevel knife.
Price
Both knives are available in respective price ranges and everyone has a budget, the mid-price and premium range means that price should not be the deciding factor between these knives.
Performance
The performance of kiritsuke is very impressive but it’s the most difficult knife to handle and mostly used by senior chefs. It is not the best that there are few users who can actually use the knife. The chef knife has separate benefits like it has a long blade and thick spinner that makes the knife better for heavy tasks including meat, fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, its pointed tip enables the user to enhance beautiness of cutting.
FAQ
What is the Best Kiritsuke Knife ?
Shun dual kiritsuke knife is one of the best japanese knives. It has a beautiful design with a high quality material which makes kiritsuke perfect knife. Moreover, Shun premier kiritsuke, miyabi knife and dalstrong are also highly recommended premium knives.
What is the Best Chef Knife ?
Everyone wants the best chef knife at a cheap price with a lot of features then we will recommend them wusthof chef knives. There are also more chef knife brands including shun, miyabi, kamikoto and global etc that provide many affordable and good quality knives in the market.
Conclusion
We have deeply described the western chef knife and kiritsuke knife and hopefully you get the idea of these knives from the chef vs kiritsuke blog. Both knives have their own pros and cons like chef knife is good for chopping, dicing and kiritsuke knife is perfect for cutting a fish, meat and other stuff of flesh. Now it’s your choice which knife is a good option for you depending on your need.
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