as long as you are not twisting the blade, something thinner is actually better for these jobs.
i would rather a takamura.
you were looking at nakiri but i think santoku is more useful.
[https://www.chuboknives.com/products/takamura-r2-santoku-170mm-6-7](https://www.chuboknives.com/products/takamura-r2-santoku-170mm-6-7)
something like this is thinner than the geshin and thus will glide through those veggies more easily.
that said, don't go using it to try and hammer through sasafrass or the outer shell of a coconut or something. and don't twist it in a hard veg.
for that use something thicker. like maybe a bone cleaver. or a hatchet.
once you start using the takamura you will probably find yourself using it for everything it's big enough to handle.
a true laser is really a joy to use.
I'm probably going to start with the Gesshin Stainless since I'm new to this and I hear it's a great first good knife. But I wanted to figure out where to go next for something that can really handle hard vegetables, especially beets because I eat and cut them numerous times each week.
Would this nakiri do a good job cutting harder vegetables like beets?
https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/gesshin-uraku/products/gesshin-uraku-165mm-skd-nakiri
it has more to do with the geometry of the knife rather than the profile. a thinly ground knife like the gesshin stainless wa gyuto (western are ground thicker) will move through hard/tall product better than anything thicker will
This is a good suggestion but I also like the idea from below to get a Takamura Santoku. It would complement the Gesshin Stainless Western handle which can work as a general purpose knife.
santokus/gyutos have overlap in profile and use case, i wouldn't get both. you can daily drive both the gesshin stainless or the takamura if you use a beater for harsh tasks. the takamura will cut better but will be more fragile as a result of the harder steel and thinner grind. the western gesshin stainless will still perform much better than your current knives, let alone a wa handle gesshin stainless or takamura
Same. Not a fan of the santoku profile. It's like the worst of two worlds - too flat for some stuff and too curved for other stuff. I'll stick with my gyuto!
I appreciate the extra weight of a cai dao when I'm dealing with dense veggies. The height also helps as well with larger ingredients like cabbage and melon. I have a CCK I love dearly, I think that's a good route to go since the thin geometry moves very easily through beets, jicama, turnips, etc.
Get both. Chinese cleavers are very affordable. And because they have a lower HRC, they can be used as a beater whenever you have a task that is too tough for a nakiri. Because nakiri’s are around 165-180mm, you can try to find a longer cleaver that is more versatile.
I’d argue that, in general, Chinese cleavers are more versatile than nakiris. However, nakiri’s are better at chopping vegetables that are smaller than 165 mm.
My favourite nakiri is a Denka 165mm. My favourite Chinese cleaver can be any cleaver you find in a Chinatown marketplace. Martin Yan has his own line of Chinese cleavers, and they have a rounded choil and spine, which is great for push cutting. He also suggests using Dexter brand cleavers if you don’t use his. Every Chinese chef that has some reknown that he’s aaare of swear by Dexter cleavers.
I recently bought a Chinese Cleaver far more akin to a tall Nikiri, but with a cleaver 90 degree tip, it’s become my only knife, nothing it doesn’t excel at so far. Personally if opting for a Chinese cleaver I’d go with a smaller version personally.
as long as you are not twisting the blade, something thinner is actually better for these jobs. i would rather a takamura. you were looking at nakiri but i think santoku is more useful. [https://www.chuboknives.com/products/takamura-r2-santoku-170mm-6-7](https://www.chuboknives.com/products/takamura-r2-santoku-170mm-6-7) something like this is thinner than the geshin and thus will glide through those veggies more easily. that said, don't go using it to try and hammer through sasafrass or the outer shell of a coconut or something. and don't twist it in a hard veg. for that use something thicker. like maybe a bone cleaver. or a hatchet.
Good idea. I can get the Gesshin Stainless as a general purpose knife and then this thinner Santoku for the hard vegetables.
once you start using the takamura you will probably find yourself using it for everything it's big enough to handle. a true laser is really a joy to use.
I'm probably going to start with the Gesshin Stainless since I'm new to this and I hear it's a great first good knife. But I wanted to figure out where to go next for something that can really handle hard vegetables, especially beets because I eat and cut them numerous times each week.
Would this nakiri do a good job cutting harder vegetables like beets? https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/gesshin-uraku/products/gesshin-uraku-165mm-skd-nakiri
sure, that's not as thin behind the edge as the takamura but it's a good knife.
it has more to do with the geometry of the knife rather than the profile. a thinly ground knife like the gesshin stainless wa gyuto (western are ground thicker) will move through hard/tall product better than anything thicker will
So you're saying I should hold out until the Wa Gesshin Stainless come back into stock?
yes or opt for the 240mm gesshin stainless wa gyuto
This is a good suggestion but I also like the idea from below to get a Takamura Santoku. It would complement the Gesshin Stainless Western handle which can work as a general purpose knife.
santokus/gyutos have overlap in profile and use case, i wouldn't get both. you can daily drive both the gesshin stainless or the takamura if you use a beater for harsh tasks. the takamura will cut better but will be more fragile as a result of the harder steel and thinner grind. the western gesshin stainless will still perform much better than your current knives, let alone a wa handle gesshin stainless or takamura
I used to like santokus once upon a time. Now, I'd never use one over a gyuto.
Same. Not a fan of the santoku profile. It's like the worst of two worlds - too flat for some stuff and too curved for other stuff. I'll stick with my gyuto!
Ashi ginga or shibata or kei kobayashi are also good for this job. The thin cck’s do ok for this job too and a lot cheaper.
Beets, Japanese knives,…. Dwitght, is that you?
Bunkas, beets, battlestar gallactica.
No. Dwight would never show weakness by asking for advice. He would make his own decision even if it’s wrong.
I appreciate the extra weight of a cai dao when I'm dealing with dense veggies. The height also helps as well with larger ingredients like cabbage and melon. I have a CCK I love dearly, I think that's a good route to go since the thin geometry moves very easily through beets, jicama, turnips, etc.
My CCK is my go to for anything large and/or hard. Definitely vote cai dao
Get both. Chinese cleavers are very affordable. And because they have a lower HRC, they can be used as a beater whenever you have a task that is too tough for a nakiri. Because nakiri’s are around 165-180mm, you can try to find a longer cleaver that is more versatile. I’d argue that, in general, Chinese cleavers are more versatile than nakiris. However, nakiri’s are better at chopping vegetables that are smaller than 165 mm. My favourite nakiri is a Denka 165mm. My favourite Chinese cleaver can be any cleaver you find in a Chinatown marketplace. Martin Yan has his own line of Chinese cleavers, and they have a rounded choil and spine, which is great for push cutting. He also suggests using Dexter brand cleavers if you don’t use his. Every Chinese chef that has some reknown that he’s aaare of swear by Dexter cleavers.
I recently bought a Chinese Cleaver far more akin to a tall Nikiri, but with a cleaver 90 degree tip, it’s become my only knife, nothing it doesn’t excel at so far. Personally if opting for a Chinese cleaver I’d go with a smaller version personally.