Japan Relief: Idea #1 (buy a knife)

by philg

The Japanese are an organized, skilled, reasonably rich, and generous people, so I don’t think that they need more in the way of donations to recover from the tsunami. What can we do for the Japanese then? Buy their exports. Over the next year or so, I’m going to suggest some things that we might ordinarily buy from other sources that we can instead buy from Japanese companies. (I already bought a Honda Odyssey, which contains a lot of Japanese-made parts, but I’m going to concentrate on the less obvious stuff.)

The big idea for today is a kitchen knife:

  • Global Knives
  • Shun DM0702 Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife (this is the one that I will buy unless readers suggest otherwise)
  • Korin.com has a bunch of $300-3000 hand-crafted knives suitable for the top managers of the non-profit organizations currently soliciting our donations (I’ll buy one if NPR offers me a $1.2 million/year job!)

Reader comments with experience regarding Japanese-made knives and suggestions for alternatives would be welcome.

[Update: I bought the Shun Santoku knife, which happens also to be the choice of a friend who is the most skilled cook that I know. How does the Shun knife compare to my Wusthof chef’s knife? The best comparison is like a surgeon’s scalpel to a stage sword used in a 6th-grade production of Hamlet. The weight of the Shun is enough to push the blade through a strawberry. It is a scary tool in the hands of the incompetent (i.e., me).]

[Update #2: Grapefruit can also be cut, I’ve discovered, with barely more than the weight of the Shun Santoku knife. I was also inspired to slice up some parsnips from a local farm.]

20 thoughts on “Japan Relief: Idea #1 (buy a knife)”

  1. Difficult. Aside from the obvious, like electronic gadgets.

    But I guess the market of many items are already covered by your local fellows of Japanese ancestry, in the US? Would be a bit easier in Europe, I assume. But I just learned that my every day soy sauce is from South Korea.

    Japanese arts perhaps?

    BTW, I have to admit I was a bit startled, when my eyes hit the headline of this entry. “Japan Relief: Idea #1 (buy a knife)”? Wow, now he’s getting cynical!

  3. I have gradually been expanding my collection of Shun’s and could not be happier with their performance. When you get into that level of knife, the sharpness and durability of the cutting edge will be exceptional no matter what you choose. Most chefs will tell you they make their choice based on which knife feels best in the hand. I personally love the D-shaped cross-section handle of the Shun’s (the gimmicky Ken Onion excluded) even though I am left handed and technically hold it “backwards.”

  4. I had the same “brainstorm” this morning. I bought a Mazda (one of the Japanese-built ones not Ford) last year. I’m more than a little suspicious of my self-serving or self-justifying motivations, and now yours – I kind of want a couple new digi-cameras and a new knife was appealing to me last month too, but here goes:

    You can get a little obsessed with fine Japanese knives, it’s one of those things that are so basic (not to say distinctly primeval) that seeing somebody devote their life to perfecting them (and adding various subtle flourishes) is kind of awesome… Even if you use it for nothing but weekend cookery, or slicing some cheese and celery sticks for your non-profit cocktail party :).
    Here are good sources for japanese knives not carried in William-Sonoma:
    http://www.japanesechefsknife.com
    http://www.chefknivestogo.com

    Tojiro and Kikuichi are often recommended and there’re good values (Say 75-125) in many other brands. A “gyuto” is the “chef’s knife” and the most versatile, 210mm (a little over 8″) is most common useful length and 240mm (A little under 10″) if you want a little more practice. They’re usually lighter than western style knives so don’t worry about hurt your wrist with a bigger one.

  5. Japanese woodworking or gardening tools. I bought a saw from hidatool.com, for example.

  6. LT: Thanks. Let’s pray for a speedy recovery for Japanese families… and also a Canon 5D Mk III with a decent autofocus and autoexposure system this time. We have created “self-righteous consumerism”.

    Wilbur: Thanks for the recommendation. I was thinking of doing a gardening tool feature later in the spring. The Japanese also make awesome pliers and tools for working with electronics.

  7. Assuming Nikon can resume production in reasonable numbers this year and doesn’t delay their introductions, a D800 or D4 would be nice.

    I’m already paying for my part–a made-in-Japan Mazda3 sedan that I bought a year ago.

  8. There are still about 5 or 6 higher end Canon lenses on my list (24-105mm, 5x macro, 45mm TSE, etc). I am pretty sure they are all made in Japan.

  10. I own a 270mm Nenox Corian http://korin.com/Corian-Gyutou?sc=7&category=17350 and I love it and it is my go to knife in the kitchen.
    It is a noticeably lighter than the western equivalent (say a Wustdorf) with a slightly thinner blade. It is the sharpest knife that I own and it maintains its edge well. Due to the hardness of the steel it is not a knife to be abused. So they don’t recommend hacking through bones or frozen items with it (not that you should with any knife), there is a chance that you may chip the blade. Now is it worth 4x the price of a Global or 10x the price of a Forschner? It was for me. But you have to be somewhat of a knife geek to appreciate it.

  11. Also ceramic if you swing that way: http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Revolution-Knives-2-inch-Santoku/dp/B000F74PYA

    5.5″ knife + handheld mandoline set covers most cutting needs: http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Revolution-2-Inch-Santoku-Adjustable/dp/B001UHNLEO

    If you buy one of these super sharp knives, watch your fingers! There are more nerve endings in finger pads than tips so there is a tendency to slightly misperceive the location of fingertips. See http://freeculinaryschool.com/how-to-use-your-guide-hand-properly/

  12. How about some groceries from your local Japanese grocer? I find their sweets especially good. As a side effect, your dentist, and perhaps personal trainer too, will also thank you.

  13. Well, I am eagerly awaiting my already purchased Fuji X100 camera, but would gladly wait forever if the events of last week could somehow be reversed.

  14. Why buy knifes and cameras which are industrially produced when you can purchase artisan products and crafts such as a kimono? Wouldn’t small businesses be more devastated by this tragedy?

  15. x2 for the Fuji X100 (their plant is very close to the the devastated area, so expect a long wait).

    I would recommend Global knives over the Shun. The Shun look lovely (I have a pair), but the Global are lighter, handle better, and require less maintenance than the Shun thanks to their dimpled steel handles. If you want to get really fancy, get a Kyocera Kyotop black hot isostatic pressed ceramic santoku.

    Interestingly, the Japanese Red Cross made it known if neither needs nor asked for funds.

  16. Despite being a relatively broke college student, I saw Alton Brown’s explanation of why Shun knives are better than the equally expensive german alternatives, and bought one. It is by far the best knife I’ve ever owned.

    I would willingly take in a boarder from Japan. I’ve not seen any networks set up. My sister was there for a year during her undergrad and spoke highly of the hospitality in rural areas. Urban areas and mass transit, not so much… but I’d happily let a preferably non-radioactive family stay here.

  17. Phil,

    have a look at http://www.epicedge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=107&cat=Gyuto

    I do recommend, from direct use, the Kumagoro and the Yoshikane hammer finished knives. They handle well, keep sharp and have less of a problem with food sticking to the blade due to the finish (less of a problem, not, no problem).

    Get yourself some water stones and lear how to sharpen the knife. In fact, I’d say this: get a throaway Global, learn how to sharpen it on a stone, then get a Yoshikane or a Kumagoro. If you like to cook, find a basic ‘how to handle a chef’s knife’ howto online –it’s not rocket science. Then get a bigger rather than smaller knife (I use 240 mm blades). Using a good sharp knife does make preparing food much easier and fun. Plus, big boys like knives, don’t they?

  20. What are you going to do with the knife if you don’t cook? Threaten your neighbor to get your printer back 🙂

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