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Japanese delicacies are a little different from traditional English cuisine and consequently the knives that help prepare them are different too. Here we introduce Yanagiba, Debra, Usuba, and Santoku: the knives in Stellar’s Japanese knife collection Samurai, alongside the new Bread knife.
Akin to its contemporaries, the new Samurai bread knife is thinner and lighter than other knives typically found in the UK, making them easier to manoeuvre and produce the results you strive. The blades are single-sided and taper-ground, resulting in a razor-sharp edge that runs the full length of the blade. Except for the serrated bread knife, they are easily maintained by regularly sharpening, and due to their material make up, they will typically hold their sharpness for longer. Due to the wooden handles and construction, the range must be washed by hand.
The mystery of the Japanese Yanagiba, Debra, Usuba, and Santoku is now unveiled:
Yanagiba has a long narrow willow blade used in sushi kitchens everywhere to prepare sashimi (raw fish) and seafood. Stellar offers two sizes: the larger size doubles as a great carving knife for fine slicing and the smaller size as a paring knife for vegetable preparation
The ‘short and thick nature’ is typical of the Deba knife, which is designed for slicing and boning fish and poultry. Moreover, it excels as a chopping knife, being heavy enough to crack crab shell and tenderise meat.
The Usuba knife is the knife that the Japanese use for the preparation of fruit and vegetables. It is shaped to scoop up food straight into the pan – a little like a turner and knife combined. The blade is an ideal shape for rapid cutting action.
Finally, the Santoku – which has become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years as the best all round Japanese knife. In Japanese, Santku means “three good things” and this refers to the tasks that the knife performs well: slicing, dicing and mincing.
Sharp knives provide the solution to precision cutting and speedy results. The Japanese have this off to a tee and as a nation, they are recognised for producing knives which are more than fit for the task at hand.
Images can be downloaded from here
