In this video, I'm going to explain the differences
between Western chef's knife VS Japanese and
Chinese chefs knives.
Not only will you know the differences you
will also be able to select a knife that's
most suitable for you.
Hello guys I'm ChefPanko and I work in a Japanese
Sushi and Grill restaurant subscribe to my
channel for everything about cooking and knives.
Before we start I want to say that this is
a guideline and you don't need to follow my
advice it does not matter if you are a home
cook, culinary student, or a cook that works
in a professional kitchen.
The most important thing for you to know is
what kind of cuisine you want to cover.
Each cuisine has their own knife that is most
suitable for the task.
Before I start suggesting a knife that is
suitable for you, you need to figure out what
your main grip is now is.
Before we start looking at any of the knives.
You may have heard from chefs that you are
holding your knife wrong it does not matter
what gripping style you use.
The most important thing you should know is
that it is comfortable to hold for you.
For example, I switch gripping styles for
different cuisines and knives all the time.
You probably have heard that the fingertip
grip is the worst grip and you should never
use it and yet many Sushi Chefs mainly use
the fingertip grip for the majority of the
time.
But more about that in a different video.
So what is your preferred gripping style a
pinch grip on the blade or at the handle?
A tump grip at the handle or a fingertip grip?
Remember it or write it down, because I will
explain why it is important to know what your
primary gripping style is.
Let's talk about the balance point and why
a certain chef's like a front-heavy, back-heavy,
or middle balance knife.
Remember when I said that you need to know
what kind of cuisine you want to cover?
The same is true for the balance point and
why certain chef's like the balance point
in a different place.
Western cuisine tends to prefer a back heavy
knife, in other words, a handle heavy knife.
This helps with the rock chopping motion for
things like herbs but it also helps us going
through small bones by using the heel of the
knife.
It is a sturdy knife with a thicker spine
you can break down a chicken without any problems
or worrying about chipping the blade.
The blade will probably bent, but you can
easily fix it with a honing rod.
Japanese cuisines tend to be more middle balanced
and the reason for that is that they mainly
sliced instead of chop and they also have
different knives for different tasks.
Most Japanese knives are very light, very
sharp but also more brittle and prone to chipping
if used like a Western chef's knife.
The spine thickness of Japanese knives are
usually very thin a Gyuto is recommended if
you are planning to switch from a Western
chef's knife to a Japanese chef's knife.
Chinese cuisines prefer a front-heavy knife
and the main reason is that the front of the
knife is sharper than the heel.
Since Chinese cuisine requires delicate slicing
skills at the tip and heavy bone chopping
at the reinforced heel.
The Chinese knife is similar to the Western
chef's knife and I will say that it is even
sturdier than the Western chef's knife like
the Wusthof.
It is less sharp but because of the added
weight, it helps with the cutting force.
And then you have the fusion cuisine a mix
between Western and Asian knives tends to
be balanced at the bolster usually it is a
Japanese style knife with a resin handle that's
balanced at
the bolster.
Suitable for Western and Japanese cuisines
that do not require you to chop through bones.
Now that you know why certain Chefs prefer
a different balance point it is now for you
to decide what kind of knife is the most suitable
for you depending on your gripping style and
cuisine choice.
So we start with the handle choices, we have
different handles that suitable for different
gripping styles however due to the design
of the knife and the weight there's a limited
option to hold the knife.
The following example of the traditional standard
western handle with no pronounced fish belly
or a curved on the top I have three examples
of this handle and that is the Zwilling,
But the Wusthof classic has a similar handle
design.
The Tojiro Gyuto a Japanese fusion knife and
the ShiBaZi a Chinese fusion knife.
Here you have a back heavy and a front-heavy
knife that a similar handle design.
The mentioned knife handle is suitable for
all gripping styles, however, due to the design
on weight, a pinch grip for the Zwilling and
the Chinese cleaver is the best gripping option.
Pinch grip is the best for the Zwilling due
to the design of being back heavy and catered
to the western cuisine.
Since the handle is universal a pinch grip
at the blade bolster or the handle is best
suitable for this knife design.
Western cuisine uses a rock chopping motion
which requires more force than a Japanese
knife and cuisine.
A fingertip grip is not recommended on Western
chef's knife because it puts a lot of strain
on your finger especially if you use Western
knife techniques.
A pinch grip at the blade or bolster is best
suitable for Chinese cleavers this is because
the blade is front heavy and we usually switch
to the fist or handle grip where we need to
go through bones like spareribs or duck.
Chinese cuisine loves to go to small bones
like spare ribs and chicken.
Western cuisine is usually one plate per person
Chinese cuisine is one bowl per person with
shared side dishes which requires you to break
down one single chicken thigh into multiple
pieces to share.
The Japanese Gyuto with a western full tang
handle is suitable for all gripping styles
without feeling any discomfort because of
its weight and that includes the fingertip
grip that all westerns chefs tell you that
the grip is not good for you.
However, since Japanese knives are designed
for Japanese cuisine you will see some limitations
in some of the Japanese Gyuto's and that is
that the knuckle clearance is not great if
you use a handle or bolster grip.
In Japanese cuisine, we usually use a fingertip
grip this is because of the less knuckle clearance
on most Japanese knives also because of the
sharpness of the blade and the knife skills.
We usually slice rather than rock chop or
rock slice when it's required to go through
bones we switch to something like a Deba.
Now that you understand the differences between
the knives and intended use it is time to
explain the handle choices.
Traditional Japanese wooden handles have an
oval and an octagonal handle design those
are suitable for all gripping style, however,
each of those handles will feel different
in your hands it is recommended to use a slicing
motion rather than Rock chopping or Rock slicing.
Since the blade is harder and more prone to
chipping and breaking it is necessary to adapt
and change your knife skills.
Especially with the traditional handles of
the Japanese knives that have been glued together.
So it is less durable and therefore it is
not recommended to use knife skills from the
Western cuisine on Japanese traditional wooden
handles.
I personally hate the traditional oval shape,
so I can recommend the octagonal handle over
the oval shape.
Which will cost you around $50 more for just
an octagonal handle with the exact same blade?
We also have the Japanese Western design or
fusion handles it is more popular with the
Miyabi and Shun since those knives are heavily
marketed to the Western market.
Miyabi has a fish-belly curve which is preferred
to use a pinch grip to make use of the fish
belly curve.
The Shun is uses a D shape which I prefer
over the fish belly curve from the Miyabi
you will see more and more Japanese manufacturers
switching to a D shape over the oval handle,
a D shape is suitable for all gripping styles.
There are more and more handle design to discuss
the most important thing to know is that you
need to know why a certain knife has a different
balance point and what gripping style you
like to use.
You can always learn or adapt to a different
knife skill the most important thing is to
know why and when we use a certain gripping
style on a certain knife.
After that, you can decide what balance point
and handle is the most suitable for you.
You also have choices in material like plastic
G10 or wood.
Wood requires more attention and care it can
break or split if not taken care of also in
some countries and cuisines wooden handles
are forbidden in the professional kitchen.
Just to give you a few examples of why I like
a certain handle I'm going to name a few popular
handle designs you have the traditional western
handle design.
The western handle is good for all gripping
styles but dependent on the blade design,
weight balance point, and intended use it
is not always smart to use a certain grip
like a fingertip grip.
And then you have the traditional Japanese
handle.
An oval and an octagonal shape they are both
suitable for all gripping styles.
I prefer to octagonal a lot more since it
gives me the extra grip I want.
Since the blade is mostly very light it is
suitable for all gripping styles.
However, you need to keep in mind that the
rock chopping with a pinch grip is not recommended
especially with the high carbon core material
and the Japanese Gyuto tend to have less knuckle
clearance versus a Western chef's knife.
There are many variations of handles my advice
is to try each out in a cooking store.
Even when you plan to buy a knife online it
is recommended to hold the handle in a store
first before investing online.
The good news is that most handle designs
are pretty much similar in size and design
I will try and explain the handle for each
future knife that I will review on this channel.
For example, I like the fish belly curved
handle on a Chinese cleaver but not on a Gyuto
like the one on the Miyabi artisan series.
I also hate to handle design that forces you
in a gripping position and the other gripping
position than the designed one will feel uncomfortable.
An example of this handle design is with the
new Global SAI series it forces you in using
a pinch grip with a force thumb resst.
Not only, do I hate Global handle design from
the SAI series the original global series
is something I dislike too.
The extra grip from the dotted handle works
but the cleaning after service is hard on
the dotted handle design.
Even when you thought that you scrubbed all
the food out of the handle you will see dried
food sticking in the dots the day after.
Now let's talk about the core material of
each blade.
Each knife will use a different core material
for the knife.
We have the Japanese stainless steel types
like the VG10, AUS10, AUS8, Powdered steel
like SG2 or SKD11 we also have Japanese high
carbon steel which is not rust-resistant.
Like the Shirogami or Aogami which is also
called white and blue steel.
We have German steel types and American steel
types with different names each steel type
have its own plus on downsides.
For a complete list see the description below
in this video where I explain each steel type.
What you have to know is no matter what steel
type each manufacturer will have a different
quality even when they use the same steel.
To give you a guideline we use the Rockwell
hardness to determine what knife is suitable
for you.
Also, make sure to click on the link in the
description below so that you can pinpoint
what steel type is suitable for your intended
use.
If you are a home chef that wants to explore
different cuisines and want to regularly break
down a complete duck or chicken a knife with
a Rockwell hardness of 56/58 is the best suitable
for you.
And to name a few a Victorinox, Wusthof, Zwilling,
and the Global use this Rockwell hardness.
Those knives are all stainless steel so you
don't have to worry about rusting.
The recommended length is dependent on your
cooking space and cutting board.
The knife should never be longer than your
cutting board at home I recommend an 8 inch
for home cooks.
The above-mentioned hardness and knife type
are also recommended for culinary students
since you move from class to class you'll
probably won't have time to dry your knife
completely before storing it in your knife
roll.
The Chinese all-purpose cleaver is recommended
for home chefs that want to be able to do
everything a Western chef's knife can do but
then with the better knuckle clearance and
knuckle guide.
You will lose the rocking motion but this
knife is capable of everything a Western chef's
knife can do but not really suitable for the
fish filling tasks.
The Chinese all-purpose cleaver is not recommended
for culinary students since it is heavy and
not practical to take it with you from class
to class with all your other kitchen tools.
The Chinese all-purpose cleaver is the only
knife for professional cooks that works mainly
with Chinese dishes.
As a professional cook, it really depends
on what kind of cuisine and dishes you are
covering.
like I said a chef that works in Chinese cuisine
should never look at Western and Japanese
knife.
Therefore I recommend you look at the blade
design, balance point, and keep in mind what
handles suit your gripping style before buying
a knife.
I recommend the stainless steel types with
the HRC of 56 to 58 for your all-purpose knife
or an HRC of 60 to 61 if you know that you
don't have to go through bones.
60 to 61 HRC is usually on Japanese fusion
knives for the Western market and they use
steel types like an AUS10 or VG10.
Breaking down a chicken or filling fish bones
is possible with those steel types however
since the steel is hard the chances of incorrect
use will result in a chipped blade.
It is inadvisable to use it on any bones since
you will lose its sharpness very fast and
the risk of chipping the blade is high.
Remember that it does not matter how sharp
your knife comes out of the box.
If you don't know how to sharpen the knife
by yourself then you are better off with a
cheap $20 knife instead of a $300 super sharp
out-of-the-box Japanese hand-forged knife.
I will make a separate video about choosing
your first Japanese knife I will explain why
you go for certain Japanese steel with the
high Rockwell hardness of 62 to 65.
You will get a complete breakdown of my decision
about buying a Japanese knife.
That's it for this video if you have any questions
leave them behind in the comment section below.
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If you want to know more about cooking, knives,
and how to sharpen your knife make sure to
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Thank you for watching and I see you in the
next video
