Choosing Your First Japanese Knife, and Looking After It

What to start with

• Shape: a gyuto or a santoku covers most home cooking. See the gyuto vs santoku guide to decide between them.
• Steel: stainless steel resists rust better than carbon steel, which makes it the easy starting point. See the carbon vs stainless guide.
• Bevel: pick a double-bevel (sharpened on both sides) knife. Single-bevel knives are made for one hand and are harder to sharpen well.
• Handle: a Western (yo) handle feels familiar; a Japanese (wa) handle is lighter and usually set into the blade without a bolster. Choose the one you like to hold.

Budget

There is no price at which a knife becomes good, and the price of the same knife differs between stores, which is why Knife Fit lists them side by side. Decide the knife first, then compare the lowest verified price, remembering that shipping and taxes come on top.

Care that matters

• Wash by hand and dry straight away; do not use a dishwasher.
• Use wood or good rubber boards. Glass, stone and ceramic boards dull and can chip a hard edge.
• Do not cut bones or frozen food, and do not twist or lever the blade in the cut.
• Carbon steel rusts and stains if left wet; wipe it dry during and after use.
• Sharpen on a whetstone, or have it sharpened by someone who works on Japanese knives. Avoid pull-through sharpeners.