A Very Useful Kitchen Tool - Japanese Petty Knife

There is no discussion when one says a petty knife is one of the most useful kitchen tools. Some people say that to be able to endure the kitchen, you need only a petty knife. This very useful cutting tool is the Japanese version of a paring knife. Typically, Japanese petty knives do not have bolster on the blade, thin, and are very light.   

Japanese petty knives are ideal for different vegetables, herbs, and fruits tasks such as peeling, paring, and carving. It can also be used for slicing and dicing jobs. 

Preparing fruits (for a quick snack) like oranges requires some knife skills since there is peeling and segmenting of the orange meat that needs to be done.

Here is the step by step procedure on how to prepare this zesty orange for snack:

●       Cut-off both sides of the orange

●       Have it sit on one cut side

●       Using a Japanese petty knife, cut off the peel in strips, mindfully following the curve of the orange

●       Cut the membranes on all sides to expose the orange meat

●       Segment the orange

A Japanese petty knife can maneuver even the tight and delicate turns of any fruits. 

Although small in size, but the blade of a Japanese petty utility knife is razor sharp. You can expect the same sharpness and edge retention you can find from bigger knives in Japanese petty knives.    

As compared to its Western counterpart, the Japanese petty knives are lighter and sharper. Aside from that, Japanese blades have one side of the edge at a steeper angle giving the users the liberty to sharpen them at different angles. 

Just like any other traditional Japanese knives, the petty knife requires proper care and handling to serve its master for a long time. Never use your petty in cutting through frozen meats and bones. After every use, wipe it dry.  

If you are looking for a Japanese petty knife, please click here.  

The Importance of Sharpening Your Knife

What is the importance of sharpening one’s knife?  The very first reason why one should have a sharp kitchen knife at home is that owning a sharp kitchen knife is protection against jagged cuts during food preparation. A cut from a sharp kitchen knife is closed by the end of the day as against the cut of a dull kitchen knife – the wound is jagged and does not close easily. The second reason why kitchen knives should be sharp is that a sharp kitchen knife helps preserve the flavor of the dish one is cooking. Just look at the case wherein one is trying to chop an onion into fine slices. A dull knife presses out the juices of the onion onto the sliding surface, whereas a sharp kitchen knife will preserve the juices which are then incorporated into the dish that one is preparing.  In other words, a good sharp kitchen knife will definitely make one’s life a lot easier. It is easier to cut and slice food, and the food looks a lot prettier when sharp kitchen knives are used.

            Perhaps among the most precise and sharp kitchen knives used in preparing dishes are Japanese kitchen knives.  The Japanese kitchen knife itself is considered as an essential element in cooking and preparing dishes as this is thought to determine the taste of the dish itself.  In almost all cases, Japanese cooks own their own personal set of Japanese kitchen knives.  They are always concerned about the maintenance of these knives, making sure that these Japanese kitchen knives are well-sharpened and in peak form each time they are used. Some professional Japanese chefs even have several sets of Japanese kitchen knives as the knives are believed to need to rest so as to eliminate any flavors that may have stuck to the knives the previous day. Many Japanese professional chefs sharpen their own kitchen knives with the use of whetstones. These whetstones are often used to grind and sharpen the edges of the knives. Whetstones come in a wide variety of types and sizes, and may either be artificial or natural. Sharpening a Japanese kitchen knife is an exciting exercise wherein one needs to determine even the angle of sharpening while using the whetstone, as the angle of sharpening may ultimately determine the flavor of the dish being prepared.

            A very sharp Japanese kitchen knife that has been carefully sharpened over a whetstone results in food that is precisely cut, and the food is cut in precise shapes and sizes. One can simply imagine the precisely cut tuna sashimi, with its perfectly sharp edges that help preserve the delicious natural sea-flavor of the tuna. How would one delight in eating roughly-cut pieces of tuna sashimi? A sharp Japanese kitchen knife is truly an asset that one can be proud of, and it is thus considered as a tool in the production of wonderful gastronomic delights.

For authentic and high quality whetstones, please click here!