Make Restaurant Quality Sushi at Home With Japanese Chef Knives
By Michelle Simpson

A lot of people enjoy a night out at a restaurant with friends to enjoy sushi, conversation, and fond memories. But crowded restaurants can make the experience more of a chore than a relaxing night out. Now imagine having the same experience at home for half of the cost, with less noise, and plenty of room. Invite your family and close friends over for a “night out” complete with restaurant quality sushi as your main course. One of the secrets to making good looking and good tasting sushi is having the proper knife. With the proper traditional Japanese chef knives, and professional grade sushi knives you can make the same meal in your own kitchen.

Sushi knives come in many styles and sizes to make it easy for you to prepare great tasting and great-looking sushi to share with the people you spend quality time with. Traditional Japanese made sushi knives are designed by professionals and manufactured with the finest steel to hold the cutting edge necessary to prepare a delicate food. The Japanese have a long tradition of making the best sushi knives and thanks to the Internet these top-quality knives are available to you. In this article you will learn which sushi knives to buy for your kitchen so that you can start saving money on overpriced restaurant food. Take pride in making beautiful meals that taste like they were delivered from your favorite sushi bar right to your front door.

The Yanagiba sushi knife. The most commonly used sushi knife is the Yanagiba professional Japanese chef knife. The Yanagiba knife blades vary in length from 8 to 11 inches. The Yanagiba (or Willow leaf blade) has a long narrow blade with a single grind edge. The single grind edge leaves the bottom of the knife completely flat to allow much easier filleting. The specifically designed edge of the knife lifts the top layer of fish or seafood as you cut to separate it from the bones much faster. Designed especially for cutting raw fish the Yanagiba can also be used for other types of food. Yanagiba Japanese chef knives usually come with the traditional Japanese octagon or oval handle. Handle materials are usually cut from the finest hard woods such as sandalwood and Magnolia.

The Deba sushi knife. The Deba Japanese chef knife is similar to an American style kitchen cleaver but has a few blade features that make it especially useful when preparing fish. The Deba (also known as the Deba Bocho) has a single edge blade ground only on one side which is designed to cut the heads off of large fish without damaging the blade. The single edge blade also makes it easier to filet the fish because the flat bottom portion of the blade slides along the bones as the single edge blade lifts and cuts the meat off of them. The Deba is also used to cut other meats such as chicken or beef. It is not recommended that the Deba be used for cutting bones larger, or harder than fish bones because it can cause the edge of the blade to roll from the higher impact needed to separate the bones.

There are several other styles of Japanese chef knives that can be used along with the sushi knives to make food preparation easier and faster. The Gyuto is the Japanese all purpose chef knife that can be used for most of your cutting jobs in the kitchen. The Santuko knife is another multipurpose kitchen knife that can handle several different kitchen jobs. The Petty knife is the Japanese style paring knife for peeling and cutting smaller vegetables, fruits and garnishes. There is also the Usuba knife that is designed similar to a cleaver, but is specifically designed for the preparation of vegetables.

So now that you have more information about buying the right knives to make Sushi in your own kitchen, you can stock your kitchen with Japanese chef and Sushi knives and start having fun and saving money.

Michelle Simpson is the owner of Pro Knife and Tool, an online store specializing in the sale of top-quality kitchen knives, sport knives, and multi-tools. She lives in Oregon with her husband and five teenagers. Michelle enjoys living in the Rogue Valley because of the endless opportunities for outdoor recreation and the small town atmosphere. It is a great place to raise kids.

After years of working in a large retail chain store Michelle had the opportunity to start her own business, and jumped at the chance. Once she was finished with careful research Michelle was thrilled to find out there is a market for a product she is passionate about. Knives have been an interest of hers since a very young age and seemed like a great fit for her first online business. Michele has discovered a new hobby she can be enthusiastic about; writing about the products she enjoys selling. She is looking forward to posting more articles on your website, in her product newsletter, and other Internet article sites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Simpson

http://EzineArticles.com/?Make-Restaurant-Quality-Sushi-at-Home-With-Japanese-Chef-Knives&id=4244785

Choosing a Sushi Knife
By Steve J Gerwig

There are three primary types of sushi knives:

Heavy Duty Cleaver (Debo-Bocho)

This type of knife is used for cutting through thick bones and filleting fish. Probably won’t need this if you are buying your fish in prepared blocks.

Sashimi Knife (Sashimi-Bocho)

This knife is used for the finish cutting. Cutting the pieces off of the blocks of fish and shaping the pieces into presentable offerings.

Vegetable Knife (Usuba or Nakiri Bocho)

Used for cutting razor thin pieces of vegetables required in the recipes. Also can chop or mince the vegetables.

The knives can be made of carbon steel, stainless steel or new composite metals. Take your pick, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. For instance, while the carbon steel knife will hold a very sharp edge it also has the disadvantage of rusting if not properly maintained. The stainless steel knife won’t rust but it won’t hold an edge like the carbon steel one will. The new composite knives will hold an edge and will not rust but they are the most expensive of the lot.

The main point you want to consider when choosing is to find one that is well balanced and comfortable, almost like an extension of your hand.

Whatever you choose make sure you follow the following tips:

* Don’t hurry. These knives are extremely sharp and will cut you before you even feel it.

* Use a cutting board. Never let the knife hit surfaces that will dull or mar the blade.

* Lay your knife down away from the working surface and pointed away from you

* Keep your hands and knife clean and dry while using.

Using a little common sense while cutting your sushi ingredients will go a long way to keeping you safe while preparing your sushi.

Steve has been writing articles on a wide variety of subjects. Come visit my latest site at http://philandtedstrollers.net/. You will find information and reviews from other Phil and Ted Strollers owners here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_J_Gerwig

http://EzineArticles.com/?Choosing-a-Sushi-Knife&id=4242993

Sushi Knife Set – Tips For Choosing the Best Knife
By T Stevens

With the proliferation of low quality cutlery sets in the market however, choosing the right kitchen tools has become more difficult than ever. The key to getting the perfect sushi knife set is thorough research. Here is a set of criteria that you can use in shopping a set of cutlery that will help you create sushi the right way.

Take note of the material. The best tools are made from the best materials. You should choose a sushi knife set that is made from high carbon steel which is the same kind of material that is used to produce samurai swords since the 16th Century. If the blades made from high carbon steel is good enough for the battlefield then it is good enough for the kitchen. Knives made from high quality materials are sure to last for a long time.

Just a short bit of trivia. Do you know that sushi knives are sharpened only on one side? This is done to provide a cleaner cut to the fish and other ingredients inside a sushi.

The set should include different kinds of knives. In making different kinds of sushi, different kinds of knives are also used. There is a knife specifically designed for tuna and then there is one that is designed for puffer fish. A sushi knife set, therefore, should be complete if you want to have the versatility to make different kinds of sushi. One of the most versatile knife that any set should have is the sashimi knife which also known as an all-purpose knife.

Should come with a decent price. Though price should not really be your basis of quality, you should be suspicious of sets that are priced very low. You cannot expect a $30 set to compare well with a set that cost several hundreds of dollars. Cheap knives are not as sharp and as strong as more expensive knives. If you do not have the budget to buy an expensive set, then get one that is priced st the middle of the price range.

Get a sharpening stone. It is important to include in here a section on how to sharpen sushi knives. This kind of knives have only one sharpened edge instead of two. This is the reason why you should never use a mechanical sharpener with these knives or else, you may ruin their blades. To maintain the sharpness of the knives in a sushi knife set, get a sharpening stone. Better yet, get a set that comes with its own stone.

Getting a sushi knife set is a good investment just make sure that you choose one well.

There are plenty of great sushi knives to choose from at the sushi knife set website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T_Stevens

http://EzineArticles.com/?Sushi-Knife-Set—Tips-For-Choosing-the-Best-Knife&id=3733810

Important Facts About Sushi Knives
by David H. Urmann

Sushi knives are used by professional chefs for making sushi. It can be made from carbon steel or stainless steel.
Sushi knives are cutting tools made specifically for making sushi. They are usually made from the highest quality of carbon steel. This is the same type used in making a “katana,” a traditional Japanese sword. The more affordable sushi knives now are made from stainless steel.

A sushi knife is differentiated from a regular western knife with its sharpness. Western knives are sharpened on both edges of the blade. A sushi knife, on the other hand, has only one end sharpened. This style is recognized as “kataba.”

Because only one end is sharpened, it takes a great deal of precision to perfect cutting sushi or other Japanese food. Because of this also, there is a different knife for lefthanders. And lastly, a sushi knife produces cleaner cuts because the food being cut is kept on the sharpened end only.

Making sushi is considered an art. Take good care of a sushi knife by following some simple guidelines.

Before using it, always hone a sushi knife. A dull blade will crush a maki. A sharp knife will require little pressure to cut through a sushi.

When cutting “maki,” make sure that the blade of your knife is barely wet. It makes sure to produce clean cuts. It is recommended to first dip the knife tip in water. Turn the knife up so that it points upward, and then tap the handle on the table for water to flow down on the cutting edge.

There are many different types of sushi knives depending on a specific cut to be used.

In slicing sashimi, there are three common knives used. First is the yanagi. It looks very much the same as the paring knife of the West. This is mostly used for fish. The second one is the fugu hiki. This is generally used for filleting. The puffer fish is the most common to be filleted. The third sashimi knife is called a yanagi ba. It has long and thin blades that can cut more difficult meat like octopus or squid.

Some fishes can be very large, like a tuna. For this kind, there are special heavy duty knives. It can measure to around 6 feet long and has very sharp blades.

Another common sushi knife is the deba bocho. This looks like a carving knife used by Westerns and is wider than a yanagi. Deba bocho is designed for cutting thick meats of big fishes. This can also be useful in cutting through beef and chicken.

Next in the popular line of sushi knives is unagisaki hocho. This is used in filleting fishes like eels. There is a sharp pointed tip specifically designed to take off the heads of eels. The body is shaped like a square and used to slice the meat afterwards.

To cut vegetables, there are two sushi knives usually used. First is the usuba bocho. And the other one is the nakiri bocho. Because of their unique straight edge feature, both knives can slice vegetables very easily without have to push down the blade.

The thin blades make clean and precise cuts without damaging the vegetables. So what is the difference between the two knives? The usuba bocho has only one sharpened edge. Nakiri bocho has both sides sharpened. For those who love Japanese food like sushi, making your own sushi is part of the fun. Make sure to procure a sharp and durable sushi knife.

About the Author
For more information on Sushi Knives and Sushi Plates please visit our website.