What are the differences between Japanese and western-style kitchen knives?
Kitchen knives are generally classified into two categories: Japanese and Western-style ones. Japanese kitchen knives are further classified into two: single-bevel knives and double-bevel knives. Today, we'll focus on double-bevel knives and compare it with western kitchen knives. Let's save the topic on single versus double bevel knives in a different article. STEEL: soft versus hard Western-style knives are typically made of steels such as X50CrMoV15 (e.g. Wusthof, Zwilling) or 440C (e.g. Cutco). These steels have a hardness of around 55HRC. The famous Wüsthof classic chef's knife has a hardness of 56HRC. On the other hand, Japanese kitchen knives are made of steels like Hitachi shirogami#2 or Takefu VG10 with hardness of at least 60HRC. The most recommended starter gyuto, Tojiro...