Knives

Explore Japanese kitchen knives for home cooks and professional chefs at ASC Forge. This collection of quality kitchen knives brings together gyuto chef's knives, santoku knives, nakiri, sujihiki slicers, petty and paring knives, serrated bread knives, plus traditional single-bevel deba, yanagi and usuba blades, so you can find the right blade for a wide range of tasks.

Quality Kitchen Knives for a Wide Range of Tasks

A few well-chosen, sharp knives will do more for your cooking than a drawer full of dull ones. Start with an all-rounder, such as a gyuto chef's knife or a santoku, then add specialized knives as your cooking grows. A sharp knife is also a safer knife: it cuts cleanly where you guide it instead of slipping off the food.

Choose the right kitchen knife

• Gyuto (chef's knife): the all-purpose blade for meat, fish and vegetables, usually 180mm to 270mm. Our chef's knives come in stainless steel, Damascus and carbon steel.
• Santoku: a shorter, flatter all-rounder. Santoku knives suit home kitchens and smaller cutting boards.
• Nakiri and usuba: straight-edged vegetable knives for clean push cuts.
• Sujihiki and yanagi: long, narrow slicers for carving roasts and slicing sashimi.
• Petty and paring: small utility knives. Paring knives, including the bird's beak paring knife, handle peeling, trimming and detail work.
• Bread knife: a long serrated bread knife saws through crusty loaves, soft brioche and tomatoes without crushing them.
• Deba and honesuki: sturdy blades for breaking down fish and poultry.

Specialized Knives for Specific Tasks

Japanese cooks have a dedicated blade for many specific tasks. The deba breaks down whole fish, the honesuki bones poultry, the yanagi slices sashimi in one long stroke, the mukimono handles decorative cuts and the garasuki takes apart chicken carcasses. These specialized knives make each job faster and cleaner than an all-purpose blade could.

Blade Steel: Stainless Steel, Damascus Steel and Carbon Steel

The blade steel decides how sharp a knife gets, how long it holds that edge and how much care it needs.

• Stainless steel: Inox, AUS8, molybdenum vanadium, SLD, SG2/R2 powdered steel and ZDP-189 are easy to care for and resist rust, ideal for busy kitchens.
• Damascus steel: our 33-layer and 67-layer Damascus steel knives have a hard VG-10 core clad in layered steel, for a keen edge and a striking wave pattern.
• Carbon steel: Blue #2 (Aogami), Aogami Super, White #1 and #2 (Shirogami) and Swedish carbon steel take a keener edge and develop a natural patina.

Edge Retention: Knives That Stay Sharp

Edge retention is how long a blade holds its edge before it needs sharpening. Hard steels such as SG2, ZDP-189, VG-10 and Blue #2 stay sharp through weeks of daily prep. To keep any edge at its best, cut on a wood or soft plastic cutting board, never glass or stone, and touch up the blade regularly with our honing stick.

Handle Materials

Choose from a range of handle materials to suit your grip and style: traditional octagonal and D-shaped wa-handles, ebony, rosewood, lacquered wood, abalone shell, resin and Western-style yo-handles. A wa-handle is light and moves the balance toward the blade, while a Western handle feels fuller in the hand.

Kitchen knife FAQ

Which kitchen knife should I buy first?

A 210mm gyuto or a 170mm santoku covers most everyday cutting tasks. Add a petty knife for small jobs, a bread knife for loaves and a nakiri if you prep a lot of vegetables.

What is the difference between a gyuto and a santoku?

A gyuto is longer with a pointed tip and a curved edge, which suits rocking cuts and larger ingredients. A santoku is shorter with a flatter edge, which suits chopping and push cuts.

Is Damascus steel good for kitchen knives?

Yes. A Damascus kitchen knife typically has a hard cutting core, such as VG-10, clad in layered steel. The core does the cutting and the layers add protection and the distinctive wave pattern.

What cutting board is best for Japanese knives?

An end-grain wood board or a soft rubber or plastic board is gentlest on the edge. Hard surfaces such as glass, marble or bamboo dull a sharp knife quickly.

How do I care for a carbon steel kitchen knife?

Hand wash and dry it straight after use, never put it in a dishwasher, and wipe on a thin coat of food-safe oil before storing it for long periods.