Nakiri Knife Uses: What Do You Use It For?

Aren’t we all sick of the same old knives becoming thicker and heavier by the day?

A knife is a kitchen tool that, like any other, is frequently overlooked when it comes to replacing or purchasing.

We frequently underestimate how much a good knife may save us both time and effort.

However, once we realize it, we are confronted with a variety of blades from which to choose.

So, today we are talking about the finest vegetable cutting knife, which is, without a doubt, the most important task in the kitchen.

It’s called the Nakiri knife, and it’s a Japanese knife. Here, we are going to enlighten you about what do you use Nakiri knife for.

Nakiri Knife Uses: What Do You Use It For?

The Nakiri knife, unlike our typical curved chef’s knife, is as flat and thin as paper.

At first appearance, your mind could draw up the image of it being used to carve meat or whatever.

On the contrary, the Nakiri knife is the best knife we have found so far for cutting veggies effectively.

Nikiri knife has a symmetrical design. So, it is easy to do the up and down rocking motion with it.

This is especially convenient for noobs as they won’t feel the same with other knives.

Let’s take a look at why you need to use the Nakiri!

Cutting Thin Vegetables

• Think about this: our knives are becoming thicker and heavier by the day, making them stronger and hence more durable than ever before.
• When we use those blades to chop those thin greens, we end up damaging and squashing them from the inside out. In this scenario, consider the tomato: we frequently smash it and toss it in the trash.
• When it comes to knives, a Nakiri knife is quite light. It weighs less than 140 grams, compared to 700 grams for a typical chef knife.
• Yes, it is a significant difference. Because of the combination of its thinness and lightness, chopping vegetables with it is never a hassle—furthermore, precise cuts.

Saves Time

• It’s no surprise that usual knives are itself a hassle. The motions we must make with our hands are similar to those we must do with our legs. Different motions are used to chop various types of vegetables.
• You learned a great deal from the rocking action through the pull and push motion from the rocking action. Furthermore, making the incorrect move with it might result in the onion’s life being cut short.
• We end up spending a lot of time on those onions while dragging and shoving those blades into them. With a Nakiri knife, though, you only need to learn one move instead of all of them.
• Yes, the movement is moving up and down while also getting fast cuts. You may now use it to conserve time that you can use to play video games.

Efficient

• The Nakiri has a rectangular form, unlike other knives, which have a curved shape.
• If you chop a vegetable with your regular knife, you will see that not all of the sharp blade’s sections are being used to cut it since the curved region is left unused.
• The Nakiri knife is in full swing here, exploiting every available inch. The rectangular design ensures that all portion of the knife strikes the vegetable.
• As a result, you get to cut more vegetables in a single time and thus making it more efficient than ever.

Better Control

• An average knife is about 8 inches in the blade; on the other hand, the Nakiri knife starts from 5 inches and goes to a maximum of 7 inches.
• The smaller knife allows you to have more control over it and perform more fluid movements.
• To make our cutting simpler, we should seek ways to chop vegetables with more control over our knives.
• Furthermore, while using a smaller knife, the pressure you apply to a larger knife produces a better result since you can apply more force with less effort.

Cut Straight

• When it comes to cutting vegetables with a curved chef’s knife, cutting straight is believed to be an art. And Nakiri allows you to do that.
• For example, when chopping beets, a single bevel cuts only one side of the vegetable; however, a double bevel slices both sides of the vegetable from the inside.
• As a result, you’ll obtain straight and crisp slices with no residues on the sides.

How Do You Hold A Nakiri Knife?

The secret to good cutting and uninjured fingers is knowing how to hold a knife.

• The first step in effective knife handling is to hold the knife at an angle. It is best to hold a Nakiri at a 45-degree angle, according to expert suggestions.
• By doing so, you will ensure that your hand doesn’t get in the way of the blade and that you can cut straight.
• However, some people believe that horizontally holding a Nakiri knife is more effective since it can cut more effectively at that angle.
• This, unfortunately, is not the proper method. There is a more chance of your fingertips coming into contact with the blade; you may injure yourself.
• To add up, you should also hold the knife at the end of the handle, closer to the blade, since this will give you a lot more control.
• However, it’s just for little veggies like onions and carrots; cabbage, for example, should be held in the middle.

Can I Use A Nakiri Knife For Meat?

Even though the Nakiri is prescribed to chop vegetables, some people frequently inquire whether a Nakiri knife may be used to cut meat.

Unfortunately,  no, you won’t be able to chop your favorite meat into pieces using the Nakiri.

The main reason you can’t cut steak with it is that it’s too thin. A blade that is as thin as paper, will not be able to cut through tough flesh.

That’s not meant for it, even though it’s sharp enough.

Besides that, because a Nikiri Knife is smaller than a standard knife, it’s no surprise that your hands are at greater risk when chopping meat.

Normally, you would need to apply more pressure on the knife to cut through dense proteins, and your hand wounds would be more severe as a result.

To do it, you should always use your curved chef’s knife. It’s thick and long enough to cut through it without causing serious harm.

Conclusion

To summarize, the Nakiri knife is an excellent choice for slicing fine veggies. With its speed and straight cuts, it eliminates everything that makes you hate cooking.

Furthermore, the time you save by using a Nakiri knife is essential in our fast-paced lives.

You feel like the knife is a part of your hand now that you have better knife control than ever before.

However, also knowing how to hold a Nakiri knife properly is necessary for gaining the most out of it while avoiding injury. It’s always best to utilize it at a 45-degree angle, as instructed.

Nevertheless, we hope you have got the answer to what do you use Nakiri knife for. Till then, keep slaying the veggies and stay safe from the cuts!