What Every Culinary Enthusiast Needs – Knives

Mar 3, 2025 by Chef David

By Chef David

Fine kitchen knives blur the line between a kitchen tool and an art. These knives are utilitarian, they can be used in food preparation but can as just as easily be displayed, and discussed, quality knives can be a work of beauty.  The simple joy associated with acquiring knives elevates them from a practical kitchen tool to a hobby.

There are two classic knife designs. German construction tends to be sturdy and thicker and Japanese knives tend to be lightweight with razor-sharp thin blades. Stylistically Japanese blades tend to be more intricate, beautifully crafted, and attractive.

We have been using Shun knives. These Japanese blades are sharp and stylish and made with full tang for lightweight and perfect balance. Full tang design is where the blade material extends through the handle and provides balance and strength. They have become indispensable kitchen tools in our kitchen, with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, and style, that kept us hooked, and wanting more.

Over time we expanded our collection as each new acquisition added a unique, feature. Shun continually reinvents its blades, expanding their collections with different styles all with the same high-quality craftsmanship. That means that there is no end to the extent of one’s Shun knife collection, but it also means they will be phasing out items.

One of our knives the Seki Magoroku Santaoku, has been discontinued by Shun (but can be purchased online). This multipurpose knife is extremely sharp and incredibly beautiful, designed for every cutting job – slicing, dicing, and chopping. The Santaoku style knife is slightly shorter than a standard chef’s knife (6.5 inches) making it easy to maneuver and has a distinctive handle made of light pakka wood. It features VG-MAX steel. It has a simplistic but elegant design that our test team loved.

Dual Core Nakiri – A traditional Japanese vegetable knife designed with a blunt tip with a flat bottom to accommodate the push-cut method (by moving the knife down and forward while keeping the edge parallel to the cutting surface). This blade is beautiful and thin, light, strong, and sharp. This knife features a Damascus-style blade made of two premium-quality, high-carbon stainless steels. The layers are welded together and fold-forged to give a finer grain to the steel and to create the herringbone pattern (71 alternating micro-layers of high carbon, high chromium VG10, and VG2 stainless steels) as the layers alternate along the cutting edge.  It has Japanese-style octagon-shaped handles in ebony pakka wood which provides a comfortable, secure grip. The Dual Core Nakiri comes with a customer wood holder for easy transportation and storage.

Design Advantage: The two steels wear at different rates creating micro serrations along the edge keeping the edge sharp longer. Etched laminations in the blade reduce drag, helping food release from the blade. The 16° double-bevel blade (on each side) is light and thin. Shun incorporated the construction used in traditional samurai swords (rabbet tang) which gives this knife optimal balance and maneuverability.

This knife is a great knife to use when preparing a vegetable-heavy meal.

Kanso Steak Knife – A straight-edged razor-sharp edge makes a cleaner cut than traditional serrated steak knives which tear meat and cause the juices to run out. But this knife can do more than slice meat. It is a smaller knife, making it appropriate for smaller hands. This 5-inch blade is made of a solid layer of AUS10A high-carbon stainless steel which is corrosion-resistant, with a razor-sharp 16° edge.

Kanso is a modern design, with a contoured tagayasan wood handle; known as “iron sword wood.” It uses full-tang construction for durability, precision, and balance. It can become a workhorse blade, light, strong and elegant. Designed to cut steak, this knife can be used as a light utility knife, it is strong, sharp, and small, and is suitable for slicing, dicing, and chopping on your dinner plate and beyond.

Shun Brand: ‘Shun’ refers to the Japanese tradition of fresh, seasonal, mindful eating. The Shun heritage is connected to Seki City, the heart of the Japanese cutlery industry since the 13th Century, with a long history of blade-making. Shun Cutlery is a kitchen knife brand of the KAI Group, bringing Japanese-style cutlery to the US and European markets. Shun balances ancient traditions of handcrafted quality, with modern, premium materials and state-of-the-art technology to provide quality tools.

Quintessential Kitchen Tool

Knives are the quintessential kitchen tool, integral to every aspect of food preparation, which at the same time can be beautiful. Selecting the correct knives can be transformative, adding elegance to repetitive or mundane tasks. Everyone who has used a dull blade and has found a way to power through will appreciate the benefit of using a high-performance, sharp, and well-balanced knife (it almost makes you want to cut more). When using any high-end knives always handwash them and avoid cutting extremely hard items like frozen foods as it may chip the blade.

Shun knives have a distinctive, attractive look and feel that compliments my cooking style, and lets me chop quickly and efficiently. They are simple and elegant. Their refined looks and design provide an eye-catching style and are a joy to use.

Upgrading to high-quality knives makes meal preparation more enjoyable.