Japanese Kitchen Knives Book

A must have for any aspiring pupil of Japanese Cuisine!

By Hiromitsu Nozaki, a renowned Tokyo based chef. Color photos (from the chefs perspective) and detailed commentary cover the step by step process of cutting with the three main styles of traditional Japanese knives: the Usuba, Deba, and Yanagi. There are included recipes to supplement the cutting techniques.

In Japanese Kitchen Knives, Nozaki teaches the reader how to use usuba, deba and yanagiba, the three main traditional Japanese knives. He explains many essential techniques, such as the importance of understanding blade angle and point of force, and illustrates these lessons by working with ingredients familiar to western readers, like carrots and rainbow trout. Color photos and Nozaki's commentary further clarify the process, and the pictures are taken from the chef's perspective for easier understanding (most other books take photos from the reverse perspective). Each technique is accompanied by recipes that require its use, and all recipes are very simple, using easy-to-acquire ingredients. Other sections include a look at artisinal Japanese knife-making and information on sharpening, storing and identifying the variety of Japanese knives.