And again choose knives! damascus1 experts will not get tired of presenting practical recommendations in the information and educational reviews. Today we will pay attention to knives for working with vegetables: what features they have, for which culinary categories such models are most important and what to look for when choosing them.
Europeans and Asians
The importance of vegetables in culinary and dietetics cannot be overestimated. They, as a connecting element, fill the recipes of all dishes, are present in all national traditions, and are useful for everyone from a baby to the elderly. Vegetables form the basis of a healthy diet for vegetarians and meat-eaters, Europeans and Asians, and urban and rural residents. Why do advertising stands of grocery supermarkets attract attention with images not of pieces of meat or fish, but fresh juicy fruits? Rhetorical question – the answer is obvious.
So, to prepare side dishes, roasts, stews, soups, salads, appetizers, pizza, and pies. You will need to chop many different vegetables. In addition to the fact that the fruits differ from each other in size, structure, and density of covers, they can also be cut in different ways. The larger the pieces of vegetables, the more accentuated taste they give to the finished dish. So what kind of Best Nakiri knife is best for working with vegetables?
vegetable Nakiri knife
Considering the offers of retail chains in the “vegetable Nakiri knife” section. We see models with thin short pointed blades, and a straight or concave cutting edge. made mainly of steel, less often of ceramics. With such knives, it is convenient to cut the peel from vegetables or fruits, cut out small unnecessary fragments, and remove dirt. But how do they cut such large fruits as cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, or large potatoes? These models are knives only for peeling vegetables and fruits, but you still cannot do without them in the kitchen. When choosing a Nakiri knife for cleaning, you need to pay attention to the shape and design of the blade.
- with the point facing downwards, it is more convenient to remove unnecessary fragments of vegetables. While the pointed tip facing forward makes it easier to process fruits;
- the heel at the base of the blade should allow you to hold the Nakiri knife close to the blade and even partially behind it, which is necessary when peeling;
- models with stainless steel blades and plastic handles can be used in camping or road conditions, where it is not always possible to wash the Nakiri knife immediately after work.
For cutting vegetables, regardless of the size of the fruit, you need a Nakiri knife with a longer blade. At least universal kitchen models will do, but there are better options. By the way, generalists have a medium-length blade and the same pointed tip, which are quite applicable in the processing of vegetables and fruits with limited comfort.
High-quality
They can also cut medium-sized fruits, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and carrots. For high-quality operational shredding, clumsy-type knives, regulars in the cuisine of the oriental way, are most adapted. These are traditional Damascus Nakiri knives, universal Santoku, Chinese Cai Dao, and orthodox Soba. Their weighty wide blades with the sharpest sharpening allow you to quickly chop medium and large fruits with vertical chopping movements.
A feature of Nakiri knives
A feature of Nakiri knives is the cutting edge rounded in front. Thanks to this design, such a Nakiri knife works as a machine for high-speed cutting of vegetables. The stop with rounding in the cutting board creates a reliable fixation of the plane of the working stroke and eliminates undercutting of the lower layer of the product – just an ideal shredder, just take care of your fingers!
High-precision sharpening
Most likely, elements of Nakiri were partly borrowed from the development of Santoku. Which was created to functionally combine the cutting of vegetables, meat, and fish. The same wide blade with a wide descent and double-sided symmetrical high-precision sharpening. Only the cutting edge ends in front with a sharp downward-facing tip and converges with a rounded butt.
Cai Dao knives are wider than all other models and more like an ax than a Nakiri knife. Great for cutting large vegetable fruits: cabbage, daikon radish, zucchini, pumpkin, and large potatoes. The large width and double-sided descent allow you to make the sharpest razor sharpening. And the weight of the blade is only beneficial when shredding.
The Soba ax knife is even larger than the previous version due to the elongated blade that goes under the handle. The front side of the Soba blade is also sharpened and converges with the bottom at a right angle. In the traditional version, the sharpening is one-sided. With such a Nakiri knife, you can chop large vegetables and chop frozen meat pieces at the same time.
The best solution for working with vegetables in a home or professional kitchen. Would be to have one of the above options for a large Nakiri knife and one miniature model for cleaning.
Read More: The 3 Best Damascus Pocket Knives Of 2022
