Nakiri (Vegetable Knife) Petty (Utility Knife) Deba (Butcher’s Knife) Yanagi (Sushi Knife) Kiritsuke (Multi-Purpose Knife)
The Japanese Butcher Knife
Deba are single-bevel Japanese butcher knives. In Japanese, the word Deba means “pointed carving knife.” This type of Japanese knife is used for cleaning and cutting fish and poultry. The blade has an increased thickness, and often a more dull angle behind the heel allowing it to cut off the heads of fish or through bones without damage.
It is ideal for actions such as chopping, slicing, and disjointing. When used correctly, Deba knives are great for delicate prep work, such as removing and splitting crustacean legs or carving specific cuts of fish.
A Deba is not necessarily recommended for cutting through large bones as this might lead to chipping or cracking its single-bevel blade. In general, one should be careful to employ the correct chopping technique for a Deba chef knife or any quality kitchen knife to prevent breaks, chips, and other damage. While the single-bevel blade of a Deba allows for easier cutting, if used improperly it is also more prone to chipping as the angle of the blade is less than most double-bevel knives.
JAPANESE KNIFE – First Time Japanese Knife Buyers Guide
FAQ
What is a Japanese chefs knife called?
What is the Japanese name for boning knife?
What is a Shotoh knife?
What is a Japanese butcher’s knife?
Deba (Butcher’s Knife) With its classic butcher-knife blade and familiar handle profile, the deba is the most easily recognized of the Japanese knife styles. The blade will easily fillet a whole fish without damaging the flesh.
What is a butcher knife?
A butcher knife often refers to a large and heavy knife used for breaking down and portioning animal carcasses or large pieces of meat.
What are Japanese knives used for?
Japanese knives are often characterized by their specific uses in Japanese cuisine, with each type designed for precision and efficiency in tasks like filleting, chopping and slicing. Gyutou are the Japanese equivalent of a typical European chef’s knife. They are the ideal all-purpose kitchen knives and can be used for most tasks.
What are the different types of Japanese knives?
The thinner, lighter, sharper blade allows the chef to cut with more precision and detail than a double-bevel blade would. Most traditional Japanese knives are designed for very specific purposes (e.g. yanagiba is for sushi; mukimono is for decorative cutting). Let’s now take a further look at each style, and list the different knife types of each.