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Gyuto knives are an excellent multipurpose addition to your knife collection. They are also artisanal heirlooms, which with the right care can last a lifetime and beyond.
There are many common slicing techniques used with the Gyuto knife. Let’s explore them.
Chopping or Thrust-Cutting
For chopping or thrust-cutting with a Gyuto chef knife, position the vegetables or meat near the heel of the knife. This lets you cut cleanly through tough or firm produce.
Rock-chopping
When rock-chopping with a Gyuto knife, you can see-saw through a selection of vegetables or meats to roughly or finely dice them into chunks or even mince them.
Push-cutting/Pull-cutting
To push-cut or pull-cut with it, use the slope, from the heel of the blade to the tip to glide between pieces of meat. This style of slicing is one of the most common with Japanese cooking knives due to the blades tending to be thinner than their Western counterparts.
The shorter the blade of a Gyuto knife, the more nimble it is; those with longer blades provide more slicing power. We recommend a medium length for general kitchen use.
Gyuto knives are an excellent multipurpose addition to your knife collection. They are also artisanal heirlooms, which with the right care can last a lifetime and beyond.
There are many common slicing techniques used with the Gyuto knife. Let’s explore them.
Chopping or Thrust-Cutting
. . . Show More >Gyuto knives can be made from stainless steel or Yasugi, which is the same kind of steel used to make Japanese swords. It’s especially tough, durable, and resilient to wear-and-tear. When taken care of, Gyuto Knives can last for generations.
Gyuto chef knives come in a variety of steels. Damascus steel with stainless steel cores and high carbon content, Aoniko (Japanese Steel Alloy) or Blue Steel #2, and Super Blue Steel are popular choices. Additionally, Gyuto handle styles vary widely. Some knives have more traditional Japanese style handle with an octagonal handle with a partial tang, while others have a Western-style handle with a full tang.
A Gyuto knife has all the beauty of a Western chef knife with the added elegance of incredible Japanese craftsmanship, superior metal, and different weight distribution. While a standard Western chef knife is weighted centrally, a Gyuto knife’s weight is slightly closer to the tip. This weighting is particularly apparent with the Japanese style handles with the partial tang.
Gyuto kitchen knives are regularly compared with French Sabatier knives, with the primary difference being the weight placement and slightly different curvature of the blade. The focus of this design is on sleek, nimble slicing.
Looking for an opportunity to add a Gyuto chef knife to your collection? Hasu-Seizo offers an extensive range of blades handcrafted by Japanese artisans. We also stock a variety of other vegetable knives and multipurpose knives such as the Santoku, Nakiri, and the Petty (for those smaller tasks).
Japanese Gyuto knives are multi-purpose kitchen knives similar to the classic European chef knife and are ideal for a wide variety of kitchen tasks. These versatile knives can be used with many different cutting techniques, and are suitable for cutting fish, meats, vegetables, and fruits.
The Japanese Gyuto chef knife, or “牛刀”, specifically means “cow sword”. As you may have gathered from the name, this knife is well suited for working with medium to larger items. It comes in a range of sizes, typically starting at 180mm (7.1”) and going up to 240mm (9.4”) or greater.
If you are looking to buy a Japanese chef knife, Hasu-Seizo offers a great selection of both stainless steel and high-carbon steel varieties.
Gyuto knives are typically used with medium to larger vegetables and proteins. The larger ones are particularly suited for such things like fileting large fish or cutting roasts.
Common cutting techniques used with a Japanese chef knife include slicing, chopping, rock-chopping, and push/pull-cutting.
The Gyuto and Santoku are very similar knives, though the Gyuto length tends to start where the Santoku ends, at 180mm (7.1”). Additionally, the edge profile of the Santoku tends to be a little flatter than that of the Gyuto.
Both of these Japanese kitchen knives are versatile and multipurpose in nature. Check out our collection of Santoku chef knives if you would like another great option similar to the Gyuto or possibly a bit shorter.
The Sujihiki is one of the predominant slicers out there. With a long slender blade, it can make short work of filets or roasts. While the lengths of the Sujihiki and the Gyuto tend to be similar, the Sujihiki is a more slender blade which creates less friction when making long pulling cuts.
The Gyuto knife is a much more multipurpose knife than the Sujihiki. However, if you’re looking for a great double-bevel slicer, the Sujihiki is the way to go.
Caring for a Gyuto knife properly is crucial to guaranteeing its performance for many years. We recommend hand-washing your knife with warm water and then drying it with a soft cloth. Refrain from placing it in a dishwasher and store it in a dry environment, away from moisture. You can help prevent rust and corrosion with regular applications of Tsubaki Camellia Oil.
If you’re buying a high-carbon knife, you should wipe off excess moisture immediately after you’ve used it to help prevent corrosion. High-carbon knives have a tendency to form a patina — this is a good thing and can actually help protect the blade from rust.
Your blade should also be periodically sharpened with a whetstone; this will provide a better quality edge that lasts longer than one achieved with an electric sharpener or honing rod.
Interestingly, Gyuto knives are a Japanese take on Western-style chef knives. A literal translation of Gyuto (牛刀) is beef-sword or cow-sword. These knives are a normal part of kitchens of Japanese restaurants where high-end Western food such as steak is served. They originated during the Meiji period in the late 19th century. During this time period, Japanese chefs became enamored with French and German-style knives which, unlike traditionally flat Japanese knives, had pointed tips and a double bevel.
In this sense, Gyuto chef knives were a Western conception, then adopted, adapted, improved, and renamed by the Japanese. This includes appropriately weighting and sharpening them for a Japanese chef’s prep style. Over time, Gyuto knives have become a deeply rooted part of Japanese cutting techniques and culture.
Japanese craftsmanship tends to endure through the ages, the bladesmiths passing on their skills from generation to generation. For instance, the Sakai region knives come from an area with some 600 years of knifemaking history. They are still made today by skilled craftsmen in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in Japan. The excellent workmanship and technology that created the knives in the first place have remained unchanged and world-leading. This is why people trust Japanese bladesmiths and place a premium on their work.
