Sushi is delicious, really delicious. Like really delicious, but many don’t understand the time and attention to detail required when preparing it. There are many steps to making a correct sushi roll, from cutting vegetables, filleting fish, and then finally cutting the sushi roll. A Sushi knife is designed to be versatile and used in preparing sushi during many stages of the preparation process. Let’s take a look at some sushi knives CCI offers!

Yanagiba Knife:

One of the most important requirements when preparing sushi is that the sliced meat is cut smoothly. The precision this requires comes from the Yanagiba knife. The Sushi Chef often considers the Yanagiba knife the most important. It has a fine point and a thin blade that make it a specialized slicer for preparing Sushi and Sashimi. This knife has a long, very thin, single bevelled edge and is ideal when preparing sashimi and sushi.

Deba Knife:

The thick and heavy blade of the Deba knife allows it to be used as a light cleaver too. This knife is suitable for cutting, separating meat from bones and chopping vegetables. The Deba knife is a small, curved knife that is closest to a meat cleaver. It is best used to remove the heads from and then fillet the fish, as well as cut through the bones and cartilage of the fish.

Usuba Knife:

This traditional vegetable knife has a wide blade and is tall to allow knuckle clearance when chopping. The thin wide blade with a fine edge allows vegetables to be cut without breaking or cracking. A chef will use it to cut paper thin slices out of vegetables, and to create specialized and intricate vegetable preparations. This knife is ideal for cutting thin sheets of vegetables and peeling.

Santoku Knife:

SANTOKU means “three benefits” in Japanese. The Granton finish helps prevent the product being sliced from sticking to the blade. This is an Excellent knife for cutting thin slices. The Santoku knife is multifaceted and is used for fish, meat, and vegetables. The Santoku knife is a Western-styled knife and, albeit not traditional in Japan, is frequently used when preparing sushi and sashimi.

Now that you know a little more about Sushi and Sashimi knives, you can feel confident when purchasing them! It is important to remember that the quality of your knife will affect your final product greatly. A cheap knife will not provide you with the same edge as a higher quality knife would. When comparing Sushi and Sashimi knives, remember that ‘quality’ and ‘inexpensive’ do not belong in the same sentence!

CCI Knives carries a wide variety of Sushi and Sashimi Knives. Check out our website in Canada & USA to see which knives are available.