Compatibility +α

Lately, I’ve been delving into the compatibility between knives and sharpening stones. Fundamentally, things haven’t changed much, but there’s this complexity regarding how well they work together with Itohiki versus flat sharpening methods… It’s quite intricate.

Plus, I’ve been paying attention to the “cutting distance” as well. But since you actually have to cut ingredients, it becomes a challenge for later… Yanagiba knives, for instance, seem to work best when you utilize the entire length of the blade (meaning using the entire edge!). It’s about achieving that smooth, seamless cutting edge that requires using all of it.

But there’s also this efficiency aspect where you might only need to use a third of the blade’s length to slice through efficiently. It’s all about cooking with a mindset that factors in how the blade interacts with the ingredients.

“Why would a knife maker be thinking about this stuff?” You might wonder.

Well, who knows? (Laughs) But somehow, all that experience as a knife maker comes into play. Not every chef spends hours sharpening… Some say a #1000 stone is enough, or maybe a #2000. But I can’t help thinking that going up to #6000 or #3000 would make the slicing even smoother…

I guess I wanted to bridge that gap somehow. If only it were easy and quick for everyone to sharpen like that, right? Just some thoughts I’ve been having.

Hibishugyo

• 2007-10-16