What your money buys at each price point, from sharpening stones and hiba cutting boards under €100 to knives and storage at €200 and €300.
Lukas Meyer
Lukas is the gear-minded one: care, storage, whetstone grits and the unglamorous maintenance that keeps a good knife good. If it involves keeping an edge alive, he's probably written about it.
Japanese Knife Care & Maintenance: The Complete Guide
Caring for a Japanese knife, covering carbon versus stainless steel, Rockwell hardness, single and double bevels, whetstone sharpening and storage.
How To Chop Onions Without Crying: Methods That Actually Work
Why onions make you cry, the syn-propanethial-S-oxide gas behind it, and science-backed methods that reduce tears, starting with a sharp knife.
Why Damascus Steel Knives Are More Than Just Beautiful: The Function Behind the Pattern
The wave pattern on a Damascus blade is more than looks. How folded layers, like the 33 in the RYU line, balance edge retention and resilience.
Which Japanese Knife is Best for Home Cooks? A Complete Guide
The four best Japanese knives for home cooks, the Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri and Petty, with the features and tasks that suit each one.
Blade Up or Blade Down: A Quick Guide to Hanging Knives on Magnetic Racks
Should knives hang blade up or blade down on a magnetic rack? Why many professionals favour blade up, covering ergonomics, balance and edge wear.
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni with Lemon & Spicy Tomato Sauce
Cannelloni tubes filled with ricotta, spinach and three cheeses, baked in a spicy tomato sauce and brightened with fresh lemon juice and basil.
Why the Nakiri Is a Go-To Knife for Many Chefs?
The Nakiri’s straight, rectangular blade gives full edge contact for clean vegetable cuts, less wrist strain and uniform thin slices every time.
Faster Chopping, Knife Skills, and Understanding Chopping Terms: Dice, Mince, Julienne and more
Build faster, safer knife skills with proper grips, the claw technique and the get-to-flat principle, plus what dice, mince and julienne really mean.
The Craft and Precision of Japanese Knives: A Beginner’s Guide
A beginner’s look at Japanese knives, from san mai construction and high-carbon steel to the ikigai and kaizen philosophy that shapes how they are made.
Exploring Japanese Knife Styles: Kiritsuke, Bunka, Gyuto, and Santoku
The kiritsuke, bunka, gyuto, and santoku compared by shape, use, and skill level to help home cooks pick the right Japanese knife.
Mastering Cooking Oils: Oishya’s Expert Advice for Health-Conscious Home Chefs
Not all fats are equal. Olive, coconut, avocado and canola oils sorted by smoke point and health profile, and which ones to leave on the shelf.
The Story Behind Sakai Kyuba’s Bugeisha Illustration
The onna-bugeisha illustration on Sakai Kyuba boxes honours feudal Japan’s female samurai, with nods to Hokusai’s Great Wave and the Oishya kamon.
Food Vending Machines: Japan’s Unique Culinary Experience
Japan’s vending machines serve full meals, from hot ramen to frozen gyoza, using refrigeration, heating, and robotic arms. A look at automated dining.
Decoding the Japanese Knife Grading System: A Comprehensive Guide
White steel, blue steel, carbon steel: Japanese grades come down to composition and heat treatment, not brand names. What each one actually tells you.
Why a Marble Mortar and Pestle Belongs in Every Home Kitchen
Ceramic mortars soak up yesterday’s garlic; marble, being non-porous, doesn’t. Why it wins on hygiene and longevity, and how to match a pestle to it.
A Taste of Illusion: Exploring Shokuhin Sampuru, Japan’s Craft of Creating Lifelike Fake Foods
Shokuhin Sampuru are Japan’s lifelike fake food replicas, made from PVC to display restaurant menus. Inside the craft and the artisans who make them.
Why is kimchi so healthy + recipe
Lactic-acid bacteria, not vinegar, do the work in kimchi, building probiotics and freeing up nutrients. The science, the kimjang tradition, and a recipe.
Honing vs. Sharpening Stones: Unveiling the Secrets to Knife Maintenance
Honing realigns a knife’s edge between uses with a steel or ceramic rod, while sharpening on whetstones removes metal to restore a dulled blade.
How to Properly Maintain Japanese Knives
Never leave them wet. How to wash, dry and sharpen a Japanese knife, with a rundown of the Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri, Deba and Sujihiki.
What Is Santoku Knife Used For?
The santoku, whose name means ‘three virtues’, is a short, wide all-purpose blade for slicing, dicing and mincing, and how it differs from the gyuto.
A Quick Guide To Safe Online Shopping
A guide to safer online shopping: vet unfamiliar stores, read third-party reviews, check for contact details, and use tools like ScamAdviser.
The Japanese Whisky History: From Reluctance Until Its Glory
The story of Japanese whisky, from Commodore Perry’s 1853 gift barrel to Masataka Taketsuru studying the craft in Scotland.
Butter Chicken
A lighter butter chicken recipe with yogurt-marinated chicken in a spiced tomato and cream sauce, served with naan. A fitting Halloween dish.
Top 3 Reasons Why Couples Who Cook Together Create Stronger Relationships
Three reasons couples who cook together build stronger relationships, from learning side by side to connecting and making memories in the kitchen.
Top 3 Ways To Store Your Kitchen Knives
The three main ways to store kitchen knives safely around children, comparing drawer inserts, countertop blocks and wall-mounted magnetic strips.
How To Look After Japanese Knives With Chef Olivia Burt
Chef Olivia Burt’s three tips for caring for Japanese knives: use a flat wooden board, store them on a magnetic rack, and never use the dishwasher.
Top 5 Reasons To Eat By The Seasons
Five reasons to eat seasonally: produce in its natural season holds more nutrients, tastes more intense, and skips artificial ripening agents.
Techniques De Coupe Avec Chef Fulvio Pischedda
Le chef Fulvio Pischedda montre comment tenir un couteau, la prise en griffe et quatre coupes de base: julienne et brunoise, fines incluses.
Summer Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce
A fresh summer rolls recipe with rice paper, vermicelli, shrimp and crisp veg, served with a quick peanut sauce. Easily made vegetarian or with pork.