An expert buying guide to Japanese chef knives, explaining gyuto, santoku and bunka styles, steel hardness and picks like the RYU Gyuto at €295.
Sofia Lindqvist
Sofia writes from a Northern-European kitchen about folding Japanese tools and ideas into everyday cooking — gifts, seasonal tables, and the slow business of building a kitchen you keep for life.
Japanese Blade Techniques: The Tsuchime Finish, Damascus Patterns, and What They Actually Do for Your Cooking
What Japanese blade finishes really do, from the tsuchime hammered texture that releases food to the Damascus cladding on the Sakai KYU line.
Is a £300 Kitchen Knife Worth It? Let’s Do the Maths
Is a £300 kitchen knife worth it? The cost-per-meal maths, plus what VG10 steel and three-layer construction in the KATA Bunka actually buy you.
The Complete Guide to Japanese Knife Types: Understanding Every Blade Shape There Is
A guide to every major Japanese knife shape, from the all-purpose gyuto and santoku to specialised blades, and what each one is built to do.
Avocado Smoked Salmon Salad w/ Dijon Honey Vinaigrette
Mixed greens with avocado, cucumber and smoked salmon, scattered with feta and dressed in a lemon, honey and Dijon vinaigrette with fresh dill.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad
Rice vermicelli with shredded roast chicken, carrots and herbs in a fish sauce and sambal dressing, topped with peanuts and Fresno chiles.
Forged vs Stamped Knives: What’s The Difference?
How forged and stamped knives differ, from the hammering and heat treatment of a forged blade to its strength, edge retention and balance.
Cooking at Home or Eating Out? What’s Better for You?
Cooking at home or eating out? A look at the real costs to your wallet, health and time, and when each choice genuinely serves you best.
Kiritsuke vs Bunka: Which Of Those Japanese Knives Is Right For You?
Kiritsuke or Bunka? The longer, elegant Kiritsuke suits showpiece slicing, while the shorter Bunka is a nimble everyday workhorse with a tanto tip.
How to cut onion and not your fingers: the “claw” technique
The claw grip is the one technique that keeps fingers safe while cutting onions. Curl your fingertips, use the knuckle as a guide, and cut with control.
Which Japanese Knife for Which Technique: Showcasing Each at Its Best
The Gyuto rocks, the Santoku push-cuts, the Bunka splits the difference. Each blade shape has one signature move it was ground to do best.
The Ultimate Guide to Eating Sushi: Do’s and Don’ts for Beginners
Ginger cleanses the palate between pieces, not on top of them. Sushi-bar etiquette from chopstick rules to soy, wasabi and the omakase counter.
Beginning Your Journey With Japanese Kitchen Knives: Individual Knives vs. Sets
One gyuto or a full set? Where the santoku, bunka and kiritsuke each earn their place before you commit to a matching set.
What Does the Colour of Your Food Mean?
What food colour signals about flavour and nutrition, from chlorophyll and carotenoids to flavonoids and betalains in fruits and vegetables.
When to Replace Your Trusty Cooking Knives: A Comprehensive Guide
Some knives are past saving: an edge that won’t hold after sharpening, cracks or chips, a wobbling handle, rust in the steel. Four signs it’s time to let go.
Choosing the Perfect Knife for Women Who Love to Cook
Choosing a knife for women who love to cook: comfort, ergonomic handles, versatility and a sharp, well-balanced blade for everyday kitchen tasks.
Why Japanese Knives Are Perfect for Women Cooks
Japanese knives trace back to samurai swordsmiths, including blades for the Onna Bugeisha, and their light, precise build suits women cooks well.
Low-Waste Ideas for the Kitchen, Grocery Store, and Beyond: A Cut Above the Rest
21 practical low-waste tips for the kitchen and grocery shop, organised around the five R’s of zero-waste living: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.
All About Japanese food
Why Japanese cuisine stands out: fresh seasonal ingredients, mastery of umami and the pride of the cooks behind sushi, ramen, soba and more.
Why Dull Knives Are More Dangerous Than Sharp Ones
A dull knife needs more force and slips more easily, so it causes more injuries than a sharp one. Includes paper, tomato and fingernail tests.
Should You Grow Medicinal Mushrooms At Home?
A look at growing reishi, lion’s mane and blue oyster mushrooms at home, the health compounds behind them and the pros and cons of cultivating your own.
How To Clean Brass Utensils – The Easy Way
Clean and brighten brass utensils in minutes with a simple paste of vinegar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then polish and rinse.
Japana Home Is Rebranding As Oishya
After five years, Japana Home is becoming Oishya, a name from the Japanese word oishii, reflecting a wider range of kitchenware beyond knives.
The Claw Grip With Chef Olivia Burt
Chef Olivia Burt shows how to do the claw grip, the hand position that tucks your fingertips behind the blade so you cut food, not yourself.
Eggs Benedict
An eggs Benedict recipe with poached eggs, parma ham and homemade hollandaise, served on from-scratch English muffins for a proper brunch at home.
Guacamole
A simple guacamole recipe using fresh avocado, lime, tomato, onion and coriander, with optional peperoncino and cumin, ready in just a few steps.
Everything You Need To Know Before Throwing A Cooking Party
How to plan and host a cooking party, covering the guest list, dietary needs and choosing an appetiser, main and dessert your guests will cook together.
Kitchen Knife Set Or Individual Knives – What’s Better To Start With?
Why own a meat-carving knife if you’re vegetarian? Weighing a tidy knife set against buying only the two or three blades you’ll actually use.
The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Knives: Finding Your Perfect Blade
A guide to choosing a Japanese knife, covering how to match a blade to your cooking needs and the main types, starting with the all-purpose Gyuto.
How To Find Your Ikigai
What ikigai means and how to find yours by listing your values, what you enjoy and what you do well, then living where the three overlap.