Understanding The Difference Between Sujihiki And Yanagiba Knives

A lot of people find it hard to choose between a Yanagiba and Sujihiki knife Australia. When thinking about filleting and slicing, a handful of Japanese knives come to mind. These are Yanagiba and Sujihiki. Read on as we explain the similarities and differences between these two knives.

What is Sujihiki?

Sujihiki translates from Japanese to “fresh slicer” and is one of the main slicing kitchen knives. It is used for slicing boneless meats and fish. It is the Japanese equivalent of a carving kitchen knife but thinner. After all, Japanese foods require a lot of delicate and thin cuts.

Characteristics of Sujihiki knife

A Sujihiki kitchen knife features a narrow blade between eight and twelve inches long. The edge of the knife is double-bevelled just like western knives. Sujihiki kitchen knife has a thin blade and its spine is about two to three millimetres thick. It is a popular specialty kitchen knife and comes with both stainless steel and carbon steel. Sujihiki kitchen knife has a pointy tip that makes it easier to remove unwanted tissue and fats.

Uses

Sujihiki kitchen knife is your typical knife for carving with a Japanese craftsmanship touch. The knife’s narrow blade creates very little friction when cutting, allowing you to slide the blade through your meats whilst ensuring the slices are free from tears. The main uses of this knife include carving boneless meat and filleting large fish in one sweep. Anything you can do with a typical carving knife, you can also do with Sujihiki Japanese kitchen knives.

Yanagiba

This is also known as the sushi or Yanagi knife and is very similar to the Sujihiki kitchen knife and that is why people confuse the two knives. They have a similar blade design but the difference is the edge of the blade. Unlike the Sujihiki kitchen knife, the Yanagiba knife is a single-bevel kitchen knife. A double-bevel knife has a V-shaped edge that is grounded equally on two sides while a single-bevel knife such as the Yanagiba has only one side that forms a cutting edge.

The single bevel edge of the Yanagiba knife and the narrow blade makes it great at thinly slicing fish and filleting. This feature makes the Yanagiba kitchen knife perfect for preparing sushi. A lot of Japanese chefs rely on this knife to prepare fish.

Features of the Yanagiba knife

This knife has a narrow blade that is eight to fourteen inches long. It has a single bevel edge that changes the way you sharpen the knife and cut. The single bevel edge of the knife makes it one of the best kitchen knives to slice and fillet fish in a single motion. The Yanagiba kitchen knife has a thicker blade than the Sujihiki knife. Most Yanagiba knives are made from carbon steel but there are other steel options.

Uses

The Yanagiba is primarily used for cutting fish. It is somewhat thick at the spine and has a slightly thinner edge than other Japanese knives including the Sujihiki knife Australia.