Last Wednesday, I hopped on a double decker Megabus and rode to New York in order to learn about knives. Many months ago, I’d gotten an email inviting me to visit Korin, a specialty shop that sells Japanese knives and tableware and finally the day had arrived for my trip. As a fan of good kitchen knives, I was incredibly excited to learn a little more about the breadth of knives available out there.
Located downtown near City Hall, Korin has been in the business of knives and tableware for 30 years. A family operation, the store was initially open only by appointment to the restaurant trade (they currently work with the likes of Nobu, Grammercy Tavern and Per Se) but in recent years, the shop has been open daily to the public as well.
In addition to selling an incredibly vast array of knives and tableware, they also offer sharpening services using a variety of Japanese water stones. They can sharpen and repair nearly any type or style of knife, save those with a serrated edge.
Having seen what they were able to do with some of my more beat-up knives, I am a true believer as to what a good sharpening can do. There is no one that I know of in Philadelphia producing this level of edge quality. Happily, you can mail your knives to Korin should you not live near enough to drop in for sharpening.
Korin sells Western-style knives, traditional Japanese knives and a Japanese-Western hybrid. The difference between these knives is in the edge. Western edges are sharpened so that they have a symmetrical edge. This offers a blade that is fairly durable and relatively easy to maintain. Japanese knives are traditionally sharpened on just one side of the knife. This makes for an incredibly sharp edge, but not as easy for the home cook to maintain.
Then there’s the hybrid knife. Made of thin, high-grade steel, the edge is sharpened to an asymmetrical edge that leads to a sharper, more durable blade. The only issue with selecting a knife with an asymmetrical edge is if you have multiple cooks in your household who have different dominant hands. These knives are sharpened differently for righties and lefties. Just something to keep in mind.
One of the things that my hosts stressed when showing me through the knives was the fact that in Japanese culinary culture, there are different knives for different tasks. The giant knife with the extended blade in this picture? It is designed for cutting soba noodles. Thicker blades are designated for butchering, while thinner ones are for making more precision cut. Blade shapes also vary depending on region and maker.
One blade that I fell particularly in love with while visiting Korin was the Petty knife. It’s seen as an analog to the paring knife, as it’s both light and highly maneuverable. However, as you can see (it’s pictured below), it’s got a longer blade that you typically find on a Western paring knife. Since introducing it to my kitchen a week ago, it’s rapidly become my favorite knife for quick tasks like slicing up an apple.
If you’re a knife nerd like me, make sure to visit Korin the next time you’re in New York!
I have a set of metal measuring spoons that I received as a gift several years ago and they’re amazing. I will skip over other measuring spoons in my drawers, washing this set if need be.. they’re that awesome.
Chef’s knife and potato peeler would be my favorite basics
I do think that my favorite kitchen tools are my knives.
Especially my main paring knife. I use it ALL the time, even for tasks that a chef’s or utility knife might be better at- it’s just that comfortable to use, and that handy!
In terms of non-knife tools- I’d guess my bench scraper. I use that for SO many things!
Dexter-Russell 10″ Chef’s knife. I grew up with an 8″ Chef’s knife, and the extra 2″ makes all the difference when chopping a head of Romaine, or even just a couple of carrots. Bonus points to D-R for being a stand-up outfit that honors a lifetime warranty even when I’ve abused the knife.
Second prize would go to my Vita-Mix. I have a smoothie for breakfast every morning, and my blender-from-hell turns melon seeds into smooth drinks without a hiccup.
Immersion blender! I hate blending soup in the blender.
does a tea kettle count as a kitchen tool? because i love mine!
My favorite kitchen tool is my meat cleaver. I keep a large and sturdy angle on it when I need to smash though chicken joints, and then sharpen at an acute angle when I need to make clean cuts.
Hmm. I think my favorite is an old chefs knife I’ve had forever that stores in it’s own honing sheath. Not only does it keep the knife sharp, but it’s also largely responsible for my never having to bother learning about things like this 🙂
this big huge old old knife that I used to cut pizza in one go. love it.
my favorite tool is a one cup measuring cup that has been used to measure EVERY thing i have baked for the last 30 yrs. It is completely accurate. Mary in Cincinnati
Ice Tea spoons! I know crazy. I use them for everything. Second – cast iron skillets!
My favorite is my microplane ribbon grater.
My Kitchen Aid stand mixer, Kitchen Aid hand blender and my santoku knives.
They make my life so much easier! Cooking is enjoyable, compared to what it used to be…
My current favorite kitchen tools are my Le Creuset dutch oven and a handheld strainer. I use the strainer for everything: washing berries or spinach, straining stock, making yogurt cheese, etc.
By far the most used, most loved kitchen tool is my immersion stick blender!
My favorite kitchen tool is probably my little plastic handled henckels paring knife I got at bed bath and beyond. I can never keep my knives clean I used them so much. Other than that probably my stand mixer…which i love for baking.
I use my spoon-shaped silicon scraper lots and lots.
For me, nothing beats a good wooden spoon.
What a wonderful knife store. You are lucky to live close enough to visit. We have a few Japanese stores with good knives here in San Francisco but nothing like this. I would love to win this knife. I have two Japanese knives for veggies that I love. They are wide and I use them like scoops after cutting with them.
Very hard to choose just one! I do love my microplane zester, my wearever very heavy-bottomed and therefore perfect 1.5 quart pan from my mom, but over everything, the ladle (perfect proportions) from my great-aunt, and the wooden mixing spoon from my grandmother. The spoon has been worn slightly assymetrical, and is absolutely perfect and durable. LOVE it – and love that it carries around at least 80 years of baking love!
Swoon. Japanese Knives!
There is a Japanese kitchen wear shop in Berkeley which I love to go to get new knives but its not nearly as specialized as Korin. A must stop should I ever get to NYC.
My favorite tool will always be my knives. Current fav is my MAC Chef knife but I’ve been eyeing a new Santoku. I totally see a good use for a knife like the Petty as there are often jobs which are too big for a Paring but I don’t want to pull out a bigger knife (or big cutting board).
Right now I’m loving my juicer. Our citrus trees and producing heavily this year I’m trying to come up with different recipes to use up as much fruit as possible. But, it’s hard to pick just one tool since its where I feel at home.
My favorite kitchen tool? Lately, my laptop!
Oh, so hard to choose! My cast iron, a good can opener (Kuhn Rikon), a huge stainless steel mixing bowl, big stock pots, sharp knives…..I love good kitchen tools.
Immersion blender
My favorite tool is my deboning knife- I feel so professional carving my own turkey.
My favorite kitchen tool is my old fashion food mill that my grandmother gave me. It’s the kind that is a cone with holes in it, and a wooden rod that you use to press whatever you are making through the holes. It makes me feel really connected to my grandmother and to her grandmother.
My favorite kitchen tools are probably my Corelle bread-and-butter plates — I have lots of odd little bowls I can use, but the plates are the perfect size for everything from an impromptu spoon rest to zesting oranges onto (because nothing sticks to them) to testing whether my jelly is ready to holding ingredients. They clean up easily, don’t break when I drop them, and stack so well that I can fit enough of them even in my small kitchen that I never run out mid-project. 🙂
My chef’s knife. Couldn’t live without it!
I have great affection for my immersion blender.
favorite kitchen tool: dutch oven! nothing bad ever came out of one of those.
My favorite kitchen tool is my 10″ cast iron skillet.
My favorite kitchen “gadget”, with gadget used lightly, is probably a wooden spoon. I love using them to loosen all the browned yumminess after pan frying to make sauces.
Our favorite kitchen tool is our Santoku knive
My favorite is my good knives – a chef’s knife & a paring knife – I finally found a brand of knives that fit my hand. And all the other paring knives in our kitchen have the tip bent from being used as a tool – I better not find these two in the garage!
Hard to pick just one…I think I’d be lost without my santoku knife though.
i love my immersion blender. when i am making applesauce to can, i leave the skins on, let the apples cook down and the immersion blender gets to work!
My paring knife, I use it almost everyday for something.
My favorite tool (of the moment) is my peeler. I finally got a good one that makes prep work really quick and I love using it to make beautiful salads!
What amazing knives!! My favorite tool is currently my husband, who is a fantastic cook and mean meal planner. I am lucky to have him 🙂
My cast iron pans. It took a few years but they are now perfectly seasoned.
I love our good Shun knives and our Kitchenaid mixer!
I think these days my Kitchen Aid mixer and my immersion blender with the small food processing bowl is in contention. I’ve been using the mini processing bowl a lot to quickly chop onions. Of course these onions are generally being used in my new Crock Pot so that might win as well! So many fun gadgets and so little time!
My favorite kitchen tool is probably my pizza stone. I love making chewy, rustic style bread that just doesn’t taste the same when baked on a cookie sheet. I also love it because it gives me yet another opportunity to bond with my boyfriend, who LOVES homemade pizza (I sometimes wonder if he fell in love with me because I showed him that pizza can be made from scratch!)
Hard to pick a favorite tool, but I’d have to say my knives.
My favorite kitchen “tool” is my beloved husband. He reaches what I can’t, cranks the apple peeler/slicer when I’m dehydrating, cracks nuts and does other assorted tasks that speed things up immensely!
Favorite kitchen tool you ask? No question about it, nothing in my kitchen makes me happier than my la creuset dutch oven.
My Microplane Zester. I use it for fruit zest and for cheese grating. I discovered that lemon zest can take so many dishes to a different level, and I don’t have to spend half an hour separating the zest from the citrus pith.
My lil’ old victorinox chef’s knife. It’s not the fanciest knife but it’s reliable and gets the job done.
My favorite tool is the microplane – it is great for citrus zest.