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 love my big chef knife. I used to love my paring knife, but it disappeared from my kitchen. What great timing!!!!
I am torn between 2 – a chopstick and my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. I love the simplicity of the chopstick for stirring and mixing and sautéing and the power of my mixer to make some awesome creations!
My favorite tool in my kitchen is stand mixer. Good things only to come from that…
My favorite tool in my kitchen is stand mixer. Good things only to come from that…
My favorite kitchen tool is my food processor.
Slice and dice my way please! My favorite kitchen gadget is the immersion blender. Any tool that can multi task, really.
My Cuisenart Food Processor- I can just about do everything with it!
My favorite kitchen tool is the KITCHENAID MIXER!ITS MY HOLY GRAIL!:)
I’m thinking of sending my knives there to be fixed. WOW! Amazing knives. My favorite Kitchen tool is my canner – but my kitchen aid comes in second. Knives, though, have to come in there close too – as they cut everything!
My favorite tool in the kitchen lately has been our new wooden flat spoon. We can flip and stir!
the number one thing in my kitchen would have to be my hand held mixer. I couldent live without it. i love this site.
thank you
jeremy whitaker
My favorite kitchen gadget is my stand mixer. I don’t know how I lived without it!
My favorite kitchen too is my vintage Dormyer Mixer!
My absolute favorite kitchen gadget is my immersion blender. Makes baby food, creamy soup, everything!
What a great opportunity, and what a cool store!! My favorite kitchen tool is my Microplane. 🙂
My favorite kitchen tool, so hard to narrow, but I am loving the new Wusthof vegetable knife.
My favorite kitchen gadget is my mouli grater. Someone left it at my house about 20 years ago, didn’t want it back and I still use it.
My favorite kitchen tool is definitely my canning funnel. I guess because I make so many jams and pickles, I find it impossible to live without.
My favorite tool is by far my set of Henckels knives. A good knife makes cooking so much more pleasurable. Would love to try a new one!
My favorite kitchen tool is my Kitchenaid Mixer!
My KitchenAid mixer, especially for oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie dough.
Favorite kitchen tool? Kitchen Aide Mixer!
My waffle iron. I love breakfast.
My favorite tool is my Calphalon Everyday Pan. Except for omelettes, I don’t need non-stick as long as I use a good stainless-steel. And it washes up so easily!
Immersion Blender
Microplane zesters have changed my cooking world 🙂
My favorite kitchen tool is my immersion blender! I use it for all kinds of stuff, soups, salad dressing, sauces, mashed potatoes, veg puree, etc. Last weekend I used it to blend bacon jam!
hmmmm. Definitely my standing mixer and ice cream maker attachment. So awesome to have home made ice cream!
My favorite kitchen tool is my Forschner Chef knife. I use it for about everything.
My kitchen shears have become my closest friend, from cutting open meat packages to snipping herbs. While preparing Thanksgiving dinner my mother was so impressed by how useful they were she decided she wanted a proper pair herself. I like that I have reached a point where I am teaching my mother new tricks in the kitchen!
My fvorite kitchen tool? My electric kettle! I never thought I’d use it so much.
My favorite is my Vitamix. My parents were gifted one and it sat on their counter unused for over a year. I was a poor college kid in need of a blender, so I asked if I could have it, and at the time I had no idea how awesome they were. Score!
We got a Vitamix for our wedding last August and it immediately became our favorite kitchen tool. We use it at least once a day.
Lately it would have to be my microplane grater: citrus zest, ginger, garlic, chocolate, cheese, nutmeg……
My favorite kitchen tool is my blender. I can make healthy smoothies and drinks with it.
My favorite took is my espresso machine
What a beautiful piece of cutlery! I love a fine knife in the kitchen. I have lots of German knives but no Japanese – I am dying to try them. Hope this little pretty wants to come home with me!
My favorite kitchen tool is a good sharp knife.
My favorite tool right now is mu Molybden Suison Inox 210 chefs knife. I love the action, the weight and basically everything about it!
I personally like myself my MIU France Zinc Alloy Connoisseur Corkscrew; i just can’t stand those goddamn ballerina looking ones.
If we’re talking knives, the petty knives you like look pretty amazing! Similar to one I have.
My favorite tool is my pressure canner. Having a good knife to cut up all the food prior to canning would be nice.
I like blenders because they make smoothies.
The gadget I use most probably my Khun paring knife!
My favourite kitchen tool right now is my pair of tongs
My favorite is my large Santoku knife, well-balanced, solid steel. Does a great job on anything I use it for.
The kitchen gadget that I can’t live without is my wisks. Various sizes get the results that I want 🙂
My favorite has to be the cleaver. I injured my tricep tendon a while back and wasn’t able to cut food anymore until I switched back to my cleaver. The weight of the cleaver helps the cutting so you dont have to put that much effort. I never noticed that until I was injured, where any form of pushing down would hurt. The cleaver was the only knife I could use with no pain!
My assorted sizes of cast iron skillets are used daily-so versatile!
My favorite “gadget” is the Togiharu Molybdenum Gyutou knife – it was a wedding gift and is waiting for its Petty Knife cousin!