Posted By:
craig john -
verified customer2 people found this review helpful
Im entirely new to fine Japanese kitchen cutlery. After having two kitchen knife blocks filled with an assortment of 15-25 year old knives, ranging from white Wusthof classic to one Classic Shun Santuko, I wanted to purge that mess. But rather pick my 1, 2 or 3 keepers that date back to my college days, I decided to get rid of all that and start over. During a Christmas party, I was inspired by my friend's Moritaka AS Gyuto. Its a gorgeous knife, and he pointed me to CKTG. :) I started browsing the Gyutos and Santukos, as those were the most familiar. But still, I had no idea what I might like as my primary knife unless I actually tried a few different styles. Even though I had no interest in buying a Shun, I went to Williams-Sonoma to handle a few different size Shun knives to get a feel for the Japanese blade styles and handling, and fell in love with their 6 Kiritsuke/Bunka. I loved the super thin pointed tip, and started searching for Bunkas on CKTG. I watched all of Steves videos, took screen shots of the blade profiles on the cutting board, looked at how they rocked. I always gravitated to smaller blades, and rarely used my 8 Wusthof Chefs knife, so 7 is was plenty long for my needs, and I zero'd in on this Anryu Hammered Bunka. There were a few others that interested me, but I loved this hammered look, the blade profile - it looked like it had a good rock. Plus, the price was just right to get my feet wet with the Japanese kitchen knives. When this beautify arrived after pulling the trigger, I pulled out a shallot, and it effortlessly breezed through the mincing. I had the blade finished by CKTG - why not? I took it to tomatoes, and got paper thin slices. I took it to carrots, onions, peppers, and leeks. Its just a phenomenal blade. I've easily sliced through salmon, halibut, Quillback, and Lingcod. I took it to six hind chicken quarters last night, and the blade slid right through the leg and thigh joint - as well as my Masakage Kiri Honesuki (second knife I already purchased - as my wife wanted something a bit smaller). I will still use the Honesuki for boning and prepping chicken from now on, as it's a more robust/heavy duty blade. But the Anryu Hammered Bunka is as adept at slicing through meats and fish as it is veggies. As Steve says, its a great all around knife, and hes not kidding. Gyutos seem to be the most popular blade, and likely for good reason. But this little Bunka is able to do 98% of what I need in the kitchen. I don't chop through bone. Yeah. I'm hooked - and Ive been warned this Japanese kitchen knife rabbit hole goes deep. LOL For less than $150, what a fabulous value. Seriously, that thin tip is perfect for getting an incredibly fine mince with shallots, and cutting around the bone in chicken thighs. I love this purchase. Was this rating helpful to you?
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