Sugimoto Traditional 180mm Kamagata Usuba - Carbon

With its traditional knives, Sugimoto Hamono from Tokyo has the classic Japanese design with traditional Japanese carbon steel and a pure right-hand sharpening. In the pictures of the knife here, you can clearly see the high egg on the right side, and we must therefore emphasize for the sake of clarity that this knife is only suitable for right-handed people.

Sugimoto does not state the specific type of steel on this series, but describes the steel as being of high purity and the consequent risk of rust - therefore expect a knife that behaves like that of the shirogami. It is delicate and will patina very easily.

An Usuba is a traditional Japanese vegetable knife used to cut vegetables and fruit. The distinctive egg on the right side means that the very fine egg slides right through the raw materials and can cut extremely thinly. The grinding also makes the egg quite delicate, and should not be used for harder vegetables such as butternut squash, pumpkin, etc.

It also takes some practice to use as sharpening the knife causes it to pull slightly to the left when trying to cut through the workpiece.

Foodgear always advises against cutting all kinds of bones and frozen goods. Knives must not be washed in a dishwasher, as this removes sharpness and provokes rust - even in stainless alloys!