In the Wild : Liv's Ko-Nakiri

For those of you who have met me in the shop or read my previous In the Wild blog posts, you’ll know that I absolutely love small knives. Before I even laid eyes on this adorable Kurogane Ko-Nakiri, I knew it was going to be calling my name. We had already received a few other shapes of Kurogane knives - the Bunka, Gyuto, and Kiritsuke - and they were quickly becoming some of my new favourite blades on the wall, so as soon as I learned that we would be getting a Ko-Nakiri version I had a feeling that I would be taking home my newest knife. 

When I finally opened the box and got my hands on this little knife I was officially sold. I think I might have actually squealed with excitement. In hand, this Ko-Nakiri is the perfect weight - light enough for very delicate work but not so light that it feels fragile or like it’s not up to the task. Would I attempt to cut and section an entire squash with this blade? No, probably not. But for my day-to-day work it’s perfect.

Despite its small size, cutting through a pretty substantial carrot with this knife was no trouble; the thin blade allowed me to cut with precision and ease. After a short time I already feel very comfortable with this knife in my hand. The slim Walnut handle fits perfectly in my palm and is just the right weight to balance out the small but mighty blade. The overall size and weight makes me feel entirely in control while using this Ko-Nakiri and allowed me to quickly and (fairly) evenly slice up an apple. I may not have professionally trained knife skills but the more I use incredible knives like these the more confident and precise I get when prepping.

I won’t need to sharpen this knife for a while but I’m already looking forward to when I do. I thoroughly enjoy sharpening knives (no surprise for someone who has worked in a knife shop for this long) but I absolutely love sharpening carbon steel blades, particularly those made with Aogami steel. Time and time again I find that the edge comes back so quickly and evenly, which makes sharpening even the dullest Aogami knives a breeze. My favourite part by far is the polishing - I like to play around with my own knives and take them up to a different grit each time just to see what they can do. I’ve already decided that when it’s time to sharpen this Ko-Nakiri I’ll be finishing it on one of my favourite polishing stones, the Naniwa Standard #6000. Do I really need a 6K finish on this knife as a home cook? Not really, but I would love to see what it can do with such a refined polish. Tomatoes, beware!

When I finally opened the box and got my hands on this little knife I was officially sold. I think I might have actually squealed with excitement. In hand, this Ko-Nakiri is the perfect weight - light enough for very delicate work but not so light that it feels fragile or like it’s not up to the task. Would I attempt to cut and section an entire squash with this blade? No, probably not. But for my day-to-day work it’s perfect.