Which Knife Style Is Superior? T he difference between Japanese- and Western- style knives used to be night and day Western knives had gently sloped, curved blades that came to a point, with a relatively thick spine compared to their length, and could rock on a cutting board Japanesestyle knives had flat blades made for slicing and chopping, not rocking, with a slender profile and a relatively light weight These days, the divide is not so clear Western knife makers now offer santoku-style knives, referring to the staple knife of the Japanese home cook Even knives with a Western shape have been slimmed down and made lighter in response to a growing market of folks used to the easier-tomaneuver Japanese-style blades Japanese knife makers, on the other hand, have begun applying their skills to gyutou, Western-style knives produced with Japanese forging techniques to make what can often be the best of both worlds So which style is the best? There is no right answer to that I first learned to cook with the Western-style knives that everyone was using at the time, so my early knife collection mostly consisted of heavy German knives like Wüsthofs and Henckels But as I began experimenting with Japanese-style knives, I found that I much preferred the precision they offered, and that their inability to perform rocking tasks like mincing was worth the trade-off for me These days, I use a mix of Western- and Japanese-style knives A Western-style chef’s knife has a curved, tapered blade A Japanese-style santoku knife has a straighter cutting edge and a blockier tip ...knives, I found that I much preferred the precision they offered, and that their inability to perform rocking tasks like mincing was worth the trade-off for me These days, I use a mix of Western-