Sashimi knife for raw meat?

[robbie1687]

I buy a lot of  roasts and slice them into strips or bite-sized pieces.  I've been sharpening my knives fanatically but they don't do a good job, especially when trying to cut thin, long, uniform slices for drying.

It seems to me that a sashimi knife (the kind used by chefs in Japanese restaurants) would be the perfect tool.  Has anyone tried this, or does anyone have a different recommendation?

I'm thinking in particular of getting a Masamoto KS (white steel) 30 cm yanagiba.   They cost almost $400 with shipping but since it will be practically my only kitchen implement, what the hell. 

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/KSSeriesHonKasumiGyokuhakukou.html

[RawZi]

    I put meat in unheated honey (actually it was just the cappings of the honey) the other day, and in less than a couple hours it drew so much liquid from it, that the meat got very hard.  It made me think, that if I try this again, I want to slice the meat very thin first, and see how that turns after applying bee product.  The hard meat didn't feel good on my teeth.  I use a sharp ceramic knife much of the time.  I like it much better than any metal I've tried.

[phatdave]

I have read that putting meat in the freezer for half an hour or so helps when cutting ultra thin.

My brother gave me a japanese cleaver that is so fantasticly well made and sharp than I religiously wash/dry it immeadiately after use and put it away from all the other 'knives'. Its a serious beauty and, out of all my posessions, is something I cherish and use daily.

I also have a sashimi knife of far inferior quality, however I wouldn't swap the all purpose clever for one of that style anyday. Perhaps consider that if you are spending that much on one knife to get something more all purpose. Of course if depends what you might use it for, and I am indeed heavily biased towards my cleaver because of its sheer quality!

[goodsamaritan]

I found sharp 2 dollar kitchen scissors.  One in my car, one in my office and a couple more in the house.

I also have various knives, big and small that fits the occasion.

That awesome sashimi knife is good, but too expensive for me.

[djr_81]

I use a sharp ceramic knife much of the time.  I like it much better than any metal I've tried.

I too use ceramic knives.
I've got a set of two, a 6" chef's knife and a smaller paring knife, that my wife bought for me years ago. I've been using them exclusively to butcher all of my meat the past 2 1/2 months (since I started raw) and they cut through the meat exponentially better than the steel I first started butchering with. They've also stayed incredibly sharp without any maintenance so far.

[William]

$400 is too much for me.
I have several knives, the only one I use for slicing meat is an old plain high carbon steel thin bladed cleaver, but I keep it sharp with a Lansky tool. http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKC03.php

[Hannibal]

I've got Opinel, with high carbon steel blade - http://www.ronniesunshines.com/images/Opinel%20Knife.jpg
It's quite cheep, but the quality is very good.

[majormark]

hmm, I think I'm going to get a ceramic knife because right now I have to freeze the meat in order to cut it into little pieces.

[William]

It slices a lot better when partly frozen.

[robbie1687]

Thanks for the answers!

I agree that slicing meat when it's partly frozen is a great tip -- I've noticed that too.

To the folks who use ceramic knives, a question.   Have any of you compared your ceramic knifes to well-sharpened carbon steel knives?  The reason I ask is that every time I read about ceramic knives on websites where knife fanatics hang out, people say they aren't as sharp as well-sharpened carbon steel knives.   They say the advantage of a ceramic knife is not that it's sharper than the best steel knives, but that it keeps its edge a long time.    However I have my own sharpening equipment and I don't mind resharpening my knives as frequently as necessary, so this isn't an advantage for me.

Perhaps consider that if you are spending that much on one knife to get something more all purpose. Of course if depends what you might use it for, and I am indeed heavily biased towards my cleaver because of its sheer quality!

My current knives work fine for everything else I cut.   I really only need this knife for raw meat.   Since you love your cleaver for its quality, I think probably you can appreciate why I want the Masamoto yaganabi.   Apparently white carbon steel can take a sharper edge than any other knife material.  (It also corrodes the fastest and requires the most maintenance.)

I put meat in unheated honey (actually it was just the cappings of the honey) the other day, and in less than a couple hours it drew so much liquid from it, that the meat got very hard. 

That sounds yummy, and it's interesting, maybe the same principle could be applied with other substances like salt.  Unfortunately for me, though, I don't eat sugar.

[RawZi]

Thanks for the answers!

I agree that slicing meat when it's partly frozen is a great tip -- I've noticed that too.

To the folks who use ceramic knives, a question.   Have any of you compared your ceramic knifes to well-sharpened carbon steel knives?  The reason I ask is that every time I read about ceramic knives on websites where knife fanatics hang out, people say they aren't as sharp as well-sharpened carbon steel knives.   They say the advantage of a ceramic knife is not that it's sharper than the best steel knives, but that it keeps its edge a long time.    However I have my own sharpening equipment and I don't mind resharpening my knives as frequently as necessary, so this isn't an advantage for me.

My current knives work fine for everything else I cut.   I really only need this knife for raw meat.   Since you love your cleaver for its quality, I think probably you can appreciate why I want the Masamoto yaganabi.   Apparently white carbon steel can take a sharper edge than any other knife material.  (It also corrodes the fastest and requires the most maintenance.)

That sounds yummy, and it's interesting, maybe the same principle could be applied with other substances like salt.  Unfortunately for me, though, I don't eat sugar.

    I can respect that.  Honey probably isn't paleo anyway.  Sorry so OT, but have you tried unheated unfiltered honey in a dish combined with other raw food?  I don't normally do good with much salt of any kind.  I actually made some alcoholic thing by drawing the interstitial fluid from meat with honey.  I tend to be frugal and not throw excessive things out.  This is an exception though.  If I give it a taste, I'll tell you about it.  I'm understandably ambivalent thinking about tasting any.  I should have put this in a fermentation thread.

[robbie1687]

Carnivorous mead!      If there's a paleo alcoholic beverage, that's gotta be i!