Kikusumi knives and its founder Del Cook have appeared in the recent  issue of Precious.jp magazine [December 2019] here in Japan.  The feature article is about Ms. Uera, a succesful businesswoman whose residence provides the backdrop for the interview.  For the interview, a lunch of roasted Nagano jidori (free range chicken) was prepared using Kikusumi […]

Mont Blanc Dessert + Kikusumi Chef Knife One of the all-time great desserts of Autumn is the Mont Blanc.  Chestnuts – or Marron in French – can be sourced from 7 growing areas across the world.  The chestnut are unique in the food world for they grow within a prickly armor which makes it difficult […]

L ooking back in time is a great way to gain perspective on the evolution of knife design and reconsider how best to approach it going forward.  The primary focus of this essay will be on the kitchen knife although a general overview of the history of all knife types will be included.  The purpose is simply to provide […]

When we set about creating the best kitchen knife set our team at Kikusumi talked to both casual and professional users in Japan and the USA to get a sense of what mattered most.  We also conducted a study of knife sets being sold both today and in the past across the globe.  Our research suggested that 3 sizes of knives was ideal for an essential starter […]

A bread knife is a specialty knife designed to cut through the bread crust without compressing its soft interior in the process.  The key design point is the frequency and width of the serrations.  In some cases there is a straight blade section on either end of the bread knife with a longer serrated section in […]

The most versatile knife for a cook to own is unquestionably what is known in the west as the chef knife .  It can be used for jobs of all sizes including cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing.  The blade has a long flowing curve that allows it to slide effortlessly through vegetables, fruit or meat.  It is a high-performance […]

What is a Santoku knife?” might be difficult to answer for most Americans and Europeans to answer.  The word santoku means “three virtues” and refers to the three types of cuts at which it excels—slicing, dicing, and chopping. For Japanese cooks a Santoku knife is the equivalent of the chef knife for the Western cook. Multiple oval indentations are ground into the side of […]