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Kitchen knives with an edge: how five professional chefs chose theirs, from a humble Chinese cleaver to the Ferrari of sushi knives
From Shanghai Street choppers to 54-year-old handmade Japanese masterpieces, these Hong Kong chefs have intimate relationships with their most important piece of equipment
Reading Time:4 minutes
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic blew into Hong Kong in late January, restaurants in this foodie capital have been fighting for their lives. Now with the third wave, hopefully, under control, eateries are finally being allowed four to a table and opening hours approaching some semblance of normality – and profitability.
As they prepare to get back to work, chefs across Hong Kong are sharpening their knives. These tools come in many shapes, sizes, and prices, from the inexpensive chopper used by Cheng Kam-fu at the Michelin-starred restaurant Celebrity Cuisine to Mitsuhiro Araki’s katana-like sashimi knife, which is of such high quality that it could be in a museum.
Knives are more than everyday kitchen equipment. Many of the city’s chefs have an intimate relationship with their favourite blade, recalling exactly when and where they bought it, and how it became an extension of their body.
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Vicky Lau
The owner of the one-Michelin-star Tate Dining Room, in Sheung Wan, has about 20 knives, but her favourite is the one she bought last year in Japan.
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“I went on a tour of Osaka with Relais & Châteaux [an international association of independent hotels and restaurants, of which Tate is the only Hong Kong member], and one of the places on the itinerary was a knife shop and everyone was eager to go,” Vicky Lau recalls. “Most of the knife makers used to make samurai swords.”
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