Why choose 5CR15MoV steel for your kitchen?

Robustness, Toughness, and Easy Maintenance

In the world of cutlery, hardness isn't everything. The 5CR15MoV steel used in the Tanaka range is martensitic steel selected for its high resilience. With a rating of 53-54 HRC, this steel is less brittle than very high carbon steels. In concrete terms, this means your blade has superior "toughness": it absorbs shocks without chipping, making it the ideal ally for dynamic, everyday cooking. It's the perfect balance between enough chromium for oxidation resistance and enough carbon for an effective edge.

Unlike 10CR15 (Damascus) type steels, which require a certain mastery of the whetstone, 5CR15MoV stands out for its ease of maintenance. The Tanaka blade edge responds extremely well to sharpening steel. A few seconds of regular maintenance before each cooking session is enough to straighten the burr and maintain consistent glide quality. This is a valuable time-saver for both professionals and passionate amateurs.

Composition of the Chef Tanaka Set: 7 Tools, 7 Technical Functions

The Pillars of Cutting: Chef's Knife, Santoku, and Nakiri

These three blades form the core of your arsenal. They share indispensable versatility but respond to distinct gestures:

1. The Chef's Knife (200g): This is the ultimate versatile tool. Its curved profile is optimized for the rocking motion. With 200g of balance, it transforms mincing herbs and cutting proteins into a fluid, fatigue-free motion.

2. The Santoku (191g): "Santoku" means "three virtues" (slicing, dicing, chopping). Shorter and more maneuverable than the chef's knife, it excels in precision cutting of vegetables and boneless proteins.

3. The Nakiri (217g): Recognizable by its rectangular shape, this is the vegetable specialist. Its flat blade allows full contact with the cutting board from the very first motion. Its width also allows you to use it as a scoop to transfer your cut food to the cooking container.

Precision of Movement: Paring Knife, Utility Knife, and Boning Knife

For tasks requiring greater dexterity, these three knives offer millimeter-perfect control:

• The Paring Knife (86g): Small and agile, it is essential for peeling, trimming small fruits, or coring vegetables with ease.

• The Utility Knife (100g): Between the paring knife and the chef's knife, it is the technical choice for intermediate cuts, such as slicing hard cheeses or small sausages.

• The Boning Knife (150g): Its thin, rigid blade allows it to follow joints and bones closely to separate muscle tissue without waste. Note: it is designed to go around the bone, not to cut through it.

Specific Technicality: The Serrated Bread Knife

The Bread Knife (173g) completes this 7-piece set. Unlike smooth blades, its teeth allow it to break the surface tension of the hardest crusts without crushing the crumb. It is the indispensable tool for preserving the airy structure of your artisanal breads.

Maintenance Guide for Lasting Sharpness

Cleaning and Drying: The Golden Rules of the Craftsman 

The dishwasher is a technical sacrilege: aggressive chemical agents and repeated thermal shocks alter the structure of the edge, dull the blade's finish, and ultimately weaken the blade-handle joint. Hand washing, with warm soapy water, followed by immediate wiping with a soft cloth, remains the only method that extends the knife's lifespan. Never use the abrasive side of a sponge, which could scratch the steel's surface and alter the laser finish.

Preserving the Edge Daily: The Right Gestures 

Good maintenance is not limited to cleaning; it also involves respectful use of the blade:

• Cutting Surfaces: Cut exclusively on a wooden cutting board or soft plastic. Never cut directly in a frying pan, baking dish, or on a marble surface, which would instantly dull the steel's edge.

• The Technical Motion: Never use the sharp edge of the blade to push or gather your food on the cutting board. This lateral friction is one of the main causes of premature dullness. Always use the spine of the blade for this operation.

Sharpening and Longevity 

• Daily: Use a sharpening steel to realign the edge, or a manual sharpener for quick sharpening.

• Periodic Sharpening: Use a whetstone as soon as cutting loses its fluidity.

Rigorous maintenance according to these principles considerably extends the lifespan of your tools and allows you to maintain a high-performance edge year after year.

Accessories and Complements: Optimize Your Technical Experience

To maintain the performance of your Tanaka set and guarantee its longevity, we have selected accessories perfectly calibrated for 5CR15MoV steel:

• Sharpening Steel (Wooden Handle): The essential accessory for daily maintenance. It does not remove material but realigns the blade's edge to maintain a clean cut between sharpening sessions.

• Double-sided Whetstones: To restore the factory edge. We recommend 1000 grit for regular maintenance and 400 grit for blades that have undergone significant wear.

• Whetstone with Handle: An ergonomic alternative for those new to the art of sharpening, allowing for easier maintenance of a constant angle.

• Knife Roll Bag: The technical solution to protect your blades from rattling and moisture when traveling or for secure storage out of reach.

Expert's Opinion in Brief:

• Material: Martensitic 5CR15MoV stainless steel. A hardness of 53-54 HRC that prioritizes toughness and impact resistance.

• Use: A complete arsenal of 7 pieces designed to cover all kitchen tasks, from the brute force of the boning knife to the precision of the paring knife.

• Maintenance: Optimized alloy for simplified sharpening.

The Kaitsuko Expert's Verdict

The Chef Tanaka 7-knife set is the ultimate rational investment for the cook seeking efficiency without complexity. Where harder steels demand an extremely rigid technique to avoid breakage, the Chef Tanaka range offers superior technical tolerance.

This is a set we particularly recommend for passionate amateurs who want to equip themselves with a first complete set. The lightness of the blades reduces fatigue during long preparations, while the variety of profiles allows you to approach each task (push-cutting, rocking motion, or trimming) with the appropriate tool.

Design, Ergonomics, and Manufacturing

The Tanaka set is available with two types of handles, each selected for its technical properties:

• Pakkawood (reserved for Forest Wood color): a composite of wood and resin compressed hot. Rot-proof, it is resistant to moisture and temperature variations and maintains its dimensional stability over time. Its finish reveals the wood grain beneath a resin coating.

• Epoxy resin (Ocean Blue, Fire Earth, Ivory, and Sumi Black colors): a synthetic material that allows for uniform chromatic depths, offers a non-slip grip, and is insensitive to moisture and temperature fluctuations.

The handles have been designed for optimal comfort, even during prolonged use. The ergonomic shape ensures a non-slip and secure grip, essential for controlling technical movements (such as push-cutting).

Laser Finish and Chromatic Variants: Personalize Your Universe

The 5CR15MoV steel blade features a technical finish obtained by laser engraving, imitating traditional patterns. Each blade undergoes rigorous heat treatment to achieve a stable hardness of 53-54 HRC, ensuring a homogeneous molecular structure and outstanding resistance to daily mechanical stresses. Each batch undergoes strict quality control to guarantee blades with an impeccable finish.

Laser engraving is a sublimation technique that we use only on Tanaka knives.

We offer this set in five variations to match the aesthetic of your kitchen: Fire Earth for mineral warmth, Ocean Blue for intense reflections, Sumi Black for absolute sobriety, Ivory for luminous elegance, and Forest Wood for the authentic warmth of Pakkawood.

Technical Specifications

• Steel: Martensitic 5CR15MoV

• Hardness: 53-54 HRC

• Sharpening Angle: 15°

• Handle: Pakkawood or high-density epoxy resin

• Manufacturing: Rigorous selection of materials for optimized performance/price ratio.