Milk Street: Nakiri
What if we told you there is a Japanese knife specifically designed for vegetable prep that will make your cooking safer, easier and faster? It is vastly better than the all-purpose European chef’s knife, which is clunky, heavy and too thick to precisely slice and dice onions, cut carrots into perfect coins or reduce chard into feathery ribbons. The solution is the Milk Street Nakiri. It’s light, thin and sharp, with a design that resembles a mini cleaver—2 inches deep with a squared-off tip. A very thin blade, just 1.6 millimeters at the top, tapers down even thinner toward the end so it slices through even tough ingredients effortlessly without bending. The broad blade shields your fingers when you chop and works as a bench scraper to transfer chopped veggies to the simmering pot. With the help of veteran industrial designer David Lewin, we added a few special touches. The blade is embossed with a nonstick file pattern that replicates the kourochi (blacksmith) or tshuchime (pear skin) finish to traditional nakiris, so sliced ingredients fall right off. A gentle curve accommodates fingers when choking up tight for control, and the handle has been designed to provide a nonslip grip.
Milk Street Nakiri
What if we told you there is a Japanese knife specifically designed for vegetable prep that will make your cooking safer, easier and faster? It is vastly better than the all-purpose European chef’s knife, which is clunky, heavy and too thick to precisely slice and dice onions, cut carrots into perfect coins or reduce chard into feathery ribbons. The solution is the Milk Street Nakiri. It’s light, thin and sharp, with a design that resembles a mini cleaver—2 inches deep with a squared-off tip. A very thin blade, just 1.6 millimeters at the top, tapers down even thinner toward the end so it slices through even tough ingredients effortlessly without bending. The broad blade shields your fingers when you chop and works as a bench scraper to transfer chopped veggies to the simmering pot. With the help of veteran industrial designer David Lewin, we added a few special touches. The blade is embossed with a nonstick file pattern that replicates the kourochi (blacksmith) or tshuchime (pear skin) finish to traditional nakiris, so sliced ingredients fall right off. A gentle curve accommodates fingers when choking up tight for control, and the handle has been designed to provide a nonslip grip.
Milk Street Tri-Edge Knife
The typical bread knife tears its way through loaves and mashes tomatoes to pulp. So we spent months re-engineering the bread knife from the ground up, testing competitors’ knives to learn what we wanted and discarding what we didn’t. The result, the *Milk Street Tri-Edge Bread Knife*, perfectly handles it all, slicing easily through any style of bread, delicate pastries, overstuffed sandwiches and tough tomatoes. It's also the perfect knife for difficult tasks, like chopping nuts and chocolate, handling dried fruit, and cutting up large blocks of butter.
Milk Street Small Nakiri
Introducing the Milk Street Small Nakiri, a companion piece to our full-scale vegetable knife. In Japan, nakiris come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of hands and chopping styles. Small nakiris, called ko-nakiri, are perfect for those who prefer using small knives or for the cook who wants a reliable knife that stands in for a paring knife or prep tool. It’s every bit as essential a kitchen tool as the full-scale knife.
Like its big brother, the Small Nakiri is the perfect tool for vegetable prep. Super thin, lightweight and razor sharp, it’s a nimble knife for all your slicing and dicing. It’ll precisely slice razor-thin ribbons of shallots, carrot coins or garlic cloves and turn a fluffy pile of parsley into confetti.
Both large and small nakiris have their roles to play for effortless prep. The Small Nakiri excels at the little stuff that can make a big knife feel awkward and even dangerous—slicing garlic into paper-thin slices, mincing shallots or onion into tiny cubes, shaving radishes, slicing mushrooms, shredding fine herbs into a feathery garnish and more.
This isn’t just a shrunk-down version of our full-size Nakiri. It’s reengineered top to bottom for impeccable small-scale function. The blade is roughly 4.5 inches long (just a little longer than most paring knives), so it feels just right for all the usual prep. It’s tall though—1.75 inches—so that it has all the benefits of a big knife: Never bang your knuckles on the cutting board, chop through big veggies and scoop up foods like a bench scraper to dump into the pot. Of course, the tall blade also shields your fingers during chopping. Also, the blade shape is tapered to the tip and curved to make the smaller blade function as effectively as the large version for slicing. Our signature lock-in handle is slightly scaled down for the smaller blade but every bit as comfortable and secure, regardless of hand size.
Like the larger Nakiri, the blade is embossed with a nonstick file pattern that replicates the kurouchi (blacksmith) finish to traditional nakiris, so sliced ingredients fall right off. A gentle curve at the butt accommodates fingers when choking up tight for control, and the handle has been designed to provide a nonslip grip.
Milk Street Ginger Confit
The worst thing in any recipe is seeing, “2 tablespoons of ginger, grated.” Ginger is one of the most annoying ingredients to prep. It’s a pain to peel, grating takes forever and by the end, you’ve probably dirtied a spoon, plate and a grater—which gets packed with stringy fibers. Instead, reach for Milk Street Premium Essentials Ginger Confit, the closest thing to fresh ginger you’ll ever taste out of a jar. Supermarket ginger pastes can be stinging-sharp, packed with additives and unpleasantly fibrous, so we developed this product to solve those problems to produce a fresh, clean ginger taste. Never grate ginger again!
Milk Street Precision Rolling Pin
Unless you are a pastry chef, getting pie and cookie dough (even pasta dough) rolled out evenly to an exact thickness is perhaps the hardest skill to master in the kitchen. The Milk Street Precision Rolling Pin solves this problem so that even novice bakers can get it right the first time, every time. How does it work? Simply screw in the end caps for the desired height and roll out your crust or dough. (The ends are thicker than the middle by the thickness you want for the dough.) This system is extra-sturdy and easy to use and the pin is plenty long, 23 inches, to handle any width of dough. Plus, we added a laster-etched ruler to the length of the beechwood pin for measuring pans and ensuring your dough is just the right width. You can also use this pin without the end caps - it is 18-inches long and perfect for smaller, more delicate tasks.
Super Sarap Sauce
Sarap is the Tagalog word for “delicious” or “tasty,” and Super Sarap Sauce, small-batch Filipino condiment made in San Francisco, certainly lives up to the name. Savory, tangy, sweet, citrusy and a little peppery, this powerhouse sauce is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. The pairing of calamansi, a tart citrus that combines lemon, lime and orange flavors, with mushroom, tamari and sugar adds salt, acid, umami and brightness to any dish. If we were to liken it to anything else on the market, it’s closest to a mixture of ponzu and Worcestershire sauces—but the comparison doesn’t do it justice. And with a relatively thin consistency, it’s easy to mix into sauces, dressings, use as a marinade, coat noodles, tacos, eggs or french fries.
Milk Street Bunka Knife
The Milk Street Bunka Knife is the turbocharged take on what an all-purpose knife can be. Similar in size to the more widely known santoku, the bunka’s nearly constant 6.75-inch blade width functions much like a nakiri, ideal for precise vegetable prep, safety (shields the fingers when slicing) and scooping up foods like a bench scraper into your mixing bowl or hot skillet. But unlike the squared-off tip of the nakiri, the bunka’s blade tapers into a chisel-like kiritsuke tip (translates as “slit open”), which allows for piercing cuts and fine detail work when prepping ingredients like meat. The nearly flat blade profile arcs subtly to the tip, meaning it can be used for rock chopping or mincing. You know those instances where you thought you sliced a pepper into thin strips and it all stuck together, like an accordion? Not a chance of that with the bunka. The mid-sized, premium German steel blade is also the perfect compromise in length. It’s long enough to cleanly slice proteins or span a whole cabbage, but short enough to always be in complete control without feeling unwieldy. And the ergonomic handle provides a comfortable grip regardless of your hand size. No more slipping and twisting when you really just want to hold tight. It’s a knife you can use for everything from peeling garlic and onions to chopping a precise brunoise and peeling the tough silverskin off a pork tenderloin, then slicing it into fine cutlets. If you’re confident with a razor-tipped chef’s knife and precision handling, the bunka is your answer.
Milk Street 3-Piece 10.5-Inch Small Hammered Carbon Steel Wok
The typical wok is lousy for home cooking. With a round bottom that doesn’t heat on a flat American burner, poorly conductive steel and low-quality construction, most woks don’t perform well enough to be worth the storage space.
That is why we introduced the Milk Street Hammered Wok. The broad 13-inch diameter wok is designed for big batches, ideally for four or more main-course servings. But what about smaller batches, side dishes and sauces, or when cooking for one or two? Then smaller is better.
Meet Milk Street’s tried-and-true wok design in a new compact version. Its 10.5-inch circumference provides just enough real estate for smaller jobs in an easy-to-store package. It’s perfect for cooking smaller batches or cooking for just one or two.
With high-quality carbon steel construction, an oversized handle for better control, a special dimpled surface for nonstick cooking and a tight-fitting tempered glass lid, it will last a lifetime, and it’s guaranteed to improve your day-to-day cooking.
Welcome the new Milk Street Small Wok!
MegaChef Kecap Manis
After years of searching for the right one, we finally found a version of this Indonesian staple condiment we are proud to sell. Kecap manis, or “sweet dark soy sauce,” is an Indonesian secret for depth, umami and complexity. Megachef’s version—the best one we’ve tried—is virtually impossible to find in the United States. Of the handful of brands sold here, most are packed with thickeners, additives and flavorings; apart from a nominal amount of starch for consistency, Megachef adds no preservatives, artificial coloring or MSG, and its flavor is significantly bolder and richer than the other versions we’ve tried. Soy sauce from non-GMO soybeans and high-quality palm sugar are simmered until the sauce becomes thick and glossy, with a deep dark color and consistency similar to hoisin. The resulting sauce isn’t as salty as soy or as sweet as hoisin, the two most comparable condiments—but it has a funky malty, umami soy flavor, almost akin to molasses. Use it for Indonesian or Asian cooking or anywhere you might like a funky, barbecue sauce-like glaze.
Milk Street Cleaver
Every cook needs a big, burly knife for the tough stuff. A big chuck roast to turn into stew meat? A soccer-ball sized cabbage to shred for coleslaw? Chicken legs need splitting? Tasks like these make most knives feel puny and insignificant.
Sometimes, you just need a big knife for kitchen tasks, but they often feel heavy, clumsy and downright unsafe in the hand. Often, the blades are ultra-thick—for only brutish, heavy-duty tasks—or are designed with unique blade shapes, which require a learning curve to master. Or, they have stubby handles barely long enough to grip.
Enter the Milk Street Cleaver, an all-purpose knife designed to work equally well for vegetables and butchering big cuts of meat. At 7 inches long, 3 inches tall and less than half a pound, this tool is an inch shorter than the average cleaver for a lighter, more nimble experience. However, it maintains full height for shielding fingers during chopping and using as a bench scraper to scoop up and transfer prepped foods to the pot. And, at only 2 millimeters thick at the spine, this cleaver is as thin as possible to maintain stiffness, yet slices with little force.
Unlike most cleavers that feature a basic rectangular blade design, the Milk Street Cleaver boasts some distinctive design points. The blade arcs inward at the heel to allow for multiple grips, while keeping your fingers guarded and preserving the length of the blade. To feel and function like a smaller knife, the cutaway heel lets you choke up close and tight on the blade. Or slide your hand back on the handle for more clearance, leverage and power.
The blade’s edge differs as well. Compared to the typical cleaver’s perfectly straight blade edges, the Milk Street Cleaver gently curves tip to heel for a natural slicing and chopping motion. It’ll feel the same in use as your chef’s knife—but safer while requiring less effort!
The blade’s unique embossed file pattern creates a nonstick surface—air gets trapped between the food being cut and the blade, preventing foods from clinging. Food falls right off. And a full-sized, ergonomic handle, far longer than the stubby handles on most traditional Chinese-style cleavers, helps creates a neutral midpoint balance that feels more natural than the forward-leaning heft of most cleavers.
Milk Street Wok Serving Spatula
When stir-frying, mise en place isn’t just about your ingredients—it’s your tools, too. Reliant on moving food around a ripping hot wok quickly, stir-frying requires sturdy but agile equipment that can easily get under your ingredients, helping to prevent sticking and scorching. The right tools can make all the difference in how your dinner turns out.
Conventional spatulas simply don’t match the curved sides of a wok that are essential for efficient, high-heat cooking. And while fish spatulas and silicone spoons are great tools in the kitchen, they just aren’t made for the rigor and technique of stir-frying.
The Milk Street Wok Spatula is the right tool for the job. Designed to function flawlessly with the Milk Street Hammered Wok, this heavy-duty stainless steel spatula features a thin, rounded edge that perfectly mirrors the curved sides of the wok, making scooping, stirring and scraping a smooth and effortless task. The spatula’s non-slip textured handle provides the perfect grip for precise control in all conditions, no matter how wet or greasy things get. And it’s light enough to maneuver, allowing you to stay nimble while eliminating hand fatigue. It works well beyond the wok, too—sautéing, stirring pasta, even on the grill.
Work Sharp Rolling Knife Sharpener
Based on a style of manual sharpeners used widely in Europe, Work Sharp, our preferred sharpening partners, have released the first American-made Rolling Knife Sharpener in the U.S. market. Unlike a complicated whetstone or electric sharpener, which require skill or planning to use (no need to soak a whetstone here!), the Work Sharp uses a magnetic angle block and rotating abrasives to bring blades back to razor sharpness. The block comes with four different sharpening angles—15°, 17°, 20° and 25°—to sharpen a wide style of knives. And the three abrasive wheels come in three levels of coarseness: coarse 320 Grit diamond, fine 600 Grit diamond and fine ceramic hone. To use, simply line your knife up against the block on one of the angles, then roll each abrasive along the cutting edge to sharpen, going from most coarse to most fine. We were impressed with the sharpener’s precision performance—dull test knives were returned to out-of-the-box sharpness. And when you’re done, it stores away easily in your drawer.
Aldo Armato Carciofini Artichokes in Olive Oil
The Armato family has been producing fine Italian products, from olive oil and condiments to preserved vegetables and pastas, at their mill in Liguria, Italy, for five generations. Their artichokes are silky, rich and tender, lacking the astringent, acidic and sometimes metallic flavor that canned artichokes have. They are packed in fruity, high-quality olive oil, also made by the Armato family, which gives the artichokes a lovely, smooth texture. Enjoy them on their own, or add to an antipasto board, mix into pasta and salads, or use as a pizza topping. And any leftover olive oil works well for cooking and finishing.
Black Garlic Powder
Soft and mildly sweet with savory, rich undertones, black garlic is an umami-packed ingredient that sets itself apart from normal, sharp and pungent garlic. Still not found in most grocery stores, black garlic has grown in popularity in recent years as a simple way to add a complex, earthy-sweet boost to dishes. Using California-grown fresh garlic, The Black Garlic Company, based in Texas, ages their cloves for 60 days to achieve a nearly caramelized depth. The allium is then gently dried to preserve its funky flavor before being made into a powder for an easier and more approachable way to incorporate it while cooking. Rather than tackling a few sticky whole cloves, which can be hard to peel and chop, we love being able to grab it from the spice cabinet instead. Add into sauces, aiolis, eggs, noodles, rice, marinades, meats and more for umami-bomb flavor. A little goes a long way.
Milk Street Saya Knife Guard — Nakiri
Japanese kitchen knives are traditionally stored in wooden scabbards called sayas, which protect the blade—and your fingertips—from damage in a crowded drawer. We partnered with our knifemaker for a custom ash wood saya to be the perfect companion for our Milk Street Nakiri. The sturdy, durable and beautifully grained wood guard perfectly fits the blade (simply sliding on) and attaches securely via a simple wooden pin. The wood also helps wick away any moisture clinging to the blade, which prevents oxidation or rust.
Dong He Fried Shallots in Oil
Super crunchy and packed full of savory shallot-spiked oil, Dong He’s Fried Shallots in Oil is the perfect topping for nearly any dish. Inspired by the fried shallots common in Chinese and Taiwanese cooking, this version combines crispy bits of the sweet, slightly bitter allium with rich oil, a bit of salt, a hint of sugar and an umami-bomb secret weapon: MSG. Use it as a topping (like a chili crisp) for just about anything: noodles, rice, breakfast sandwiches, eggs, salmon, potatoes, chicken wings, chicken and waffles, steak, chowder, tortellini, pasta, salads and more. Or, use the oil alone as a dressing, mixed into sauces or drizzled as a finishing oil to bring leftovers back to life.
Aux Co. Ltd. Manaita Cutting Board Protectors
Coming in a set of 36, these cutting board sheets protect your board from stains, odors and the troubles of cross-contamination. Thick and waxy, the sheets stay in place during prep and eliminating the need to dirty several cutting boards. You can use these sheets to slice raw meat, chop vegetables with staining colors or mince garlic without worrying about lingering odors. Plus, each one is lined with one centimeter markings to help you cut each sheet to size to fit on top of your board.