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Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Milk Street
Milk Street Small Nakiri Kitchen Knives Milk Street
Milk Street

Milk Street Small Nakiri

$69.95

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.

Net Weight: 103 grams
Dimensions: Blade Length: 4.5 inches; Blade Height: 1.75 inches
Materials: German 1.4116 Steel, Polymer

Care: Hand-wash only and dry thoroughly after washing. Do not put in dishwasher.
To maintain the blade's edge, sharpen the Small Nakiri at a 17 degree angle.

Milk Street Small Nakiri

$69.95
$59.95Store Member
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Small, but Mighty Knife for Prep and More.

  1. Stays Sharp

    German 1.4116 steel is an industry standard for sharpness, edge retention, durability and stainless properties.

  2. Right-Sized

    The 4.5-inch long cutting edge is short enough for nimble handwork, but long enough for slicing.

  3. Engineered Blade Shape

    The blade tapers and curves towards the tip for comfortable and accurate slicing.

  4. Nonstick Slicing

    The blade is embossed with a file pattern that replicates the textured finish of traditional Japanese knives.

  5. Razor Thin

    The 1.6 millimeter spine is even thinner than our first nakiri design—but no less sturdy—for cleaner, easier knifework.

  6. Lock-In Handle

    Milk Street’s signature ergonomic polymer handle is designed to feel comfortable and secure regardless of hand size.

Full-size utility in a pint-sized design

In-Between Size for All-Purpose Use

The blade’s unique size works from handwork to board work.

Ultra-thin Blade for Easy, Precise Cuts

At just 1.5 millimeters at the top and tapering even thinner toward the cutting edge, this ultra-thin knife cuts through vegetables like butter. The less metal you have, the less work it is to push through vegetables.

Squared-Off Tip for Safety’s Sake

The pointy tip of most knives is often more of a hazard than help, but our squared tip adds an element of safety.

Engineered Edge for Effortless Slicing

Traditionally, nakiri blades are perfectly flat to make full contact with the board, but ours includes a slight curve toward the tip for easy rock chopping.

An Ergonomic Handle Design, Comfortable for All Sizes of Hands

All Milk Street knives feature a signature handle that tapers from top to bottom, which provides a “lock-in” grip. It’s designed to feel comfortable and secure.

Slices Will Fall Right Off the Blade—No More Sticking!

The subtle file pattern mimics the coarse finish on a traditional Japanese knives for a nonstick surface.

Testimonials
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THIS KNIFE REALLY HITS THE SPOT

I own a dozen different nakiris in all shapes and sizes and this one really hits the spot. The length-to-height ratio of the blade means that it works equally well for detail-oriented tasks or chopping my way through a pile of vegetables. Unlike many smaller knives that can feel awkward on the cutting board, the blade’s gentle taper and curved tip feels finely tuned for fluid, comfortable slicing and dicing, which is rare in a small knife. I love how light it is and how thin the blade gets, which coupled with the non-stick makes perfectly sliced garlic easy.

MATTHEW CARD, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF RECIPES & PRODUCTS
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PROBELM SOLVING KNIFE

The Small Nakiri is such a unique size. It fits in this sweet spot somewhere in between a paring knife and petty knife, solving a problem that I feel both types of knives have.

Length: While the Small Nakiri is a short knife, it’s a bit longer than a paring knife, making it easier and less awkward to slice, dice and mince. Even though it does have the added length, you can still perform all the tasks that a tiny paring knife can, like peeling garlic, apples and potatoes or suprèming citrus.

Height: A petty knife is smaller than a chef’s knife and a go-to prep blade for many cooks, including myself. These knives are a great size, but they aren’t known for having a ton of height to the blade. The Small Nakiri has all that appeal of a petty knife, but has all of the blade height they usually lack. This is so helpful for slicing through large bundles of herbs and chopping down heads of lettuce.

HALEY LAUBE, E-COMMERCE CULINARY COORDINATOR
Milk Street Small Nakiri in Action

World’s Best Shallot Slicer

The length and height of the blade make it ideal for precisely mincing shallots, garlic or onions.

Small Enough to Peel, Big Enough to Chop

The blade is short enough for hand work, but long enough for clean slicing.

Extreme Precision

Thanks to the short length and blade height, there’s no better knife for slicing garlic cloves.

Broad Blade for Comfortable Cutting

Unlike most smaller utility-sized blades, the Small Nakiri’s height provides knuckle clearance.

customer reviews