Gyuto w/ Food release

[BurlsnBlades]

Hey y'all. Picked up my first jknife about 5 years ago, but I was living out of my pick up for a long time and that remained my only one. Then this year I've been settled, and the collection is growing. Thing is, I don't really want it to grow much more. I wanna just find a few knives that are right for me at this point, and settle down a bit. So..

1)Pro or home cook? Both! I'm a part time caterer for large events and run kitchens for summer camps.

2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santoku, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.) Gyuto

3) What size knife do you want? I actually like long 210's and short 240's, so either 210/240

4)How much do you want to spend?
Max is probably 225, less is better

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction? Preference is : stainless clad carbon, stainless, reactive... in that order

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
Wa handle, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker

7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Hiromoto AS 240, custom 52100, Ashi swedish 260, Nexus bd1n 8" (it's always laying around the kitchen cuz I don't care if the roomies get ahold of it!)

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair?
Good

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter? A bit of all of it, but I need a knife that allows for some rocking and preferably has a bit of a flat spot at the heel

10)Do you know how to sharpen? Yes

So I'm looking for that holy Grail that cuts well and has excellent food release. It also needs to be able to rock. Edge retention is nice, but these other characteristics are more important.
I've got some knives in mind, but I wanna hear what y'all have to say about it. And it doesn't have to be a new knife; I'm also open to buying and trading with folks on the forum if you've got something that fits the bill. Thanks in advance

[salemj]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I have a T-F (Teruyasu Fujiwara) that I think fits this bill, although it has a Western handle. I've come to like the knife a lot and am not trying to push it on you, but I mention it because these knives can vary a lot and I'm not sure if I'd recommend buying one blind but I do think they can be very solid performers. I did some work on mine to improve it from factory, but you can certainly buy one new and get a good deal, I think within your price range.

Are you familiar with the brand? I don't often recommend these, but it fits the bill for a larger-feeling (although not necessarily longer) 210 that is not "heavy" and still cuts very well...but also has good food separation and release...well, it is pretty great. I think it also has exactly the profile you're requesting.

[thetoe]

Splurge for a Takeda 210! Ask Mark for a longer one!

[gladius]

These are excellent with food separation...

Moritaka
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/moaosuknwist.html

Anryu
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kaan.html

[BurlsnBlades]

These are excellent with food separation...

Moritaka
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/moaosuknwist.html

Anryu
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kaan.html

All the Anryu's? How're they for rocking?

[gladius]

All the Anryu's? How're they for rocking?

---
The Anryu's have pretty good all-around profiles - I've owned Blue #2, AS and Mizu and love them all. A 240mm will rock better than a 210mm. Look at the profiles on a board and also the quick-look videos show them on a board as well.

[lsboogy]

for potatoes and starchy veg, hammered finishes seem to work quite well. Whatever Carter Hopkins did to my 52100 blade (maybe he will weigh in) the thing has a deep etch that seems to have excellent food release, For less starchy veg (zucchini, onions, carrots) I have taken to a Matsubara 210 more and more that really does the deed.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mabl2nagy21.html
Garlic is still the biggest wonder for me - we see lots of garlic rotating through Minnesota, and some sticks and some does not - I have learned to just buy some heads for home use and slice a couple, dice a couple, and paste a couple and keep them in the fridge.

[Kalaeb]

I would take a Tanaka Nashi (stainless over blue 2) any day of the week for a great all round knife with phenomenal release.

[salemj]

I noticed you picked up a Kikuichi gyuto. Honestly, that should be a great knife with what I would hope would be adequate release. I'm curious if you've given it a whirl yet. I don't own any of their blades, but I definitely respect them, and it sounds like you got a good deal on it.

[delmar]

Takeda is the holy grail for food release for me. Good profile, very versatile. Top notch aogami super, great heat treat, inspired grind.

[Nmiller21k]

In your Anryu B2
Amazing food release

[salemj]

I've offered my T-F, which I happen to think is quite the step up from an Anryu to be honest (in every respect). I'm curious what others think.

[jacko9]

I have the T-F Nashiji and I think that it has pretty good food release but, I think my Watanabe Pro is a touch better. I haven't had it that long so I need to do a lot more cutting to get a better comparison.

[Igalor]

Nothing offers the food release of a takeda in my experience