How do you decide between 210 and 240mm gyutos?

[trojanrx]

Open ended question =). Specific types of food, balance in the hand, your own physical attributes, control...? What criteria do you use to decide what length of gyuto you need?

[Jeff B]

You don't, you buy both.

[jmcnelly85]

If space isn’t a concern, 240 over everything. When things are tight, 210.

[RickR]

Get a 225.

[taz575]

Jeff B beat me to it! I like a 240mm for cooking larger quantities of food, but if I am just cutting up a couple of things, I will often grab a 210 gyuto or even a 165mm funayuki. I am going to swap my 210mm Kohetsu Blue and my M390 Artifex 210mms for my 240's in my knife block today and see how those do. I am cooking for myself (Keto Diet) now, so I am not making as much food usually where the larger knife works quicker through larger quantities.

[Bluenoser87]

It took me a while to figure this out, but the right answer is 270

[lsboogy]

For many, a 210 is a big knife. An 8" chef knife is what most home cooks view as big, so a 210 is fine for a lot of people. Look at what most of our SO's have used over the years - lots of people can get by with a paring knife or a petty.

That said, most of those on this forum tend to be either collectors of high end knives, serious cooks or professional chefs. And most of us have decent knife skills and want to improve them. A 240 is going to give you more clearance for rocking, more blade for push or pull cutting, but requires more board space. Thy tend to be a little taller as well, so knuckle clearance is better. I use a 210 as a line knife (line boards where I am learning - home cook trying to emulate a pro working for free is a high end pro kitchen - tend to be 15" or so - shallow and there is no way a 270 would work there), and do most prep with a 240. I would think most pro chefs would use a 240 as a basic knife, but I do know a lady chef who uses a 180 (she's tiny).
Knives are personal, what you like might not be my choice. There are characteristics (grind, profile, steel) that tend to be coveted - a great lasting super sharp edge and profile that fits your style and has good food release seem to be more of a concern than actual blade length for those who have only a few (or one) knives. Why many of us own large numbers of knives - I've got 6 packed in my roll for today and I know what products I will be dealing with - a 150 petty, a 210 line knife, a pair of 240 gyutos, a nakiri, and a honesuke. I'm doing my onions, cabbage, garlic, cauliflower, chickens, and brisket today. I keep broadcasting this, but if you know a chef, volunteering as a sous is one of the better things you can do to learn how to deal in a professional kitchen, and your knife skills will increase rapidly - nothing like cutting up a box or 2 of onions and 40 chickens in a time sensitive environment to hone your skills. They transfer back to your kitchen and it's amazing how much better your food looks

[jacko9]

I'm a home cook and it's just my wife and I eating most of the time. I have acquired several chefs knives over the past few years from 180 to 300mm and while I might use a 240 for some large items I tend to use one of my 210mm most of the time.

[Rufus Leaking]

For me, the 240 is too big, and at times, I wish my 210 were a 180. Im a big guy, i have real big hands, so its not really a thing about size or strength, its more an issue of dexterity, and i dont care what anyone says, youre going to be able to manipulate a smaller blade easier than a bigger one. Everything depends on the size of whatever it is im carving up. Ultimately, you should have both the 240 and the 210, and possibly even a 180. I use my 240, but only if whatever im working on is relatively big, i find the 210 to be my knife of choice for the bulk of my work. If i had to give up one, between the 240 and 210, I'd lose the 240, and its a really nice konosuke.

[snipes]

Variety is the spice of life. I go through phases where I gravitate to one or two blades for most of my prep work, six months later for whatever reason I feel like giving some love to another one of the blades. When product size doesn't dictate what makes sense it really is simply a preference that day. Lately I've been on a 210 kick and 95% of the time it's my Kono white monosteel laser. It's smaller, nimble and I haven't been spending much time making big or complicated dishes.

[lsboogy]

Use what cha like - my neices and nephew all have 210's (grad gifts when they get out of college). Just gotta figure out what works for you. I grew up with a 10" Sabatier, so I am happy with a 240 for most things. If a 180 works for you, that's what you should use. As stated earlier, knives are personal - my daughter likes a 240 and her nakiri for most work, and my SO always used shorter knives until a couple weeks ago - for most folks they are a way to prep food - no single best way, just what's best for you.

That said, I would not have tried slicing brisket with a 150 petty for professional setting - you want single stokes for presentation - long sharp knife in order. Have a bunch of them to do about 5:45 this afternoon - serving 132 offsite for dinner - and Rick gave me the slicing job - this is going to be fun. I have an hour to kill here so I'm stropping my 240 Ultimatum getting ready for it. Learning to chef is hard work - tired after just a 26 person lunch

[Seattle_Ben]

As stated earlier it's all personal preference. Space, skill and comfort all play a large part.

[Jeff B]

I too just cook mostly for the myself and the wife now and though a 240mm used to be my weapon of choice lately I've been on more of a 210mm kick. I do believe every good arsenal should stock a 210 and 240, they both have their place. I have a tall 165mm petty and a 180mm petty that is the main knife on some nights.

[Kit Craft]

Whichever one tickles my fancy for the day. My daily drivers range from 160-252mm and I am just as happy with one as I am with the other, typically. Grind is normally more a deciding factor, in relation to the task at hand, than the length of the knife. If I could only have one, a 180 it would be.

What I use to decide which knife to grab is often not logical.

[Kalaeb]

Get a 225.

Yup, perfect.

[Bluenoser87]

Unless you’re confined some way by your working space it’s all personal preference. Before I got into j-knives I pretty much just used an 8” chefs knife like everyone else. Now 210’s bother me. 240 is about the shortest I like and I’m starting to prefer 270s. I find them just as nimble as a smaller knife and more useful. Takes some getting used to though

[enjay]

Think I usually base it on need, in terms of length and thickness.

Earlier this morning I needed to quickly chop some scallions so I used a 180. Then for dinner I diced a bunch of carrots, celery, and onions, so for that I grabbed a 240. Tomorrow if it's a shallot and some garlic I'll probably use a 180 or 210, but if there's also turnip involved then I'd specifically reach for a thin blade so as to avoid wedging.

[Chefspence]

As a pro and home cook, I rarely use anything bigger than 210. I have one 240 and rarely use it. Just depends on ingredients. In my food truck there’s little room, so a 210 or santoku are my go to. At home I have nothing larger than an 8”. At the restaurant, I only use 240 for cabbages or larger items alike. I just find that 210 suffices for most everything. I also don’t use gyutos for every task. I like task specific knives for slicing or smaller work. I’m probably one of few here that don’t use only 240’s or use gyutos for everything though.

Bluntly stated, I think a taller 210 is almost all a person needs for most things. I have a Gihei b2 210 and it just works well for me. All that said, there are definitely certain things that are just better done with a 240, so I do have one.

[Barashka]

I vote for getting a 240 if you have a choice. It's always nice to have some extra blade ...

.. unless 240 grind greatly differs from 210, which happens.

[old onion]

I have 210's and 240's in Gyutos and I mostly grab a 210.It just seems quite handy and sufficient for the jobs at hand in my small kitchen.I do have a really nice 180 and if I was to keep one knife.I think that one would be it.It's a handy little big knife.