The Alaskan Ulu Knife - Regular Size (6″) or Large Size (7″) - Lamson (2024)

FAQs

Is 7 inch knife too small? ›

The knife length is too short for the majority of the prep work we need to do at the restaurant. But a 7-inch Santoku is ideal for home use, and therefore the Santoku is sometimes called the housewife knife suitable for meat, fish, and veggies. 10 to 12 inches is the length that is recommended for professional cooks.

The size reflects its usage. An ulu knife with a 2 inches blade would be used for cutting patterns from animal skins (traditionally would also be used as part of a sewing kit). An ulu knife with a 6 inches blade or a 12 inches blade would be used for different purposes. The styles reflect the way it's designed.

Using an Ulu Knife

Their design allows for a rocking motion that makes it a very efficient knife that can be used to do everything from mincing vegetables to cutting pizza. More experienced chefs can use it for cutting meat, chopping nuts, and dicing vegetables, among other kitchen tasks.

An ulu (Inuktitut: ᐅᓗ; plural: uluit; sometimes referred to as 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women.

The 6 Inch blade is ideal for deboning as well as fileting, butterflying, and spatchco*cking.

A chef's knife (sometimes called a cook's knife) is the most important knife to have in your kitchen. It has a wide blade between six and ten inches long and is used primarily for chopping, though it can be used for anything you want to do. The blade of a classic, French-style chef's knife curves upward toward the tip.

Self Defense

The semicircular blade of the ulu knife allows for a wide range of cutting motions and can be used to fend off attackers. The edge is also sharp and strong enough to cut through materials such as clothing and flesh, making it a potentially effective weapon in a self-defense situation.

The ulu is a knife primarily used by women for skinning animals and preparing hides. Men could also use the ulu for eating and cutting raw seal, walrus, or whale. Once made from slate or stone, blades are now usually derived from steel saw blades or other scrap metal.

Nevertheless, all knives require sharpening, and in the case of ulu knives, these can be easily sharpened; allowing them to generate precise cuts every time without the need for equipment to keep them in their best shape.

The knife is also an important symbol for Inuit women (notice Watt-Cloutier's jewellery and the print on her dress), and it is said that when someone passes away, their ulu retains their spirit and energy. Inuit culture is responsible for many ingenious inventions, says Watt-Cloutier.

What can you use ulu for? ›

The super soft, sweet, and fragrant fruit is used in desserts, baked goods, breads, batters, ice cream, smoothies, sauces, and more. Baby – Young 'ulu has a taste and texture similar to artichoke hearts and is ideal for pickling, marinating, or used like a firm vegetable in salads and stir-fries.

Classic Ulu Knife: Also known as rocker knife or mezzaluna knife, pizza cutter can be used for a wide variety of kitchen tasks, slicing, dicing, chopping, etc. It takes kitchen tasks to a whole new level and is an indispensable knife in the kitchen.

This tool is so central to Inuit life that the same word “ulu” is used for it in the diverse languages and dialects of northern peoples all the way from the Russian Aleut, to the Alaska Yupik, across the various groups of northern Canadian Inuit, to the western Greenland Inuit.

In Inuktitut, ulu (ᐅᓗ) means “woman's knife,” reflecting the historic use of the tool by female Inuit . Women used ulus for various domestic tasks, including food preparation and the separating of animal skins to ready them for the manufacturing of clothes. Some Inuit women continue to use ulus for these purposes.

A pocket knife should have a blade between 2 and 3 inches in length. It's meant for small tasks, not self-defense or hunting. It's meant to open boxes, cut strings, etc. I carry a Leatherman Wave and the edge of the blade is just 2.75″ in length.

A classic chef's knife is the most important knife in your collection. McDermott recommends an 8- to 10-inch chef's knife, which he acknowledges may be slightly longer than most people are comfortable with at first. However, the longer edge makes the knife more versatile and efficient.

Chef's knives range in size from 15cm to 30cm (6” to 12”), with 20cm (8”) being the most common size. Utility knife: A versatile knife for everyday tasks, though not quite as versatile as the chef's knife given its shorter length.

Locking folding knives, fixed blade knives and knives longer than 3inches/7.62cm are all illegal for carry in a public place without a further defence. It is the duty of the person carrying the knife to know and understand the law – ignorance is not a defence. Access land and public footpaths are also public places.