The Hungry Dane by Jacob Bech
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Jacob Bech at his workbench in a black frog-button jacket, under a yellow neon RiceKnife sign with the characters 米刀 and a red neon sign reading BECH.
米刀 means rice knife. That’s the neon behind me.

Always hungry. For food, for places, for life.

I’m Jacob, a Danish chef and knife maker who lives between Denmark and China. This is my log of life in video and words, and the home of the RiceKnife Damascus knives I stand behind.

Watch the videos Meet the knives

Right now Danmark --:-- 中国 --:--

Jacob at his workbench, holding a cleaver up beside his face and smiling at the camera.
In professional kitchens since my teens.

Chef’s orders

How this kitchen runs.

  • Say who you are.

    I founded RiceKnife, so it’s the only knife brand I recommend here. I’d rather say that out loud than pretend to be neutral. No sponsors, no affiliate links.

  • Buy one knife you love.

    Not a whole set you won’t use. Start with the knife that suits what you cook most, then add to it once you notice what’s missing.

  • Cook for your people.

    In Denmark or in China, for the people you care about, even on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday.

  • Say yes at the table.

    To the dish you can’t pronounce and the place that doesn’t look like much from the outside. The best meals can’t be planned.

  • Treat the edge kindly.

    Wooden board, no bones, no dishwasher. Two minutes of care after each use is all a good knife asks.

  • Better good than often.

    No fixed publishing schedule. I share things when they’re worth sharing.

The knives I stand behind

Three blades, three jobs.

There’s only one kind of kitchen knife I recommend on this site: RiceKnife Damascus knives. I know these three inside out, from the steel to the handle.

I founded RiceKnife (Linbech ApS), so I’m not neutral. Every link goes straight to riceknife.com. No affiliate links.

米刀 RiceKnife in Chinese: rice knife.

Spec sheet: EX-ANIMO III series, 2026Blade lengths drawn to scale. Handles indicative.

Valkyrie III, Tigritude III and Yolo III compared
Valkyrie III Tigritude III Yolo III
Type Gyuto-style chef’s knife Kiritsuke K-tip santoku
Blade length 23.7 cm 20.8 cm 16.8 cm
Weight 204 g 185 g 183 g
What it’s for Vegetables, fish and boneless meat. One knife for almost everything. Long, clean, controlled cuts. A nearly straight edge and an angled tip. Vegetables, and anyone who prefers a shorter knife.
Handle Stabilised red oak, blue accents, brass butt Snakewood and dark rosewood Three sections of bocote
On the blade Runes. Theme: standing by who you are A tiger’s head. Theme: quiet strength Calligraphy: life is short, so enjoy it
Steel All three73-layer Damascus: a cobalt-bearing VG10 core with stainless cladding
Comes with All threeA numbered certificate
Product page View Valkyrie III View Tigritude III View Yolo III

All three are made from 73-layer Damascus steel and come with a numbered certificate. Visit riceknife.com for full specifications, prices and availability.

Visit riceknife.com

Inside the blade

73 layers. One edge.

Cross-section of a RiceKnife Damascus blade A tapered blade cut crosswise. A VG10 core runs from spine to edge, with 36 stainless layers on each side. The flat grind cuts across the outer layers, and only the core reaches the edge, where the sharpening stone meets it. 36136 stone A–A 1 2 3 4 5
Section A–A, across the bladeThickness exaggerated about ten times

  1. Spine

    The thick back of the blade. Every layer is still here.

  2. Cladding

    36 stainless layers on each side, protecting the core.

  3. Core

    Hard, cobalt-bearing VG10. This is the steel that actually cuts.

  4. Pattern

    The grind cuts across the layers. Where they surface, you see the Damascus pattern.

  5. Edge

    Only the core reaches it, so the stone only ever meets the core.

  6. 36 + 1 + 3673 layers in Valkyrie III, Tigritude III and Yolo III.
A rough, layered block of Damascus steel resting in an open hand, the stacked layers visible along its side.
Layered steel, before it becomes a blade.

How I keep an edge

Three steps. No soaking.

After two decades of trying other methods, I spent about five years developing my own diamond sharpening system. No soaking, no flattening.

My sharpening method Knife care guide
  1. A hand holding four RiceKnife diamond sharpening stones, each marked with the 米刀 logo.
    1

    Set

    Set the edge on a plated diamond stone. #250 / #1150

  2. A RiceKnife sharpening stone on a bamboo holder, the 米刀 logo printed on its side.
    2

    Refine

    Refine it on resin-bonded diamond stones. #1000 up to #12000

  3. A RiceKnife sharpening kit laid out flat: stone holder, a row of diamond stones, a leather strop, compound and an angle guide.
    3

    Finish

    Finish on a leather strop with diamond compound. 1.5 micron

Strop
Weekly
Stones, if you cook daily
About monthly
Test
Tomato or paper

“Hard steel holds a keen edge for a long time, but it asks to be treated kindly.”

Jacob

Two homes. Two kitchens.

One appetite.

Family on both sides, and my life split between Denmark and China. Rye bread and a proper Danish Christmas in one; dim sum mornings and street woks after dark in the other.

China runs 7 hours ahead of Denmark in winter and 6 in summer: morning coffee in Copenhagen is afternoon tea in Guangzhou.

Jacob in a Danish forest in summer, one hand on a tall pine trunk, looking up into the canopy.
DanmarkDenmark
--:-- Copenhagen time

Smørrebrød on proper rye, forest walks and a Danish Christmas. Danish food has a calm and a simplicity I only really came to see by being away from it.

A tray of smørrebrød: open rye sandwiches topped with egg, prawns, cucumber, dill and lemon.
Smørrebrød, the full spread
Jacob in amber sunglasses and a blue jacket in a street hung with red lanterns at night, holding a lollipop.
中国China
--:-- Guangzhou and Shenzhen time

Years in Asian kitchens taught me the wok and the shared table. Now it’s family dinners, dim sum mornings and Guangzhou and Shenzhen street food after dark.

Jacob at a dim sum table crowded with bamboo steamers, reaching in with chopsticks.
Dim sum, the Cantonese way

“A place only really starts to make sense once I’ve tasted it.”

Jacob

Sharp mind. Strong body.

A sharp knife is only half the job. The other half is the cook holding it, so here’s what I do to keep my body strong and my head clear.

  1. Train

    Strength training in the gym, because long days on your feet need a body that can take it.

  2. Cold & heat

    Cold-water bathing and sauna, the Nordic way. I love the shock of the cold and the slow, deep heat.

  3. Calm

    Meditation, breathwork and a good book. Same rule as at the chopping board: one thing at a time, done properly.

  4. Fuel & brain

    I’m a chef, so food comes first, as fuel and as joy. I’m also a proper nerd about nutrition and neuroscience.

Note

I’m a chef, not a doctor. This is what I do, not advice. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor first.

More on Mind & Body Mind & Body posts

The log

Videos and writing, sorted by station.

Six stations, one kitchen. Pick a station and its tickets light up, here and on the blog rail below.

All stations. 10 tickets on the rails.

Latest videos

Short chapters from my log.

Everyday life, time on the road, what’s cooking, and the odd knife now and then. Most of it has nothing to do with RiceKnife, and that’s exactly how I like it.

  1. #01Life
    A bowl of ramen with soft-boiled eggs, mushrooms, bok choy, bean sprouts and sliced meat.

    Just an ordinary Tuesday

    Coffee, work, groceries and dinner: an unfiltered day in my life, from start to finish.

    Video Coming soon
  3. #03中国
    Jacob in a narrow street of shopfronts and red lanterns in the evening.

    My first day in a new city

    How I spend day one somewhere new: on foot, without a fixed plan, heading for the nearest market.

    Video Coming soon
  6. #06Self
    Jacob in a Danish forest in summer, one hand on a tall pine trunk, looking up into the canopy.

    Gym, cold water and a calm head

    Strength training, cold water, sauna, breathwork and books: what keeps me going through long days in the kitchen and the workshop. I'm…

    Video Coming soon

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“You don’t need to care about knives to feel at home here. You just need to be a little hungry.”

Jacob

From the blog

For when a video isn’t enough.

Longer thoughts on food and travel, practical knife guides and small stories from everyday life.

  2. #02Knives
    A rough, layered block of Damascus steel resting in an open hand, the stacked layers visible along its side.

    How I choose a chef’s knife

    Length, weight, steel and handle: the questions I ask before choosing a chef's knife, and why my answers lead back to RiceKnife.

  4. #04Life
    Jacob Bech at his workbench in a black frog-button jacket, under a yellow neon RiceKnife sign with the characters 米刀 and a red neon sign reading BECH.

    Welcome to the new Hungry Dane

    The Hungry Dane has a new look and a clearer focus. Here's what you can expect from now on, and what you won't find…

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Read the blog
Jacob in warm studio light, glasses on, talking with one hand raised.
Jacob Bech, chef and knife maker.

Hi, I’m Jacob.

A Dane, and hungry.

Hungry for good food, for places I haven’t seen yet, and for the small moments that turn an ordinary day into a good one. Most days I’m busy with RiceKnife, but The Hungry Dane is my personal corner of the internet: everyday life, travel and cooking, between Denmark and China.

Service record

  1. TeensInto professional kitchens: a placement at Noma, then an apprenticeship.
  2. About 18Qualified as a chef after training at Bistro Bohème in Copenhagen.
  3. ThenKitchens in Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Bali and Kuala Lumpur, Michelin level among them, and a string of restaurant openings.
  4. 2020Knives, full time. I sold my Copenhagen apartment to fund RiceKnife.
  5. 2026EX-ANIMO III: Valkyrie III, Tigritude III and Yolo III.
  6. NowBetween Denmark and China. Still hungry.
More about me Say hello

I hope you leave a little hungrier than when you arrived.