It can be used as a general chopping knife. The Santoku knife came later, around the turn of the 20th century. Like a chef knife, the Santoku knife can be used for almost any cutting task. In fact, the name translates roughly into “three uses.” Those uses were slicing fish, cutting meat, and chopping vegetables. Providing a more linear cutting edge, the Santoku has limited "rocking" travel (in comparison to a German/Western-style chef's knife). Got you covered. Our first … They have no bolster allowing the entire blade to be used. The blade is longer, and its gentle curve allows for longer chopping without ever having to lift the blade from the board. Santoku knives are lightweight and finely balanced. The Santoku design is shorter, lighter, thinner, and more hardened steel in the tradition of Samurai sword steel (to compensate for thinness) than a traditional Western chef's knife. More Buying Choices. How to Use the Shun Hiro Santoku Knife - Chris Cosentino by Williams-Sonoma 4:23, Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santoku&oldid=981863420, Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2019, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 October 2020, at 21:17. Santoku knives are similar to Western-style chef’s knives with a few key differences in size and shape. The Santoku knife is a very special utility designed for choice among chefs. Their ultra-sharp single-beveled edge gives them almost unparalleled cutting accuracy. The word Santoku translates as “three virtues,” or “three uses,” and after using a Santoku knife, you’ll find that its design helps it excel at three common kitchen tasks: slicing, chopping and mincing. You will also receive free newsletters … Also, being a handy and light-weighted makes the knife convenient for cutting larger quantities of ingredients. Sure, you can try this with a Santoku, but you’ll have to do much of the work. The typical chef knife has a heavy blade with a nice thick spine. Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Coleslaw. It’s especially popular with female chefs, and Giada de Laurentiis uses one religiously. But, I have to be honest with you, most of what we’ve heard about this Japanese wonder, in my opinion, seems to be a Food Network creation. I’m afraid this is hype. On the other hand, there are very fine Western-style chef knives made in Japan, such as Gyoto. Please contact for permissions. Japanese cooks tend to use forward or backward strokes, or a straight up and down chop. The design of the handle and the weight distribution of this knife make it popular with people who have small hands. Knife Type: Santoku; Steel Type: ATS-314 Stainless If you buy a traditional Santoku knife, which, as mentioned, are meant to use in a slicing or chopping motion rather than a rocking motion like we often use Western-style chef knives, you may find yourself uncomfortable. In view of its uses, the three virtues of a Santoku knife are “meat, fish, and vegetables” however it is also popularly referring to the three main functions of a knife, “chopping, slicing, and dicing”. Mercer Culinary Millennia Santoku Knife. The word ‘santoku’ is a Japanese word. The added weight and wide blade means you can use the flat of the knife to crush garlic, ginger, or anything else you want to render into a pulpy mess. Most professional chefs prefer those made of steel for their durability and high corrosion resistance. Its blade is typically between 13 and 20 cm (5 and 8 in) long, and has a flat edge and a sheepsfoot blade that curves down an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point. I suspect that the small and lightweight design is a bit reassuring. It is critical to increase the hardness of Santoku steel so edge retention is maintained and "rolling" of the thin cutting edge is mitigated. Some may choose a chef’s knife with no bolster, though, which has its own advantages such as allowing you to use the heel of the knife to get better leverage for difficult cutting jobs. FREE Shipping by Amazon. The Santoku is great for slicing vegetables, fruit, or chicken. CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON. Beginners can easily use a Santoku knife by slicing and using its flat edge as a guide for making even slices. The knife was originally invented for Japanese homemakers. Santoku knives steal the show when it comes to slicing, dicing, and chopping. Trim excess fat and use tip for boning rib roasts, steak and fish. Its blade is typically between 13 and 20 cm (5 and 8 in) long, and has a flat edge and a sheepsfootblade that curves down an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point. How to Use a Santoku Knife for Slicing Well, no, you can’t do anything with a Santoku knife. While the lightweight and delicate balance makes the knife much less fatiguing, the short length and lack of weight means the knife isn’t great for large-scale chopping. Both a santoku and a chef’s knife are general-purpose knives, and can be used for most kitchen prep work. The SK-65 Superior Santoku Knife from Mac Knife is sharp … An example of this limitation can be demonstrated in dicing an onion—a Western knife generally slices downward and then rocks the tip forward to complete a cut; the Santoku relies more on a single downward cut and even landing from heel to tip, thus using less of a rocking motion than Western style cutlery. Both the chef's knife and the santoku knife were designed to handle most kitchen tasks. They are multi-purpose by nature and traditionally, professional (Japanese) chefs use the knife in a forward/backward or straight and downward chop motion. (Best Overall Option) As someone who has a special love … This article contains one or more Amazon affiliate links. As mentioned above, you can use it to prepare fruit, veggies, boneless meat and poultry, fish, etc., thanks to its wide blade, which makes cutting a breeze. However, harder, thinner steel is more likely to chip, when pushing against a bone for example. Besides just being a guard, the inward curving design of the bolster allows you to choke up on the handle and place your finger along the guard giving you more control of the knife. A large santoku knife can perform many of the same tasks as a big chef’s knife. A classic Santoku will incorporate the Western-style, bilateral cutting edge, but maintain a more extreme 12 to 15 degree shoulder, akin to Japanese cutlery. The Santoku knife can be used for dicing, mincing or chopping but shines when used to get delicate and almost translucent slices of your favorite vegetable or meat. The high profile of the blade makes the santoku well-suited for home use, keeping the knuckles well above the cutting board. If it comes down to a Santoku versus a chef’s knife, the typical Western chef’s knife is by far a more versatile tool for your kitchen. The rocking motion we employ with our chef’s knife is difficult to achieve with a Santoku. The Santoku may be used in a rocking motion; however, very little cutting edge makes contact with the surface due to the extreme radius of the tip and very little "tip travel" occurs due to the short cantilever span from contact landing to tip. Forged laminated stainless steel cladding is employed on better Japanese Santoku knives to improve strength and rust resistance while maintaining a hard edge. 10 Tatara Santoku Knife – 7 Inch Japanese Sushi Knife VG10 Damascus. The blade, traditionally, has no curve. See full disclosure. $184.95$184.95 $231.00. The Santoku's blade and handle are designed to work in harmony by matching the blade's width and weight to the weight of the tang and the handle. There are many copies of Santoku-pattern knives made outside Japan that have substantially different edge designs, different balance, and different steels from the original Japanese Santoku. The santoku, meaning ‘three virtues’, is a multi-purpose knife that takes its name from its ability to easily handle meat, fish and vegetables. The santoku knife is designed to provide a comfortable, well-balanced grip. A sheep's foot design essentially draws the spine ("backstrap") down to the front, with very little clearance above the horizontal cutting plane when the blade is resting naturally from heel to forward cutting edge. Any cutting job involving slicing can be easily carried out efficiently using this knife. For the average user, a German-style knife is easier to sharpen, but a Santoku knife, if used as designed, will hold its edge longer. 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