Filleting needs a thin single-bevel knife to perform a clean cut. The curved blade of a chef’s knife makes it ideal for rocking back and forth across a cutting board when you are chopping plenty of vegetables. It is intended for multipurpose use, cutting veggies and crops, fish, and meat. Since it has a straight cutting edge with less pronounced point, slicing through is easier than a chef’s knife. The advantage of the Santoku over the Nakiri is the tip, with a tapered tip it can pierce through meat and cut tough cartilage, tendons to easily separate bones. The knife was originally invented for Japanese homemakers. The Gyutoh is regarded as the slicing knife and is mainly used for finely slicing meat and large vegetables. The SK-65 Superior Santoku Knife from Mac Knife is sharp … Granton blades were found primarily on Santoku knives when they became popular with home cooks, but now this blade type is … How to use santoku … The Santoku knife was created as a mix between the katana (samurai sword) and the Nakiri. Generally, it can be used to slice vegetables and meat and it is also perfect for general dicing and chopping. Once you learn the skills to use the Santoku knife, you can use them with many other knives, too. The knife will also be more balanced and contain no bolster like many chef fillet knives have. It also minimizes the need for you to pierce the food to have a room for slicing. Given its exotic-sounding Japanese name, the Santoku (sahn-toh-koo) knife could be taken for an ultra-specific utility knife made for some delicate task — the province of a professional chef. With its thin blade, it can easily slice through different types of food with clean precision. All knives can slice but unlike other knives, the Santoku can slice tough meat, delicate vegetables, and soft cheese with little drag and resistance. We sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. I used the rocking and crosscut motion, almost always. 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. It is an ultrathin knife that is as perfect as nakiri knife when it comes to slicing vegetables, meat and other food into really thin slices. How to Use a Santoku Knife for Slicing. They have no bolster allowing the entire blade to be used. If you have small delicate hands, however, you may find yourself in love with your Santoku. The single bevel offers a sharper 12-15 degree angle making it possible to create thinner blades while offering the same strength and quality. Though most of the people considered santoku just as a traditional sushi blade, but it’s not. They are multi-purpose by nature and traditionally, professional (Japanese) chefs use the knife in a forward/backward or straight and downward chop motion. Whether you need them for commercial or at-home use, they’ll take care of … Ironically, the Santoku craze in the United States has led to most currently available knives being made with a more curved blade, making them more like the Western chef’s knife. TV chefs “ooh and aah” about the knife: “Its the only knife I use! The santoku knife is loved around the world as the ‘three virtues’ knife. The Chef Knife. Read the Santoku knife- What do you use for that you wouldn't use a chef knife? The ‘three virtues’ of the Santoku knife is usually interpreted in its three uses: slicing, dicing, and chopping. Any cutting job involving slicing can be … The fact that it is also used to slice raw fish is thanks to its ultra-sharp blade, thanks to which the santoku has become so … French style knives have a straight blade that curves upward at the belly (see parts of a knife), while the German style has a blade that is curved along its entire cutting edge. Santokus, being an all-around, general-purpose knife, shouldn’t break the bank. Nowadays, the hype for the Santoku knife grew across the world making it a popular knife of choice for home cooks, and second to the Chef’s knife for professionals. Granton edge knives help lower the friction. Details of a Santoku Knife Image Source: unsplash. Santoku definition is - a medium-sized, multipurpose kitchen knife of Japanese origin that has a lightweight blade with a straight or slightly curved cutting edge and a spine that curves downward to the tip. 5 Advantages Of Silicone Baking Sheets To Improve Your Baking Experience. After the Santoku, the Shotoh is the best selling blade shape in Japan. A Western Chef’s knife is softer but has tougher steel for heavy-duty use which means the blade will need to be sharpened much more frequently in order to maintain a sharp edge. In fact, the Santoku is simply a slicing and chopping knife that can be used much like a traditional European (Western) chef’s knife. Beginners can easily use a Santoku knife by slicing and using its flat edge as a guide for making even slices. The Santoku is ideal for this job. The straight cutting edge of the blade maximizes your slicing with less movement and drag offering a cleaner cut. The nakiri knife is designed specifically for chopping vegetables. It also comes with a special coating that is known for being extremely resistant to rust. Knifemaking is an ancient art in Japan and many of the old techniques are still used on their authentic santoku knives today. The wider blade of the Santoku allows you to scoop food off the chopping board and straight into your pot or over your food for garnish. Best Uses for Santoku Knife: Cut all kinds of meat. The santoku knives are the master of chopping, dicing and slicing. Granton knives also look beautiful, adding to their appeal for home cooks. Santoku knife uses are cutting fish, soft vegetables, etc. It is an excellent tool that you can use to do many things in the kitchen, such as dicing, slicing, and mincing. The modern-day Santoku incorporates a thin blade and is lighter in weight, but don’t be fooled — the Santoku is a capable multi-use knife, and is in fact the favored all-rounder knife used in lieu of a western chef’s knife in many Japanese homes. Sure, you can try this with a Santoku, but you’ll have to do much of the work. This article contains one or more Amazon affiliate links. Similar to the chef’s knife, it can handle any ingredient and perform all cutting techniques. Santoku knives are going to be thinner and lighter in weight. I've never owned a Santoku knife so I have no opinion one way or the other. Santoku knives are thinner and shorter than chef’s knives — typically 5 to 8 inches — with a rounded tip (also known as a “sheep’s foot”) instead of a sharp triangular point. The blade is longer, and its gentle curve allows for longer chopping without ever having to lift the blade from the board. It does this job perfectly, but you always need to avoid harder and more aggressive food such as meat bones, slicing bread, and also, you should avoid peeling different foods. Others believe the phrase refers to its ability to chop, slice, and dice. The Santoku bōchō (Japanese: 三徳包丁; "three virtues" or "three uses") or Bunka bōchō (文化包丁) is a general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. It’s said that almost every Japanese home has a Santoku. See "Nakiri vs Santoku" to learn more their origins and differences. Japanese cooks tend to use forward or backward strokes, or a straight up and down chop. Purpose . Santoku Knife FAQ Q: What is a santoku knife? You can do this by hand-washing the knife with dish soap and then storing it in a wooden box. Uses: The main difference between a Santoku knife and a Chef knife lies in the way they are used in cutting foods. Or better, it is not specially made for sushi. To create a knife more appropriate for cutting fish and meat, the Japanese retained the height and the straight of the Nakiri but they added a sheep’s foot tip. Looking through blogs and even books that mention kitchen equipment, I’ve noticed that completely novice cooks, when trying out chefs knives and Santoku knives, tend to choose the Santoku. That brings us to the final factor: price. The Santoku is like a chef’s knife… Those with large hands may find gripping the knife a bit difficult. Santoku knives are Japanese knives that are gaining popularity in the U.S.—and for good reason. A Santoku knife or Santoku Bocho is a Japanese style knife that literally means “Three Virtues”. A Santoku knife is a Japanese chef knife that serves as a multipurpose tool in the kitchen. However, it does not answer questions what is the difference in use and result. DesiredCuisine.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. … No more rocking motion like you’d need with a chef’s knife. The Western-style chef’s knife tends to be thicker and heavier, making it the workhorse for your kitchen, while the light-weight Japanese-style Santoku is perfect for fine, delicate slicing. 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”. Mac Knife SK-65 Superior Santoku Knife. Why santoku translates to "three virtues." It can be used as a general chopping knife. This edge makes it ideal for the Santoku to dice and swing the knife from side to side. As you can see below, the tip is very sharp. Moreover, there are knives with hollow edges. The cutting surface came to my naval level and the board was, again, a cheap bamboo piece. You can use it for cutting different products: meat, fish, poultry, vegetables. No Problem, Here's a Substitute. Before explaining the differences, let’s begin with the similarities. The wider build of the Santoku is due to the fact that it was a redesigned version of the Nakiri. It was made famous by Rachael Ray on her TV show. The wide, flat blade of the Santoku knife, on the other hand, is perfect for chopping, since it cuts mainly with single downward movements. The Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Santoku Knife, 7 Inch is an Amazon Bestseller, Need help choosing knives for your kitchen? This does not mean that it cannot be used for much of the same tasks, but if you are used to using a rocking motion to slice or chop vegetables, with the occasional slicing motion when needed, you will have to adjust your style and get used to a new way of using a knife. While the utility of each for everyday slicing and chopping jobs is a matter of subjective experience, the chef’s knife can simply do jobs a Santoku can not. They often come with a hollowed Granton edge which may help with fine slicing. discussion from the Chowhound Cookware, Knives food community. Japanese knives have surely become essential in any serious home cook’s kitchen, especially for professional chefs. If you add this knife to your kitchen, you will never regret it. Tojiro DP Santoku 6.7″ The Basic Knife. But, every chef or culinary expert loves it for its functionality and ease of use. I’m afraid this is hype. You can imagine it is easier to cut into fish and meats. This is one cut that is a bit difficult for a chef’s knife to do. Food off the board due to the wide … When should you use one, and what’s the deal with those scalloped edges? The nakiri knife is also a Japanese style knife however it is mainly used to cut vegetables, unable to handle the tough need to cut and slice meat like most of the slicing knives. The Shotoh is a small knife, ideal for cutting, peeling and garnishing fruit and vegetables. While most other Japanese knives have very specific functions, the Santoku was meant to be more all-purpose. A santoku knife is a Japanese knife designed to provide a more comfortable and balanced experience in the kitchen. This is the tapered edge of the blade and for the Santoku, it is only tapered to one side (the unique Japanese features) while western knives are tapered on both sides. Caring for A Santoku Knife. Well, no, you can’t do anything with a Santoku knife. Mostly the Santoku is used for creating very thin slices of food, which can serve as a decoration to your dish. Commonly compared with the Chef’s Knife, the Santoku is a lot shorter. Perfect for the home cook, this daily-use … For this reason, they are one of the most commonly-used knives in both professional and home kitchens.Both are made from an assortment of materials such as ceramic or metal. The bevel is one of the key factors that affect the sharpness of a knife. It is also the preferred choice of knife for many cooks since it offers easy maneuverability and handling. “Santoku” translates to “three virtues” or “three uses.” This refers to the three types of cuts the knife is made to perform: slicing, dicing, and mincing. Both knives are multi-functional. The Santoku and gyuto are both versatile Japanese knives to have in the kitchen. A Santoku knife is a multipurpose knife that combines the power of a cleaver and the versatility of a chef’s knife. For example, despite what some those TV chefs will tell you, you can use that thick spine to hammer and crack bones. The Santoku bōchō (Japanese: 三徳包丁; "three virtues" or "three uses") or Bunka bōchō (文化包丁) is a general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. Why Do We Say a Fifth of Whiskey, Rum, or Vodka? It’s a bit odd that this knife should become some elite and trendy professional tool. And, on a chef’s knife, you can grip the handle further back toward the butt to allow the weight of the blade to help you chop through tough items, including the occasional bone. In fact, the name translates roughly into “three uses.” Those uses were slicing fish, cutting meat, and chopping vegetables. It is less bulky allowing users more room for movement and easy agility especially when making quick slices. 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