The traditional Japanese santoku knife is a versatile kitchen tool. It is easy to work with professionals and amateurs. Santoku’s closest “relative” is the European chef’s or chef’s knife, but it is larger and heavier and has a flat blade instead of a straight knife. The name Santoku translates from Japanese as “three things”, emphasizing its versatility. Understandably, this blade is as good at cutting as it is at chopping and grinding.
What is the use of a Santoku knife?
This blade is multi-functional and suitable for slicing and shaping a variety of products. Usable for:
- Thin slices of cheese, sausage, and bacon.
- Cut out meat, poultry, and fish.
- Green wheels.
- Mushroom cutting and other manipulations.
Santoku combines a kitchen knife set and kitchen Nakiri. Even inexperienced cooks can easily chop cabbage for borscht and mince fish and steak. On the other hand, artisans handle santoku skillfully, even making the symbolic cutting of the product.
Santoku knife features
Santoku has a special design: the bit is attached to the handle, and the product itself is shaped like a “ram’s foot”. Other features of the standard knife include:
- sheet width – 3-5 cm;
- Leaf length 13-20 cm;
- The edge is raised slightly above the edge line.
- Straight and narrow handle
- Super fast acceleration
- maximum balance.
Thanks to this design, this device is very useful. Answering the question of what to cut with a Santoku knife, you can say: any food. Some models have special markings and markings on the blade. They are made not only for their beauty but also so that when they are cut into thin slices, the slices do not stick to the blade.
Design Features: Slim handle and wide blade base reduce the risk of cuts during use and enhance ergonomics. This knife fits any size palm. The forward center of gravity makes cutting easier and takes some of the load off the cook’s hands. The straight shape of the cutting edge ensures maximum blade-to-plate contact, increasing cutting productivity.
Santoku’s deliberate “upright” design emphasizes its individuality. In the past, artisans focused primarily on the quality of the instrument rather than its beauty. This series continues today. At the same time, the short santoku is in high demand among oriental cuisine connoisseurs today.
Special attention should be paid to the material of the blade. A true Santoku knife is made only of hardened steel with high carbon content in the alloy. This blade can only be sharpened to extreme sharpness, which will last for months or years without resharpening. When considering the choice of a Santoku knife, just opt for a high-carbon steel blade or a multi-layer blade.
Instructions for use
Since the Santoku knife is used for cutting food, it is best for cutting up and down in a vertical plane. In this case, the standard “heel to toe” method of cutting with a hand motion is not suitable. At first, it seems difficult to constantly raise and lower the knife, but thanks to the perfect balance and great sharpness, cutting is not difficult even for a non-professional. Plus, the straight edge makes it easy to clean up chopped food in the bowl with the swipe of a finger.
Since professional knives are made of hardened high-carbon steel, the blade requires maintenance and compliance with the rules of operation. These are the main recommendations:
- Do not cut bones, frozen foods, nuts, and other hard objects with a Santoku knife.
- Hand washing and drying of the tool are recommended.
- You cannot use the knife on ceramic, stone, glass, or metal surfaces. blade blade;
- The best type of panels – wood and plastic;
- Santoku should only be sharpened with water stones of appropriate grain size.
- It should be stored separately from other equipment;
- Modifying and sharpening the blade as needed.
If the blade comes into contact with knives or other kitchen utensils, it can dull prematurely. Also, when you try to get the knife out of the cabinet with the hardware, you can easily cut yourself with a very sharp blade. Place the Santoku in a separate container on the kitchen counter, or even better, in a special holder with individual slots, or on a magnetic stand.
Advantages of the best Santoku knives
In short, why do chefs love Japanese Santoku knives? These are just the highlights:
- It is also good for slicing vegetables, slicing meat, and slicing vegetables.
- They are easy to work with: the hand does not tire;
- Comfortable grip, the handle fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.
- Stylish laconic design – chef’s pride and kitchen decoration;
- Suitable for beginners, amateurs, and professionals;
- Despite its large size, lightweight, and maneuverability, it is suitable for both women and men.
- Super fast, makes cutting food easy and fun.
- Provides an excellent cutting result: very thin slices, right at the edge of the product.
How to Choose a Santoku Kitchen Knife
Trust only official representatives of Japanese manufacturers on the market. Handicraft tools have a short life, wear and tear and degrade very quickly. When choosing, be guided by the following factors:
- High carbon or Damascus steel blade;
- Handle made of advanced materials (G-10 fiberglass, specially treated precious wood, steel, ABS plastic);
- complete installation of the handle (the stick acts as an extension of the blade);
- sharpness (# 3000-10000);
- quality assurance;
- Japanese production technology.
The Santoku knife can rightly be considered a universal knife. Its unique feature is its ability to do three things with equal efficiency: cutting, chopping, and mincing meat. When buying a Santoku knife from the Japanese brand knife & knives, it will be possible to solve several problems at once when preparing complex dishes in our online store. This allows you to choose a suitable kitchen knife directly from the manufacturer’s factory. Original products at the best prices at knife & knives To see the quality of products yourself, you can place an order on the website or visit one of our three brand stores. We take care of each of our customers and arrange delivery to Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and any other city in America.
