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Santoku Knives: Buy Japanese Damascus Kitchen Knife
Santoku is a must-have Japanese kitchen knife. For us, this is the Japanese version of the chef’s knife. Santoku means ‘three qualities’ in Japanese. For some of these qualities would be: cut, crush and pick up. All that this knife is capable of. For others, it would be: meat, fish and vegetables. The three ingredients that santoku cut with panache. In our opinion, santoku is simply an extremely versatile Damascus Kitchen knife that is ideal for cutting, mashing and transferring meat, fish and vegetables.
Buy A Santoku Of The Best Quality
The shape of the santoku blade requires a different cutting technique than for a standard chef’s knife. For more information on what to look for when buying a santoku and cutting technique, stay with us.
The Blade Of A Santoku
The santoku blade is recognizable by its height and curve behind the tip. Santoku has the advantage of being lighter than most European chefs’ knives. It is therefore easier to handle. With a blade about 18 cm long, santokus are smaller than chef’s knives with a blade of about 20 cm. Some santokus have a blade with alveoli. These prevent foods from sticking to the blade.
We wrote an article regrouping more differences between these two types of knives: chef’s knife vs santoku: What differences?
The Handle Of A Santoku
The santoku’s neck is often at the same height as the back of the blade. This allows more space in the hand when cutting. Like most Japanese Damascus Kitchen knives, the majority of santokus have a D-shaped handle. This form identifies left-handed and right-handed knives. An element to consider when buying a santoku and any other Japanese Damascus Kitchen knife.
Cutting Technique
Santoku requires a particular cutting technique. Indeed, that does not tilt on the cutting surface but moves diagonally in the food from the top to the bottom. When cutting, the knife is constantly horizontal. The video below is a good demonstration.
