Santoku as a replacement for Chef's Knives
Oct 05 '07
The Bottom Line Santoku are good if you're looking for a small knife, anything under 8". They're are lighter, and slightly more versatile for small jobs. Choose a chef's knife for big jobs.
The Japanese Santoku Knife (hearsay has it that it means "Three good things") has received a lot of attention recently. Featuring prominently in the cooking show of Rachel Ray, it was then pushed pretty hard by the bigger knife manufacturers as a versatile knife.
The question is, does it replace that battle-scarred old warhorse, the chef's knife?
In my opinion the answer is definitely maybe.
For those of you who haven't seen one, or who simply aren't as obsessed with knives as I am, perhaps I'd better start by describing what a Santoku is.
A santoku is a cooking knife with a blade length of anywhere from 3 to 8 inches long. According to most people, it was first designed in japan as a modification of the french chef's knife, in order to better prepare Japanese cuisine.
The santoku can be identified by it's signature shape. Instead of having an edge and spine (the curved cutting part, and the back of the blade) that taper gradually into a sharp point, the spine and edge of a santoku stay relatively parallel (the edge curves very slightly) untill the very end of the blade, where the spine takes an abrupt detour, and curves sharply to meet the edge. A santoku has quarter-circle shaped tip, rather than a point.
Another signature feature of the santoku is the row of ground 'dimples' along the blade, situated just above the cutting edge. These are designed to stop food sticking to the blade when cutting. Most do a fairly good job.
Clearly, the Santoku is radically different in appearance than the classic chef's knife. But what does this mean in terms of performance?
Well, as the blade does not taper into a point, the effective cutting edge (the part of the edge that actually cuts food) is very long compared to the overall length of the knife. This means that santoku tend to be shorter than a classic chef's knife; in turn, this means that a santoku tends to be lighter in both blade and handle. In most quality knives The handle and tang (the metal extension of the blade that the handle is attached to) are generally designed to balance each other out. As the blade is shorter on a santoku, the handle does not need to be as large, nor as heavy.
The bottom line in terms of size is that a santoku is shorter and lighter, and thus better for smaller cooks and chefs.
Apart from the size and weight, the santoku's design also causes one other major difference in the way it performs. The edge of a classic chef's knife curves quit significantly as it travels from handle to tip. This means that when the edge is laid on a flat surface, it can be rocked back and forth along the line of the blade. This rocking motion is useful when mincing and chopping; it means that instead of having to lift the whole knife off of the cutting surface to cut, one can simply rock the knife on it it's tip, and then rock it back down to cut whatever is underneath.
Due to the shape of it's blade, the santoku does not have as significant of a rocking motion as a classic chef's knife. While it still rocks back and forth, it requires that the blade is 'lifted' somewhat more than 'rocked' back and forth.
While many consider the rocking motion of the blade to be important, in the end, I believe that it comes down to personal opinion and comfort. Personally, I find the rocking motion of a chef's knife more effective when mincing and dicing. Whereas I prefer the flatter and straighter blade of a santoku when slicing and julienning. I also prefer the lighter blade of a santoku, due to my size
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Epinions.com ID:
bedeo
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Member: Bede Fahey
Location: PA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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