What is the Use of the Santoku Knife?

What is the Use of the Santoku Knife?

For domestic use, the Santoku knives are currently the most demanded.

The reason it is called Santoku is that it can be used for all types of fish, meat, and vegetables. For this reason, its blade is thinner than a willow blade and thicker than a thin blade.

The Santoku knives are also known as "Bunka knives" and are suitable for cutting meat, fish, vegetables as well as any other type of food. They are so easy to handle that it can be said that "you only need one at first".

Naturally, it is not suitable for cutting a cow's bones or splitting a sea bream's head. The thickness and shape of the blade make it a knife that can be used for a wide range of tasks, such as peeling vegetables, cutting meat, filleting fish, and even sashimi.

It's a really useful knife for cooking at home.

Why is the Santoku Knife the Most Used at Home?

It may not be suitable for advanced tasks, like those performed with special knives. It would be difficult to make wavy peels like with a thin bladed knife or to pull sashimi in one go like with a willow bladed knife.

However, as it is not specialized in one type of cut, a large number of cooks use a Santoku as an all-purpose knife.

For this reason, it appears to be a practical item for cooking enthusiasts, to the point of saying that if you have a Santoku knife, you don't need other knives at home.

Nonetheless, if you only have one knife, the blade deteriorates rapidly, and given the fact that you have to take it out to sharpen it, it would be better to at least have a Santoku knife and a Gyuto knife. It is more efficient to use a Santoku knife mainly for vegetables and a Gyuto knife for meat and fish. It is also recommended to have a Santoku knife as the "main knife" and a smaller Gyuto knife.

That is why each manufacturer offers several different blade lengths, and the handles are made of resin, integrated with the blade or wood and also feature detailed innovations like the location of the center of gravity to facilitate use.

Number of Japanese knives an amateur chef should have

For an amateur chef, it is not essential to have the seven knives presented below. Indeed, four of them can be sufficient if you cook in a punctual manner.

We don't think most people would use a tuna knife, a conger knife, an eel knife, a noodle knife, etc. On the other hand, if someone says: "I use an eel knife or a hamo knife", it is probably a professional. However, I know a chef who uses a willow blade to cut pike conger bones with dexterity.

However, with four knives from the selection, a large number of tasks can be performed. What is recommended is to have a knife suitable for Western cooking, a meat knife, a small knife, and a Japanese knife.

We think Santoku knives are safer for beginners.

Santoku knives are widely used in Japanese households because they are versatile knives made in the Japanese style. They have features that suit the Japanese food culture such as small dimples that prevent food (especially raw fish) from sticking to the blade.

If you don't have a particular preference or expectation, we recommend choosing a Santoku knife if you want to start cooking.

Which Knife to Choose to Start?

The Gyuto is recommended for people who love to cook with a desire to become an expert. However, over time, they will need a knife for each type of cut.

Many professional cooks use a Santoku, and it is easier to cut meat and fish with it.

If you enjoy cooking and you have several other knives or are considering buying one in the future, we recommend the Santoku for its versatility and ease of handling.