Chef's Knife vs Santoku

A knife! It is there almost everywhere. Be it a small swiss knife or a culinary knife, its use is versatile. However, in this article, we will be debating over chef's knife vs santoku, both of which breathe life into the kitchen cutlery department. Let me brief something about each of them before I start with the actual topic.

A chef's knife (also known as French Knife) is an indispensable tool to a chef. One can call it: an evolved butcher's knife. Originally, this knife was used by butchers who used to slice thick meats (like beef). But with years, it has become an integral part of a kitchen closet for slicing, mincing, chopping, disjointing, etc., with finesse. But yet, there is another knife that gives a tough competition to the chef's knife and that is the Japanese santoku. Santoku (also known as Buncha bocho) is a general purpose kitchen knife which prominently evolved in Japan. But with its excellent cutting ability to slice meats and chop vegetables, it is gaining undisputed popularity in the West. So let's find out which one is better!

Santoku vs Chef's Knife
Before we get to commence with the debate: chef's knife vs santoku, it is important to know about the physical appearance of each of these knives.

Chef's Knife
A chef's knife is usually 6-14 inches long with the blade part, about 8 inches long and 1½ inches wide. These knives are further differentiated as French knives and German knives, of which the latter are slimmer in their appearance and the former are broad. A chef's knife is often known as the "Beef knife" or the "Western knife".

Santoku
This knife, in literal sense means "three good things" or "three virtues" and hence is considered by the Japanese as a well-balanced knife. Santoku is shorter than a chef's knife and is about 5-7 inches long. Its unique appearance is defined by its wider blade (sheep foot shaped) and a straight edge that doesn't curve at its tip. Also these knives are made from harder steel. Santoku is often nicknamed as the "Almighty knife".

Chef's Knife or Santoku
Santoku knives operate in a unique fashion with their blades moving in a vertical motion while cutting. Although they are quite sharp and at the same time light, chefs who are accustomed to using chef's knife find it cumbersome to use santoku initially. When using santoku, the motion of the blade is directed up ad down on every cut which is not precisely the case with the chef's knife. On the contrary, a chef's knife blade moves in a constant and rolling motion. However, being an all purpose kitchen knife, santoku finds a laudable place in almost all culinary related activities like chopping, slicing and mincing meat and vegetables. On a chopping board, it is rather fun to use as it works better in scrapping the foods off for sautéing purposes. But, a chef's knife is no less. Slicing and shredding are done with ease, using a chef's knife. Also, there are various kinds of slicing (like silver thin Lyonnaise cut) that can be done efficiently with a chef's knife, depending on the thickness of the slice. There is one popular kind of shredding in which the leafy green vegetables are rolled up, the leaves are cut perpendicular to the roll and the knife cuts the vegetables into extremely small pieces. This kind of shredding technique is also known as "chiffonade". A chef's knife can cleanly slice out the meat from the bone without much effort.

However, when it comes to knife care, santoku needs some extra attention. These knives must be hand washed, preferably after you are done with cutting and chopping. Also due to its thin build, these knives should not be used against hard cutting surfaces (like marble). To keep them sharp, one can use a stone or regular knife sharpening tools. Also you can take your santoku to a professional knife sharpener to get better results.

Both the knives are interchangeable, depending on the kind of job. Usage of these knives depends on various factors as listed below:

• What is your cooking history?
• What is the size of your hands?
• Do you move the blade in chopping motion or rocking motion?
• Do you finger the blade of your knife?

Apart from the above listed questions, your diet lifestyle also factors your choice amongst chef's knife vs santoku. A home cook may prefer a chef's knife to santoku, pertaining to the maintenance factor attached with the latter (like sharpening santoku time to time). This is also one of the major reasons as to why a chef's knife works better when one has to cut the meat, slicing it from the bone. Santoku, originally made in Japan, was designed for foods that mainly constitute vegetables and fish. This is also a reason as to why santokus are best for cutting vegetables and fish. However, due to their thin and sharp blade, they can get chipped easily, if not maintained properly. Whereas in the Western countries, red meat and poultry constitute major diet. And hence, chef's knife is a better alternative!

A chef's knife set is a coveted possession for any chef. So before he crowns it with a chef's knife or a santoku, it is important for him to understand which knife will go best for his culinary activities (of which about 80% of his tasks will be chopping, slicing and mincing). Hope this article has answered your dilemma on chef's knife vs santoku. So, good luck!!