First of all, let’s recall what a santoku knife is. The santoku is originally a Japanese blade shape that naturally finds its place in the kitchen. Similar to the chef knife, this type of knife is mainly useful for slicing, chopping, or cutting food.
What are the advantages of a Santoku?
There are many different knives because they all have their own, more or less specialized purpose. Here, we will focus exclusively on santoku blades.
In brief, here are the santoku’s main features:
- A medium-length blade to meet many needs;
- A versatile rocking motion;
- Precise cuts;
- Easy and quick handling.
If this knife has become essential in our kitchens, it is because it has proven itself in Japan, a country known and recognized for its expertise in kitchen knives. Indeed, with it, you can both finely cut your vegetables and chop fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, or even coriander (if you like it). Also considered the universal knife, this is the one you should choose if you want to build a knife set.
What kinds of cuts can you make with the Santoku knife?
If you have followed along so far, you will rightly conclude that almost all cuts can be made with the santoku. From slicing to brunoise or even julienne, these techniques for preparing a dish can be carried out with the santoku.
You may then wonder: what are this knife’s limits? Well, to be honest, there are very few tasks it cannot perform. Know that all culinary professionals have this knife in their possession.
How do you use the santoku knife?
The santoku benefits from a beautiful rocking motion. As a result, to optimize your effort and make the most of this motion, you should begin by cutting your ingredients into smaller pieces. Take a zucchini as an example. If you do not cut it in half, its diameter will remain large and your movements will naturally need to be bigger. We therefore recommend cutting your ingredients to reduce the cutting height and achieve more repetitive, faster, and more precise movements.
The grip area of the handle is also an important point. The closer your hand is to the blade, the better your precision and speed will be. If you place your hand at the end of the handle, your cutting stroke will be longer, but your force will be greater. It will therefore be necessary to adapt your grip depending on the hardness of the food being cut.
The final important point is to stay vigilant and not rush. Do not try to cut quickly if you are not trained. The fast cuts of professional chefs require several years of experience.
