Types and purposes of traditional Western (European) knives. Why do you need a santoku knife in the kitchen, what can you cut with it and how are santoku knives used for?

In the kitchen, any housewife has several knives that perform different functions. But all of them can be replaced by just one universal Santoku knife. Why do you need a Santoku knife, what’s special about it?

A bit of origin history

The development of a kitchen knife by the Japanese company Santoku under the same name is a modification of a Western chef's knife designed for cutting meat and fish. Traditional Japanese kitchen knives were largely intended for cutting vegetables and herbs, which dominate the Japanese diet. They had difficulty coping with meat and fish. The Santoku knife combines the functions of cutting vegetables and cutting meat and fish. Once on the world market, the Japanese brand conquered it in a short time.

Design features

Translated, “santoku” means three virtues. This means that the knife has three main functions: slicing, chopping, crumbling.

These functions are due to its design features:

  • Unlike other universal models, it is small in size, which is very convenient not only for a man’s hand, but also for a woman’s;
  • The blade is slightly curved, in the shape of a sheep's hoof, angled at the end. This shape allows you to use the cutting edge 100%. Some of the models have longitudinal grooves on one side of the blade. They reduce food sticking to the blade when cutting them. The blade, light and thin, has a one-sided sharpening, traditional in Japan. But now there are Santoku models with double-sided sharpening, which are very popular in the West;
  • Blade length – from 12 to 20 cm.

Design Features

True Santoku models have a rugged design that emphasizes the blade rather than the handle. The Japanese value knives, first of all, their functionality.

For the blade are used different types become:

  • Single layer, various brands;
  • Three-layer;
  • Stainless steel combined with Damascus steel.

Features of use

The Japanese Santoku chef's knife is suitable for all types of work:

  • Cutting fish and meat, including those with small bones;
  • Cutting portions of meat and fish;
  • Sliced ​​vegetables;
  • Chopping vegetables.

The cutting edge of the blade does not bend, which implies vertical movements when working. This is unusual for those who have previously used a European chef's knife, which first falls on the heel when cutting. But they quickly get used to the new movement, and this gives effective result.

You can buy such a popular Japanese Santoku knife on the website of the online store of tableware and related products PosudaPlanet (http://posudaplanet.su ) . The store offers real Santoku knives from the world's leading manufacturers.

Every housewife knows that a knife is an important device, without which it is impossible to cook. delicious dishes. A Santoku knife allows you to chop any food quickly and efficiently.

Most residents of our country have already appreciated the benefits of santoku. This type of knife sharpens well, so you can use it to chop fish, meat with bones, etc.

The wide blade of a Santoku knife allows you to perform any manipulation without difficulty, so its owners can easily cut, chop and chop food.

Thanks to the special blade shape, this type knife is characterized by a small gap between the knife and the surface cutting board. This allows you to cut food with minimal physical effort.

For execution thin slicing The knife blade is sharpened as finely as possible.

This type of knife is made from strong but durable steel, which allows you to cut even very small products. If the knife has grooves, they will protect it from food sticking while slicing. Choose Santoku and you will find out that chopping food can be a quick and enjoyable experience!

(santoku bōchō or 三徳包丁) is a traditional knife for the Japanese culinary school, which is considered universal and is used everywhere in the preparation of national culinary products. It is noteworthy that the Japanese Santoku knife is a prototype of the European chef's knife, which is also considered universal and is used in the preparation of a wide range of dishes.

Often in the literature the Santoku knife is referred to as Satoku Bocho. The santoku knife was originally used for cutting meat. However, later various modifications of the Santoku knife began to appear, so the kitchen device began to be used for various culinary manipulations with food. It is worth noting that the name of the Santoku knife is literally translated from Japanese language means "three good things" or "three uses."

This self-explanatory name for the Santoku knife is due to the device’s ability to cope with various types food products. The Santoku knife is suitable for cutting ingredients into both large and small pieces or thin slices. In addition, a santoku knife is used for chopping food. The blade of a Santoku knife has a special tip shape, which is made in the shape of a sheep's leg. The blade of a santoku knife resembles the outline of a sheep's leg. This knife design makes the device very convenient to use.

A Santoku knife has a slight gap between the cutting blade and the surface of the cutting board. This is both a plus and a minus of a santoku knife. On the one hand, the original shape of the blade helps the chef in using the knife, however, with strong sharpening, the functionality of the santoku is reduced. In order to use the santoku, the cook must have some knowledge about the culinary device.

When using a Santoku knife, you need to make single, downward slicing movements with the device. In addition, you should lightly press the Santoku knife onto the cutting surface, so the device will be better able to cut or chop ingredients. It is worth noting that the Santoku knife differs in size from other specialized chef's tools. The blade of a Santoku knife is shorter and, as a rule, it standard sizes do not exceed 188 mm.

In order to provide the cook with wide scope for culinary manipulations, the blade of the knife is wide, and the handle of the santoku, on the contrary, is much narrower. Before using a santoku knife for cutting fish, meat with bones, or vegetables, the device must be sharpened. High-quality Japanese Santoku knives differ from cheap fakes in their service life. In addition, professionals say that the traditional Japanese santoku is well balanced, since they use high temperatures, as well as pumped out steel.

Typically, the santoku blade is sharpened more strongly, which helps achieve thinner and more precise cutting of food when using a kitchen appliance. The sharpening angle of the Japanese Santoku is 18 degrees. European Santoku models are not as well balanced, so achieving improved slicing results with such a knife is sometimes difficult or even impossible. In Europe, santoku blades are made from lower quality steel, which also affects the characteristics of the knife.

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When the kitchen is equipped with modern time-saving appliances and equipped with convenient and useful kitchen utensils, then routine cooking turns into a fun and enjoyable process. One indispensable kitchen “gadget” in our kitchen is the Santoku knife.

A little history

Santoku is a Japanese type of knife, although in the Land of the Rising Sun it was formed from a French carving knife. He has interesting story appearance. Among the products of Japanese cuisine, greens and grains predominate, so a vegetable knife, which is convenient for chopping and chopping, was popular. A chef's knife is also indispensable in the kitchen for cutting meat and fish fillets. Japanese dishes combine meat and vegetables at the same time, so the need arose to use a universal knife in the kitchen. Such a universal cutting tool to this day is the santoku. Top chefs call him the king of Japanese cuisine.

The name of this knife literally means “three uses” or in other words “three good things”. Indeed, this knife is good for cutting, chopping and crumbling. Moreover, you don’t need to learn how to use a santoku; as soon as this knife is in your hands, it becomes intuitively clear how to use it, and your first attempts at slicing will certainly be crowned with success.

What is a Santoku knife?

What is santoku used for? This question is easier to answer after studying the characteristics and distinctive features this tool. The difference between this knife is its wide, thick blade, combined with a relatively thin handle. It is this thin handle that allows the cook to perform various manipulations with the knife. At long work With a knife, due to the shift of the center of gravity of the blade forward, the cook uses much less effort and his hand practically does not get tired. Initially, only one-sided sharpening of the knife was used, but now knives with double-sided sharpening are becoming increasingly popular.

The standard knife length is 188 mm. But in Lately Manufacturers can deviate from the proposed standards while maintaining its features and advantages. An excellent example is Mora knives.

Differences between Santoku and Chef's Knife

Some inexperienced housewives believe that a chef's knife and a santoku are one and the same. In fact, these tools have many differences that affect their applicability and ease of use.

As already mentioned, the original Santoku knife has a length of 188 mm, while standard length chef's knife is 330 mm. In terms of blade width, the chef's knife is inferior to the santok. The rise of the cutting edge of a santoku is steep, while that of a chef's knife is smoother. Distinctive feature Santoku is the tip of the blade reduced to the bottom. The chef's knife has a sharpened blade. Santoku is heavier in weight than a chef's knife, this characteristic can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage of this cutting tool. If the knife is very heavy, fatigue may occur when working with it for a long time, but some chefs believe that for convenience you need to feel the knife in your hand.

Why do you need a santoku knife in the kitchen?

If you are interested in cooking or are simply involved in everyday cooking, you will be pleased with such a purchase as a Santoku knife. It will become an indispensable find for any housewife. Hard potatoes and soft trout fillets are equally easy to cut with this knife. You can use this tool if you need to cut vegetables into even thin slices, cubes or chop greens for salad; it will also help you when cutting fish or chopping meat fillet into minced meat.

An important factor is also the compactness of this knife. Small size allows you to conveniently store it in a regular nightstand for kitchen utensils without using additional containers.

Video test of Santoku knives

It is one of the most versatile Japanese knives. When compared to Western knives, it is most similar to a chef's knife, although it is lighter and smaller. translated as “three virtues”, the Japanese mean its universality. good for cutting vegetables and meat.

The main difference between and a chef's knife is that the blade is curved differently than a Western chef's knife, resulting in a different cutting technique.

It has a relatively straight blade, lowered at the tip. The tip itself has an angle of 60 degrees. Some knives, especially those made outside of Japan, have indentations along the cutting edge. They are designed to make food stick less to the knife.

The notches serve as “air cushions”. Cut slices do not stick to this knifehas a thin, lightweight blade in Japan with traditional single-sided sharpening, and in the West with double-sided sharpening. The shape of the blade (“sheep’s hoof”) allows 100% use of the cutting edge. The length of the blade ranges from 12 cm to 20 cm, depending on the purpose and habits of the owner. These knives usually have ideal balancing (the ratio of the weight of the handle and the blade).

Often executed deliberately roughly, as if emphasizing handmade masters In these knives, the steel of the blade is especially valued, and not the beauty of the handle or other elements. The blade, as a rule, is simply driven into the handle and does not have a connecting bolster. When it comes to blade material, there are many variations of steel used for this type of knife. Both single-layer steel of various grades and san mai (three-layer steel) can be used, as well as a combination of hard of stainless steel based on a package made of multilayer mild steel (Damascus).



How to use

The cutting edge does not bend, so cutting movements must be vertical. This can lead to some confusion for the cook, who is accustomed to lowering the heel of the chef’s knife first, and then smoothly moving towards the tip with a “swing” motion. It may seem tedious to lift the blade up/down for each cut, but the blade is very sharp and much lighter than a traditional chef's knife. This gives quick and effective results. When working with Santoku, up and down movements are used.

Types of work with a Santoku knife

Designed for all types of chopping and slicing vegetables and meat. The short blade gives the cook greater precision in his work. The straight cutting edge is good for cleaning cutting boards.

Santoku care

Like other knives, they should be washed by hand, preferably immediately after finishing work. It is especially important to observe this condition for knives made of high-carbon steel, since under the influence detergents and water, the carbon in knives is destroyed, and the knife becomes brittle. Due to the thin blade, should not be used on hard surfaces such as glass or marble. Ideal boards for working with a knife are wood or plastic. Sharpening such a knife should be done on a stone (in the case of one-sided classic sharpening) or with a standard sharpener, taking into account the sharpening angle (15 degrees). Perfect sharpening