What is the difference between a Santoku Knife and a chef knife?

     

Both santoku and chef knife are ''go to'' knives for many renowned chefs as they are versatile enough to perform a range of tasks in the Kitchen. If we see, Santoku Knives are similar to chef knives, but they vary in shape and style to French and German knives.

 

To the untrained eye, both the knives appear very similar. But there are a few essential distinctions between both of them.

 

If we see that the santoku knife is better suited for precision cutting, you need really thin cuts. It'sIt's tough to achieve the same level of precision with a regular chef's Knife.

Santoku Knife VS. Chef Knife.

Both the Knife can be used for a range of meals preparing the task, from slicing pork to salmon to chopping vegetables and fruits to mincing herbs and spices.

Introduction:

Santoku Knives: These knives are initially from Asian cuisine and are the chef knife's Japanese version. The shape of santoku is unlike a regular chef knife, practically the same alongside the blade's entire length and only has a slight curve a couple of centimeters from the tip towards the spine. Additionally, it is lighter and shorter than its European friend, making the santoku a popular choice for chefs. The cutting technique is way much different because of the flat blade; this Knife won't rock on the cutting edge. You cut with a movement from back up to the down front. With every cut, the blade will lose contact with the cutting board.

Chef Knives: This Knife has a blade of approx—20 cm long. Also, a smaller chef knife is available, which has a blade length of 16 cm. Many renowned chefs go with long knives. They have a high blade of approximately 4-5 cm to make sure you can place the fingers of the hand you use to hold the ingredient against the side of the edge. With this, a chef can work safely and quickly. This Knife is perfect for cutting vegetables, meat, and fish. But it can also be used as a rocking knife to chop herbs finely. For this, you need to move the Knife up and down alongside the finger while the tip never leaves the cutting board.

Types of cuts: Both the knives can be used for cutting veggies, fruits, and meat. They both are ideal for slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing.

 

Blade thickness and weight balance: Chef Knives tend to be thicker and bulkier. They are also heavy due to the use of additional metal. On the other hand, our Japanese star has a thinner blade and is lightweight for a more delicate cut.

 

The angle of Knife Edge: Santoku has sharp edges angle, averaging around 15 degrees. This is compared to an average of closer to 20 degrees with most Chef knives.

 

Blade Shape: Chef Knife has a gradual curvature on both the top and the bottom of the blade, bringing it to a pronounced point on the blade's front. While santoku has near-horizontal on both top and bottom of the edge, and the nose carries the bottom's point.

 

Blade length: The shape of the blade is different on the two, but there is a slight difference in length. The chef knife is longer and averages between 8-10", which can accommodate large hands better. The santoku blade typically comes in two slightly smaller sizes. They come in a standard 7" version and a mini 5" version.

 

Material Hardness: Japanese style knives, including santoku, have thinner blades with sharp angles; they are also more brittle and prone to chipping. That's the reason why santoku knives are often offered with "super steel," which is an ultra-hard steel alloy that helps reduce the chipping.

 

Cutting motion and grip technique: You grip both the Knife in a similar way; however, the technique and cutting motion used can be quite different. A santoku knife requires either an up and down or a down and forward chopping type motion. Whereas a "rocking" motion is a common technique on a chef's Knife.

The final take: Santoku Knife vs. Chef Knife

So which one is better? This depends on the chef's personal preference and their comfort level with each Knife. Chefs with smaller hands prefer to have a santoku knife due to its smaller size and finesse cutting action. At the same time, chefs with larger hands go for a chef knife. Also, we would encourage everyone to try new things. If you are into chef knives for years, give Santoku Knife a shot!