What is the Best Santoku Knife?

In recent years more and more Asian style kitchen knives have been becoming more popular in the western kitchens. There could be many reasons for this but personally I put the trend down to the sudden emergence of the celebrity chefs on the primetime cooking shows.

One of the Asian knives that has recently become popular with today’s home cooks and rivals the traditional chef knife is the Santoku knife. The Santoku knife is a great multipurpose kitchen knife that can be utilized very much like your everyday chef knife and features a unique styling somewhat like a narrow-bladed cleaver.

The Santoku knife has a comfortable, well-balanced grip, while allowing for full blade use and these knives are best known for their sharp edges and beveled or hollow ground blade which enhances their cutting performance by helping to release thin slices and sticky food after slicing.

Compared to a traditional chef’s knife the Santoku knife is sorter, thinner, lighter, as well as having a more hardened construction. The blade of a Santoku knife is usually between six and seven inches in length (smaller ones are available) in comparison to the typical 8 inch blade of the chef’s knife.

Santoku knives have many uses and are marvelous at chopping, cutting, dicing and mincing plus the food release dimple feature on the blade makes this kind of knife ideal for a wide range of cutting tasks.

The Best Santoku Knife Buying Guide

Knife	Size	Type	Pricing	Rating	Visit
Knife	Size	Type	Pricing	Rating	Visit
	7-inch	Forged	High	★★★★★
	7-inch	Forged	High	★★★★★
	7-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★
	4-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★
	7-inch	Forged	High	★★★★★
	6-1/2-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★
	7-inch	Forged	Medium	★★★★★
	5-inch	Forged	High	★★★★★
	5-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★
	7-inch	Forged	High	★★★★★
	7-inch	Stamped	Medium	★★★★★
	7-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★
	7-inch	Stamped	Low	★★★★★

What is a Santoku Knife used for?

The Santoku Knife uses are varied and it can tackle almost any kitchen prepping task however this knife is a great tool for preparing fruits or vegetables due the non-stick dimple blade.

If you are looking to slice vegetables very thin the Santoku Knife is the knife you need, Santoku knives usually have a much thinner blade angle than their western counterparts.

Because the Santoku Knife is extremely light compared to other kitchen knives means that you can tackle mammoth prepping task in the kitchen with less risk of hand fatigue. Because the Santoku Knife is slightly smaller than western chef knives makes them a great knife for cooks with smaller hands.

So to round up; the best uses for a Santoku Knife is general vegetable and fruit preparation and even slicing and dicing meat. However I wouldn’t feel comfortable prepping any meat that may contain bones due to the thinness of the Santoku Knife blade.

Watch This Video below on How to Use a Santoku Knife

Santoku Knives My Top Picks

Wusthof Classic Hollow-Ground Santoku

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The 7-inch Classic Wusthof Santoku knife features a low-tip style broad blade which provides less rocking motion than the European-style cook’s knife but for straight-down slicing and precise chopping, however, it’s superb.

The Hand-forged high-carbon steel blade with stain-resistant alloy features alternating hollows on each side of the blade create air pockets, allowing slices to fall away cleanly and It has a good balance and feel.

The 7-inch Classic Wusthof Santoku knife has a weighted bolster with a full, triple-riveted tang and a traditional looking Synthetic style handle.

The Santoku knife blade is ground to a very narrow angle and is thin but still ridged enough to cut and slice straight, allowing you to cut very thin slices.

No kitchen should be without this size Santoku knife. Wusthof is a great brand and the Amazon price can’t be beat.

Shun Premier Santoku Knife, 7-Inch

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We can’t talk about Santoku Knives without motioning this classic traditional knife. This classic looking Santoku Knife looks impressive and is made with similar techniques as traditional Samurai swords. It features a handmade forged Damascus steel blade with a striking, hand-hammered finish (known as ‘Tsuchime’ in Japanese).

The hand-hammered finished 7-inch blade is not just for its looks but also serve a purpose and helps to reduce drag when cutting, keeping foods from sticking to the knife blade.

One of the lovely features on the Shun Santoku Knife is the Premium pakkawood handle that seamlessly fits comfortably into the curves of your hand and allows for a variety of comfortable and secure grips.

This Santoku Knife is very well balanced and hold a sharp edge well, however when this knife does go dull sharpening at the 8 degree angle this knife needs can be difficult, however for a knife of this caliber you don’t mind sending it out to get sharpened by a professional.

Victorinox Fibrox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife

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Anyone who follows this website knows I’m a huge fan of the Victorinox kitchen knives due to their affordable cost and durability in the professional kitchen – Cooks Illustrated even gives them a high rating! And the Victorinox Fibrox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife is another winner!

The blade of the Victorinox Santoku Knife has been manufactured from High-carbon stainless-steel providing extreme sharpness as well as excellent edge retention; watch out, the blade on this knife is unbelievably sharp.

Unlike the above 2 knives this knife has been stamped not forged which is what makes the prices tag so affordable – is a stamp knife bad? Not at all, it’s just a cheaper way of manufacturing kitchen knives in bulk.

As with all of the kitchen knives from the Victorinox Fibrox range the handle is made out of a textured patented Fibrox material that is slip resistant, easy to clean and ergonomically designed for balance and comfort also there are no cracks or crevices for food to build up.

The price of the Victorinox Fibrox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife is crazy cheap for this kind of knife – go grab yourself one before they realize and put the price up!

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