Ok so I bought into this Santuko craze a few years ago cause all the chefs on the foodnetwork were raving about them, but what are they good for? Do they have a special use? I mean- I use a chef's knife, a fillet knife, several paring knives, a old utility knife, a large utility knife and a fish knife. I have 4 or 5 of these things and I don't really find they have a significantly better use than what I have always used. So what am I missing?
Santuko, what's it good for?
- Thread starter Datil Patch
- Start date
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, SAY IT AGAIN HUH!! 
sorry i couldn't resist im a little
well from my experiences there great for most applications but it also has to do with the size
i use one for a bunch of things including seed extraction from peppers works wonderfully as
the curved tip seems to help with better control and it removes the entire placenta quick and cleanly and excellent in chopping and slicing meat thinly
hope this helps a little
thanks your friend Joe
sorry i couldn't resist im a little
well from my experiences there great for most applications but it also has to do with the size
i use one for a bunch of things including seed extraction from peppers works wonderfully as
the curved tip seems to help with better control and it removes the entire placenta quick and cleanly and excellent in chopping and slicing meat thinly
hope this helps a little
thanks your friend Joe
thanks. from reviewing some Utubes, it really looks like just an gussied up Chinese cleaver.
its doesnt feel in the hand or operate the same as a cleaver with a flat edge but if you get a good one that feels good in your hand and has a good weight its chops just as well. awesome for precision slicing and everything else. I own one and use it for about everything except when I need my small paring knife or boning/filet knife.
I have 3 Santoku knives and I love them.
I use them mostly for chopping vegetables, and chopping garlic and onions is very easy eith this type of knife.
Even though they are very good, I am looking forward to buy a Japanese Bunkaboocho for cutting my peppers.
They look pretty similar but the Bunkaboocho seems even easier to handle.
BR
Jan
I use them mostly for chopping vegetables, and chopping garlic and onions is very easy eith this type of knife.
Even though they are very good, I am looking forward to buy a Japanese Bunkaboocho for cutting my peppers.
They look pretty similar but the Bunkaboocho seems even easier to handle.
BR
Jan
The santuko is the "chef knife" of Japan. I have one, but I use it less than my other knives. My chef knife gets the majority of prep work. Maybe it's the way I use my santuko... two fingers and a thumb on the blade and the ring finger and pinky around the handle. I find that's where I'm most comfortable using this knife. It's the only knife that makes me somewhat nervous while using. To me it's like using a razor-blade. When I want delicate, paper thin slices of anything, this is the go-to knife.
Geeme is right that this is a sharper knife. The angle of the edge is different.
Geeme is right that this is a sharper knife. The angle of the edge is different.
Yeah.... When I have someone over and they want to help in the kitchen, I make a big deal out of handing them THE KNIFE. I don't actually give it to them at first, but hold it kind of on display, and give THE WARNING:
THIS WILL CUT YOU
You must be VERY careful when using it - respect the blade
People usually roll their eyes at first, and laugh a bit. Then they start using it, and about 2 secs later, you hear something to the effect of "damn, you were serious!" And possibly "Ooooooh, I never knew slicing stuff could be so much fun! You have more stuff I can cut up?"
You must be VERY careful when using it - respect the blade
People usually roll their eyes at first, and laugh a bit. Then they start using it, and about 2 secs later, you hear something to the effect of "damn, you were serious!" And possibly "Ooooooh, I never knew slicing stuff could be so much fun! You have more stuff I can cut up?"
You mean sometimes people come over and help you in the kitchen??? I live in the wrong neighborhood.
Well, mine don't stay sharp. The small Santukos are not beveled the same, and are thicker through the blade. Almost clever like. The large ones are are flat ground like chefs knives, and are very thin at the blade.
I personally love Japanese knives! The ones I have are ground with only a single bevel (most western knives are double ground meaning it's sharpened on both sides of the blade). So it takes some people a while to get used to them as well as the need to have a special ordered knife if you're not right-handed.
I found that they are easy to sharpen and I can easily slice a ripe tomato so thin it only has one side per slice.
The downside to these suckers are that the edges have to be protected and they are made from plain steel at times so, they can rust. And the same with any good knife, hand wash only!
Got my first set because the kitchen I ran was small and they were on sale. Been happy with them and haven't looked back.
Hope you have fun if ya try them,
James
I found that they are easy to sharpen and I can easily slice a ripe tomato so thin it only has one side per slice.
The downside to these suckers are that the edges have to be protected and they are made from plain steel at times so, they can rust. And the same with any good knife, hand wash only!
Got my first set because the kitchen I ran was small and they were on sale. Been happy with them and haven't looked back.
Hope you have fun if ya try them,
James
ANY knife is a good knife! I love knives and kind of collect them.
Depending on what size you have I assume it's probably a 5" or 7", it doesn't really lend itself to cutting things like large squash, or even large potatoes.
If you have a 5", it's perfect for PEPPERS, green onions, mushrooms, etc., smaller veggies. The 7" will obviously be better for larger veggies, cutting up a chicken etc. If you have a hollowed blade (like scalloped),
they say it releases food better. ??? Maybe, maybe not. I think it depends on the food.
When it comes to sharpening, keeping them sharp, or staying sharp, their are a lot more factors than the name Santoku.
Use (cutting style), cutting surfaces, maintenance, storage, and food itself.
Santoku is a description, not a brand, so just because it's called Santoku, doesn't mean it will be a better knife (stay sharper longer).
The single most important factor with any knife is the steel quality. When it comes to good knives, there is generally a correlation between cost and quality. Although I have some cheap knives that I ask how did they do that for so cheap?
So that's not always literal. But when you can buy a Santoku for $20. or one for $120., I guarantee the $120 will be better, hold it's edge longer etc.
I think the worst thing for a knife edge, and I do it all the time, is scraping the chopped food to the corner of the cutting board, ugh! It's a habit I can't seem to break, so I have to sharpen my knives quite often because of that, oh well.
I personally like the laminated steel knives. Some have just a few layers, and some have up to 20 layers, and I think all are a better quality than most stainless varieties, plus they're beautiful.
If you really want a masterful tomato cutting experience, go with a ceramic Santoku or Kyocera Kyotop Damascus. It's the sharpest edge achieved by humans thus far, but only to be use for certain vegetables IMO. (like not pineapple, butternut squash etc.)
You'll pay dearly for it though as they start at $200 and can go up to what ever you want to spend, if you're rich! But would you really WANT a brand new Cadillac if it only cost $10,000? I wouldn't....
Sorry, I kind of jacked your thread! I could go on all day about knives (obviously).
Join me next week when I talk all about "Sharpening"! LOL!
Depending on what size you have I assume it's probably a 5" or 7", it doesn't really lend itself to cutting things like large squash, or even large potatoes.
If you have a 5", it's perfect for PEPPERS, green onions, mushrooms, etc., smaller veggies. The 7" will obviously be better for larger veggies, cutting up a chicken etc. If you have a hollowed blade (like scalloped),
they say it releases food better. ??? Maybe, maybe not. I think it depends on the food.
When it comes to sharpening, keeping them sharp, or staying sharp, their are a lot more factors than the name Santoku.
Use (cutting style), cutting surfaces, maintenance, storage, and food itself.
Santoku is a description, not a brand, so just because it's called Santoku, doesn't mean it will be a better knife (stay sharper longer).
The single most important factor with any knife is the steel quality. When it comes to good knives, there is generally a correlation between cost and quality. Although I have some cheap knives that I ask how did they do that for so cheap?
So that's not always literal. But when you can buy a Santoku for $20. or one for $120., I guarantee the $120 will be better, hold it's edge longer etc.
I think the worst thing for a knife edge, and I do it all the time, is scraping the chopped food to the corner of the cutting board, ugh! It's a habit I can't seem to break, so I have to sharpen my knives quite often because of that, oh well.
I personally like the laminated steel knives. Some have just a few layers, and some have up to 20 layers, and I think all are a better quality than most stainless varieties, plus they're beautiful.
If you really want a masterful tomato cutting experience, go with a ceramic Santoku or Kyocera Kyotop Damascus. It's the sharpest edge achieved by humans thus far, but only to be use for certain vegetables IMO. (like not pineapple, butternut squash etc.)
You'll pay dearly for it though as they start at $200 and can go up to what ever you want to spend, if you're rich! But would you really WANT a brand new Cadillac if it only cost $10,000? I wouldn't....
Sorry, I kind of jacked your thread! I could go on all day about knives (obviously).
Join me next week when I talk all about "Sharpening"! LOL!
I knew I liked Scoville! I'm a knife freak too! Not butterfly knives but high quality knives that serve a specific purpose.
Yeeeah Buddy!
There's just something about nice knives that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.