No food production is probably possible without a knife. It is the basic tool of every person in the kitchen. Every kitchen has more than one knife - they come in different sizes, shapes, blade thicknesses and many other small details. Perhaps only chefs don't have questions about which one is for whom and how to choose one. So which ones should a home cook have?
We'll start with the most commonly used and indispensable all-purpose knife in every home.
In European and Western cuisine, the basic knife is the so-called "chef's" knife, while in Asia, the main chef's tool varies slightly in size and shape. And you have probably already guessed that its name - "Santoku". It is the name of a Japanese-style chef's knife. Recently Santoku knives are becoming more and more common in European cuisine. This is not only due to the increasing popularity of Asian cuisine, but also Santokuthe advantages of Santoku as a basic knife.
Both are similar in their purpose: they are designed for a wide range of applications: cutting meat, chopping fruit, crushing spices and herbs. However, they have quite marked differences, from shape and design to cutting style and technique.
Vegetable, chef and Santoku knives / Style de Vie VG10 Forged collection
CHEF'S KNIFE
Chef's knife is the ultimate chef's tool, without which kitchen work would be impossible.
The length of the blade of a Western chef's knife is 20-30 cm. The blade is tapered on both sides of the blade at a rather sharp angle. The blade descends towards the point at an almost uniform angle, both on the blade side and on the top (penties).
Chef's knife / Style de Vie Olive Forged collection
This knife shape is designed to perform a repeated chopping motion, the so-called "rock chop". The essence of this technique is that the tip of the knife remains pressed against the board while the handle of the knife is moved up and down while being moved back and forth with ease. The ingredient to be cut is held in the other hand and pushed further under the blade after each movement. Once this technique has been mastered, there is no sound when cutting.
Chef's knife / OLEIO Zayiko Japanese Damascus Collection
Different Chef's knife The parts of the blade near the handle are robust, for cutting through thick cuts of meat, hard fruits and vegetables. The sharpened front part of the blade is designed for more delicate work such as carving meat and trimming fat. Meanwhile, the central part is reserved for all other cutting tasks. The blade plane is used to easily squeeze and crush ingredients such as garlic cloves.
Chef's knife / Style de Vie VG10 Forged collection
When talking about this knife, we can't avoid explaining the Japanese name of the chef's knife. Santoku translates as "three values". Some say it means 3 different uses for the same knife: slicing, chopping and mincing. Others say it means being able to conveniently cut 3 different foods with the same knife: meat, vegetables and fish.
Whatever the interpretation of the name, Santoku can replace or even be superior to what we are used to, Western Chef knife.
Santoku knife is lighter and shorter: its blade length varies from 14 to 18 cm. The shape of the knife itself is also different: the 'spine' of the knife is flat and bends downwards at an angle of almost 90 degrees, while the blade curves only slightly towards the tip.
Santoku knife,18 cm / Style de Vie Olive Forged collection
The shape of the blade is chosen for a reason: it is more comfortable for chopping than for sliding (as is the case with our usual Western chef's knife). The smooth spine of the knife makes it much easier to stack the ingredients to be chopped on the board or to scrape them off the surface. This avoids unnecessary dulling of the most important part of the knife - the blade.
Santoku knife, 14 cm / Style de Vie Olive Forged collection
Another noticeable difference: Santoku Knives often have vertically arranged depressions. These are designed to allow air to pass between the blade and the ingredient to be cut, thus ensuring that the pieces to be cut do not stick to the knife or at least slip off the blade. This is particularly important for perfectly evenly sliced fish for sushi or sashimi.
Santoku knife / Style de Vie Laguiole Luxury Line collection
The main movement of this knife is chopping by moving the knife up and down.
Traditionally Santoku sharpened on one side, but in recent years, knives with tapers on both sides of the blade have become popular.
WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?
Both knives have their advantages: the traditional Western chef's knife is heavier, sturdier, and therefore more convenient for chopping and slicing harder ingredients; while the Santoku is much better suited for delicate chopping or more convenient mincing.
Another difference I noticed: Santoku for knife preferred by people with smaller hands: it is lighter, shorter and easier to hold and balance.
Santoku knife / Style de Vie VG10 Forged collection
HOW TO CUT CORRECTLY?
And finally, a short video illustrating how to conveniently and quickly chop with Chef and Santoku knives:
Chef's:
Santoku:
