I just recently got this Japanese beauty as a gift from my husband. I've never worked with a santoku knife, but always wanted to...This knife was made by Shigeki Tanaka, one of the younger generation Japanese blade maker. It's blue steel damascus santoku knife.
So what makes these blades so special?
Well, the first hint is hidden in their name. Santoku can be translated into »three virtues« or »three uses«, which means that these knives are perfect for slicing, dicing, and mincing. This makes them a perfect allround knives for us homechefs! Santoku knives are very sharp, shorter, lighter, thiner and harder than your classic chef's knives.
The shape
Santoku knives are usually between 6 and 7 inches long (chef's knives are around 8-9) and have a flat cutting edge, sharpened on both sides. In many cases the blade would have flat divots on the sides of the blade near the cutting edge, which is known as a granton edge. These divots help keep food from sticking to the knife.
The handle is in most cases wooden, oktagonally shaped and in line with the blades spine, which makes the knife easy to handle. The tip of the blade drops in a downward curve, called the sheep's foot, unlike the straight tips of standard western and chef's knives.
I've always used a chef's knife, but i find the santoku much easier to handle since i have small hands. The technique is a bit different, since the santoku has a flat edge. Rocking the knife is much more limited then with a chef's knife. Using damascus steel makes it look soooooo beautiful, keeps it light and hard but makes it prone to chipping, so one must avoid hitting bone, metal surfaces or frozen items.
The verdict
Comparing the two, i can conclude, that i prefere the santoku. It doesen't mean that one is better than the other, it just means that it fits my hand and style of cooking better. The light blade and shorter cutting edge gives me more control as i chop or slice.
Hope you find my post helpfull if ever deciding which knife to buy.