Short answer: hold a santoku with a pinch grip, keep your other hand’s fingertips curled, and cut with a straight down or forward-and-down push instead of rocking it on its tip. Use it for vegetables, boneless meat and fish, never on bones or frozen food.
You may have seen a santoku knife many times when buying something for your kitchen. Or, even, you may have heard about it. In fact, a lot of people may not know how to use it and therefore can’t make the best of it. There is a specific technique that needs to be followed.
In other words, a santoku knife is a Japanese design. It serves several purposes because it is very balanced. If you don’t know, “santoku” means three virtues in Japanese language. This points to the three different types of cutting you can do with that knife which is slicing, mincing and dicing. A santoku knife is one of the best parts of a kitchen set you must have. You will notice that both blade and its handle are so well-balanced that you will have no problems with handling it.
So, this article will tell you all about how to use a santoku knife. Hope you find it informative.
If you are interested in our other articles have a look at the difference between santoku and chef’s knife.
So, how to use a santoku knife?
If you don’t own one yet, Victorinox’s Fibrox 7″ santoku is a low-risk way to try the shape: it’s light, the handle grips when wet, and the blade has hollow dimples to help food fall off.
Build & Design
A santoku knife, like already mentioned, offers great balance and is comfortable for your grip. This means that anyone will be able to use it from people with small hands to people with big ones. It will fit perfectly in your hand. The edge of the knife is very flat and the blade is a sheep’s foot. This is different from Western chef’s knives, which have a pointed tip and a curved belly made for rocking.
Most of the santoku knives you will find are made out of steel. That is their traditional build. However, in modern times, you will be able to find santoku knives made out of metal alloys and ceramic. The handle is usually made out of either plastic or wood and even composite. Santoku knives aren’t generally long; most are 5 to 7 inches, and a few reach 8.
Using it
Considering that the blade is a sheep’s foot, this allows the angle of cutting to be more linear. One can also use the knife to cut food in a rocking motion. Most of the time, one uses the santoku knife to dice and slice food. That’s because the knife allows you to be swift in cutting. It has a very thin blade so the cutting should be very smooth and accurate. It also allows you to cut food in one swift motion.
Hold the knife with a pinch grip: thumb and the side of your index finger on the blade right where it meets the handle, the other fingers around the handle. Curl the fingertips of your other hand into a claw so the side of the blade rests against your knuckles. Then put some food, like meat or a vegetable, on a cutting board. Then, you will be able to just push the edge of the knife in a downward quick motion. A lot of Japanese cooks use this way of cutting; forward and backward strokes or straight up and down chop. They don’t do the entire rocking of the knife like western cooks do.
Cleaning the knife
It’s also very important to clean a santoku knife well. If you do it properly, it will assure the knife’s longevity. In other words, it will last you for a much longer time. Even if the box says dishwasher safe, wash it by hand: knocks against racks and other cutlery dull the thin edge. Dry it right away so it doesn’t spot. Washing it on hand is also a much safer and gentler option for that knife too considering that its blade is very thin.
Most traditional Santoku knives are for slicing and chopping which are done in forward and backward motion. So, that’s why, many western cooks may find it uncomfortable at first because they are not used to it. Of course, one can still do the whole rocking motion while cutting and then adding the slicing motion when necessary. However, if you want to do it that way, there are a lot of adjustments and flexibility required to do it.
Santoku knives are incredibly light and very well-balanced. This also results in less back pain and it is less fatiguing to use them. However, because they are small, people with larger hands may find it uncomfortable to grip them. But, of course, those with small hands will find that santoku knives perfectly fit their grip.
To find out more about kitchen knives check out types of kitchen knives or my best nakiri knife picks if vegetables are most of what you cut.
What Do You Use A Santoku Knife For?
For a second option, Mercer’s Millennia 7″ santoku has a textured handle and a Granton edge, and it’s a common pick in culinary schools.
So, overall, you may wonder, what do you use a santoku knife for? Well, if you are still not sure, a santoku knife is meant for soft food. In other words, one can use a santoku knife to slice boneless meat as well as fish and vegetables. Bones, frozen food and hard squash rinds can chip its thin edge. Western-made santokus are usually a little thicker and softer than Japanese ones, so they are tougher but don’t hold an edge quite as long. Both work.
Many santoku knives, Japanese or Western, have hollow dimples (a Granton edge) along the side of the blade. The dimples are there to prevent food from sticking to the knife. This will later prove useful when cleaning it. The dimples also lower the entire cutting friction while cutting.
A Santoku Knife In Comparison To Chef’s Knife
A chef’s knife usually has a thicker and heavier blade. Its blade is also much longer than a blade of a santoku knife. You will also notice there is a curve to a chef’s knife as well. There are some jobs that a chef’s knife is simply better at than a santoku knife is and vice versa. For example, a chef’s knife goes through chicken joints and cartilage more easily. Neither should chop through bones; that’s a cleaver’s job.
Many santokus have no bolster while many chef’s knives do, though German brands also make santokus with full bolsters. A bolster adds weight near the handle and keeps your fingers off the edge. The heaviness of the blade will allow you to cut through the toughest of meat whereas with a santoku knife it will be difficult to do so. So a chef’s knife covers a wider range of jobs, while a santoku is often nicer for quick vegetable prep. Neither is better; pick the shape that fits how you cut.
Conclusion
Hopefully you have found this article on how to use a santoku knife useful and informative. For more on grips and cuts, see how to hold a knife for chopping. If you mostly cut vegetables, compare it with a nakiri in nakiri vs santoku, and for a santoku next to other affordable knives see my best kitchen knives under $100.
For how Japanese santokus differ from German ones, see my comparison of German vs Japanese knives.
Gary Portman founded knivesadvice.com in 2019. He learned to cook in his family’s kitchen as a kid and has used kitchen, pocket and outdoor knives ever since, from paring and fillet knives to survival blades he carries camping and hiking. He writes the site’s buying guides, brand reviews and sharpening how-tos to help readers find the right knife for the job. More about Gary.