What is an ordinary kitchen knife? A chef's knife or a Santoku knife? And what are the differences?
We at Team KookGigant often hear these questions and therefore answer them in this article.
The Chef's Knife
The basis of every kitchen is a chef's knife or chef's knife. The chef's knife is a real all-rounder and is suitable for cutting meat, fish and vegetables, but also for peeling garlic cloves or finely chopping fresh herbs. Most chef's knives have a blade of 20 centimeters and is therefore more than sufficient for almost all cutting work. However, the blade (the blade used to cut) of a chef's knife can vary from 16 to 36 centimeters.
A chef's knife has a bulge in the cutting surface at the end, so that the tip of the chef's knife rolls, as it were, on the cutting board, allowing you to cut effortlessly. This way of cutting is called rocking. A chef's knife is therefore suitable for almost all cutting tasks and is easy to use for everyone.
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The Santoku knife
The Santoku knife is the Japanese cousin of the European chef's knife and, just like the chef's knife, is suitable for cutting meat, fish and vegetables. The name of the Santoku knife stands for 'three virtues', namely: cutting, chopping and carving.
The Santoku knife is often smaller than a European chef's knife, namely 18 centimeters. The blade of a Santoku knife is also thinner than that of a chef's knife, so it feels lighter in the hand and is also easier to use. A Santoku knife often has dimples on the south side of the blade, these dimples are called 'granton'. Granton provides air between the knife and the sliced product, so that the food does not stick to the knife as quickly. The cutting surface of a Santoku knife is straight, so it cannot rock. You cut with a Santoku knife with a pulling movement, cutting more with the front of the knife.
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Free manual
Do you want to learn handy cutting techniques? We are ready for you! Team KookGiant has made a manual containing useful cutting techniques that you can apply with your new chef's knife or Santoku knife . Want to know more about cutting techniques? Click here .
Greetings,
Boil Giant