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What Is a Chef’s Knife?
A chef’s knife is what we call a Western-style knife. It is considered an essential tool in the kitchen. It is generally made for a pinch grip. The blade is about 8 -12 inches long from the heel to the tip. It is possible to find versions with a smaller blade approximately 6 inches long. However, if you ask professional chefs, they would say that the longer the blade, the better. This tool’s cutting edge comes with a generous curve, aka the belly. It serves for the rocking motion that you make cutting herbs.
Features
- These are French and German-style knives.
- There are zigzag varieties.
- Features curved edge.
- It comes with a double bevel.
- Heavy.
- The average size is 8-12 inches, but there are 6-inch versions.
What is a Chef Knife Used For?
It is interesting. A plethora of chef knife uses and the main reason everybody will tell you that this is a must-have tool in every kitchen. The sturdy heel of the blade is ideal for cutting through thick pieces of meat. You can use it for cutting fruit and vegetables that have hard rind like watermelon, squash, etc. If you want to do detailed work of trimming fat and scoring meat you will make great use of pointed tips. But this knife is also excellent for the rock chop technique.
What is a Santoku Knife?
Okay, now let’s see what is a Santoku knife?!
These knives are commonly used in Asian countries.
It is a Japanese variation of chef’s knives. Santoku means three virtues in Japanese. People think it refers to three things that you can do with this knife – slice, chop, and mince. Some chefs believe that it refers to three parts of the knife. Looking at the comparison chef’s knife vs. Santoku knife, you notice Santoku knife is significantly lighter and smaller. On average, these knives are between six and seven inches long. The blade is wider and has a flatter cutting edge. It features a slight curve a couple of centimeters from the tip toward the spine, unlike its Western-style counterpart.
Features
- Japanese knife.
- The wide blade without a tip.
- Thinner blade.
- There are single beveled versions.
- Lighter in weight.
- Smaller, average size varies between 5 and 8 inches.
What is a Santoku Knife Used For?
Are you wondering what is a Santoku knife used for? Well, some chefs believe that the three virtues refer to three parts of the knife – the main cutting edge for slicing; the heel for chopping; and the tip for detailed work. When it comes to Santoku knife uses it is necessary to say that you can do everything you do with a chef knife. However, the technique is different. Since it features a flat blade, Santoku will not do the rocking movement. This knife is designed for you to hold it at the handle and cut it from back up to the down front. The contact between the blade and the cutting board is lost with every cut.
Similarities
Use
As you can see, both of these knives are used for the same things. Whichever you choose, you can be sure that you will have a lot of success in cutting, chopping, and slicing the meat, fish, veggies, etc.
Handle
Both of these knives feature a full tang handle. Many people prefer full tang because it is wider and thus more efficient when you need to do some heavy-duty cutting.
Difference Between a Santoku and Chef’s Knife
Weight
When you look at the Santoku knife review, one of the first things that come to your attention is that it weighs less than the Western-style Chef knife. It is particularly useful for individuals with smaller hands.
Size
Chef’s knife is longer than Santoku knife. As we mentioned before, the average size of a Western-style knife is 8- 12 inches. Santoku is about 6 – 7 inches long.
Blade
The blade on the Santoku knife is thinner than the one on the chef’s knife. Besides, it features hollow dents on the edge of the straight blade. A sharp blade of the chef knife is broader with a pointed tip. It is also thicker.
Verdict and Our Recommendation for 2021
The bottom line is that choice between chef’s knife vs. Santoku comes down to your personal preferences and cooking style. If you have small hands, you might prefer Santoku because it is lighter and smaller, which means that it will be easier for you to work with it. A chef knife is a better option for large-handed people. Apart from that chef’s knife can be a better choice for cutting watermelons, while Santoku is ideal for cutting fish or vegetables for ratatouille. If you want to know about maintenance, you will find it interesting to read about how to sharpen the knife at home.
