In today’s world, the two most popular and general-purpose knives to handle kitchen tasks are santoku and chef’s knife. Although both the knives are great cutting tools and alike in form and shape but there have distinct differences between these knives.
Feeling confused? No way. Let’s know in detail.
The different design and size of these two kitchen knives makes each slightly better than the other in certain tasks. For kitchen cutting, slicing and chopping you will always want to choose the appropriate knife.
Many of you are unfamiliar and want to know the differences between santoku and chef’s knife and which will be ideal for your kitchen.
In this article we will talk about Santoku vs chef’s knife and we hope all your confusion will be cleared after reading this article.
Santoku vs Chef’s Knife: A Detail Comparison
In order to understand the differences between santoku and chef’s knife let’s know about their features. This comparison of Santoku vs chef’s knife will be an inclusive one.
Size
The Santoku knife has a standard version of 7 inches and a mini version of 5 inches. It is typically shorter than chef’s knife.
This knife is more comfortable to those who have small hands which is a big concern for many users. On the contrary, the chef’s knife has a length of 8 inches and sometimes it can be up to 10 inches.
Design of Blade
The length of Santoku blade is relatively smaller than the chef’s knife blade. In fact, the Santoku’s blade is quite light in weight which is good for kitchen cutting and slicing.
On the other hand, the blade of chef’s knife tends to be thicker, broad and heavy.
Uses
The Santoku knife is best for cutting meat, chopping vegetables and nuts, slicing cheese, dicing fruits. Besides, it is popular for creating fine slices for vegetables and seafood.
In case you want to have fine slices of the cooking, you must go with the Santoku knife.
Contrarily, the best uses of chef’ knife involves versatile and complex cutting and slicing of bread, vegetables, fruits, meats and peeling potatoes.
One of its advantages is that different parts of this knife can be used for various tasks.
Isn’t it amazing? Such as the massive slices of meat and huge size fruits and vegetables can be easily cut down by heavy duty heel of the blade. The flat portion of the blade of chef’s knife can be used to softly crush different ingredients like garlic.
Cutting Technique
Due to the size and shape of the blade the cutting motion and technique of both knives are not similar. And you can grip the knives in the same way.
Because of the property of flatter cutting edge and rounded tip, the Santoku knife allows either an up-down chopping or a down-forward chopping movement.
Diversely, the chef’s knife uses the most common technique which is the rocking motion or rock chop. It is appreciated by many.
Just in case if you are still confused with which knife to use, there is nothing to worry about. To clear your confusion, now we will discuss about the top brands of Santoku and chef’s knife and which will make you understand what’s Santoku knife vs chef’s knife.
Also, it will allow you to choose your ideal kitchen knife more precisely.
Santoku Knife Top Brands
Shun
This super sharp Japanese knife brand is slightly smaller in size and a versatile knife with a great and comfortable handle. With no doubt this knife brand comes with one of the best Santoku knife. It contains a carbon stainless steel blade and it is highly durable.
One of its best properties is its safety and control feature. For sharp edge, the knife of this brand is ideal for fine slicing, chopping, dicing and mincing.
Shun Santoku knife is lightweight and easy to move and maneuver. It is an Asian style all-purpose knife brand which can easily become the most used knife of your kitchen.
There are a few products that are exceptionally famous among these Shun knives. Some of these famous products are discussed below.
Shun Sora 7-Inch Hollow-Ground Santoku; Asian-Style Multi-Purpose Knife
This Shun knife is a traditional Japanese styled one that will provide you with all the versatility of a chef’s knife.
With the signature style angle of 16 degrees, their super sharp blades will never fail to amaze you. Again, the polymer bend handle ensures great support and grip.
Shun Classic 7” Hollow-Ground Santoku All-Purpose Kitchen Knife
This classic all-purpose knife works great in dicing slicing and chopping. With an exclusive formula, the blades are incorporated with cobalt, vanadium, carbon, and tungsten.
This is why the sleek blade of this knife works extremely well in the kitchen. Moreover, the knife is also water and corrosion-resistant.
Shun Cutlery Premier 7” Santoku Knife; Easily Handles All Basic Kitchen Cutting Tasks
This compact and light-weight knife is very versatile with all its amazing features. The most effective way to use it is by applying a down and forward motion.
The sharpness of the blades ensures that the cut is all nice and clean and the handles ensure you the maximum protection.
Wusthof
This amazing knife brand is handcrafted in Germany. It comes with a a classic hollow edge sharp knife that can be used for different cutting purposes in the kitchen.
For instance, it is perfect for slicing boneless meats, fish and vegetables. With hollow-ground edge feature, it helps to reduce sticking and friction. The knives of this brand provide triple riveted ergonomic handle which ensure a good strength as well as flexibility.
Now, let us take a look at some of the famous Wusthof knives that are out there.
Wusthof 4172-7 Classic IKON Hollow Edge Santoku, 5-Inch, Black, Stainless
This hollow edge set grabs your attention instantly with its sophisticated outlook. The handle comes with a double bolster that provides you the best grip and balance.
Not just that, their high-quality stainless steel and tempered HRC blades are almost 20% sharper than the previous ones.
Wusthof WU4182 4182 Santoku knife, 5″, Black
This attractive Wusthof knife is very famous for its super sharp blade. The stainless steel with high-carbon material ensures the precise cuts every time you use it.
Moreover, the overall finishing of the product is amazing and the outlook is also very attractive.
Wusthof 4183 Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku Knife 7, 7″, Black
This synthetic knife set comes with three amazing pieces. All of these pieces are carefully designed so that cut is precise and the safety is also maintained.
Again, the knife is super durable and it is also stain and corrosion-resistant. So, it will remain shiny for a very long time.
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels
This outstanding and versatile knife brand is from Germany. One of its interesting features is that due to the optimized blade shape it reduces hand and wrist stress.
Isn’t it amazing? Moreover, the knife coming from this brand ensures safety, adds balance, and improves stability of the blade and resistance to corrosion with fully visible tang construction.
We think this Santoku knife review has given you all the necessary information that you want to know.
Now that you have learned so much about these ZWILLING knives, let us check out some of the best products that are serving these knives.
J.A. Henckels International 16908-181 Forged Premio Hollow Edge Santoku Knife, 7-inch, Black/Stainless Steel
This durable piece is made from the finest German stainless steel. The overall seamless transition of it makes is super easy to use.
Moreover, the knife is honed perfectly. So, the sharpness remains the same for a very long period.
J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL 31170-181 CLASSIC Hollow Edge Santoku Knife, 7-inch, Black/Stainless Steel
This Spanish knife goes a very long way with its incredible sharp blades. The stainless steel also keeps it free from any sort of corrosion.
Again, the triple-rivet handle ensures a great balance over it. So, working with this knife is a great experience.
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels – Four Star 7″ Hollow Edge Santoku Kitchen Knife
This 7” hollow edge knife comes with a polypropylene handle. Which is why it gives a comfortable and gap-free grip.
Not just that, the super-sharp blades also have a side edge angle of 10 degrees. This makes sure that your cut is clean and precise in every angle you use.
Chef’s Knife Top Brands
Victorinox
Victorinox is top brand coming with ergonomically designed carving knife, handcrafted in Switzerland. Their knives feature razor-sharp edge which does not frequently requires sharpening.
The remarkable features are it is incredibly sharp, non-slip, optimal weight, comfortable, easy to maintain. It is more efficient in slicing cooked and grilled meat and fish.
So, if you want to buy a chef’ knife, then this brand can be your first priority.
Now let me introduce you to some amazing Victorinox knives that you should check out.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife, 8-Inch Chef’s
This Victorinox knife is suited best for your kitchen for all your small and big tasks. The brand offers super sharp laser-tested blades that are incredibly precise.
Again, its non-slip grip also ensures a firm balance over it even when it is wet. Therefore, chopping, slicing, and mincing get super easy with it.
Victorinox 8 Inch Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife
This highly durable multipurpose knife comes with a contemporary handle. The design of the handle makes the knife slip-resistant and ergonomic.
Also, the knife has gained a lot of fame as it is preferred by a lot of kitchen experts.
Victorinox 47720 Firbox Pro Chef’s Knife, 7.5 Inch, Black
This Victorinox Firbox Pro Chef’s knife is made from the high-quality carbon stainless-steel which is also ice tempered and conical ground. Thus, the design makes it super durable and long-lasting.
Again, the TPE handle of it provides you the maximum support and grip while working.
DALSTRONG
The DALSTRONG is a chef’s knife brand that consists knife of carbon stainless steel and a narrow blade. Their knives provide with an excellent strength and stain resistance.
It has some good qualities which may hold you back to buy it’s knife. The knife needs a little amount of effort to cut the vegetables and meats in a single stroke.
Now, let us take a look at some of the famous DALSTRONG chef’s knives that are out there.
DALSTRONG Chef’s Knife – Shogun Series – Damascus – Japanese AUS-10V Super Steel – Vacuum Treated (8″ X Chef Knife, Black)
This DALSTRONG knife is famous for the incredible knuckle clearance with its 55mm blades.
Again, the military-grade G-10 handles give you a firm grip and ensure you all the safety you need.
DALSTRONG Chef Knife – 8″ – Gladiator Series – Forged ThyssenKrupp High Carbon German Steel – Full Tang, Black Pakkawood Handle
The attractive design and high-quality materials make this DALSTRONG knife a great option to choose from.
The sleek outlook is accompanied by 14 to 16 degrees of angle on each side. Moreover, it also comes with a triple-riveted handle.
Dalstrong ‘The Crixus’ Chef Cleaver Hybrid Knife – 8″ – Shadow Black Series
These 8” shadow black series provide high-carbon stainless steel with 58+ HRC. Thus, the knives are super durable and sharp.
Not just that, these knives are very long-lasting. Also, all the blades are accompanied by matching space-saving sheath that is also black.
Shun
There is another popular brand of chef’s knife which you may like the most. It is called Shun which is suitable for chopping and dicing a wide range of vegetables and fruits. The blade is thin and sharp providing you with a long-lasting edge.
So if you want to use a knife which has a comfortable grip and easily rests on your hand, then this knife is perfect for you.
There are a few Shun chefs’ knives that are exceptionally famous. Some of these are discussed below.
Shun Classic 8” Chef’s Knife with VG-MAX Cutting Core and Ebony PakkaWood Handle
With the VG-MAX steel formula, these chef’s knives are famous for their durable body and high precision.
Again, the PakkaWoods handle is also incorporated with resin for a better and smoother finish.
Shun Sora Chef’s Knife, 8 Inch, Cutlery Handcrafted in Japan, VB0706, Black
This Shun Sora Chef’s knives are specially designed with the cutting core of VG10 san Mai.
The handle is designed in a traditional Japanese way that compliments its super sharp stain resistant blades.
Shun TDM0723 Premier Chef’s Knife, 6-Inch & Kai Diamond, and Ceramic Retractable Knife Sharpener
The attractive layered Damascus steel and the hand-hammered finishing of this chef’s knife make it an amazing option to choose for any kitchen.
The PakkaWood handle also ensures you the maximum comfort and balance while working.
Verdict
Therefore, from the above santoku vs chef’s knife review, we hope you already know which knife will be more suitable for your kitchen.
If you are still confused to make decision, prepare a list of the requirements of your kitchen and it will be easy to choose the accurate knife. And also, don’t forget to share your thoughts with you friends
Overall, we think chef’s knife is a good choice as it’s handy and comfortable with the classic rocking motion.
But Santoku knife isn’t worse than chef’s knife. The Santoku knife uses a different cutting technique to carry out similar tasks.
However, each knife provides both advantage and disadvantage depending on the certain kitchen chore. Eventually, which will work best for you depends on your personal preference.