How to choose a Santoku knife - How to pick a good Santoku knife
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- The Santoku is related to the Chef's knife and the Gyuto.
The word Santoku means ''three virtues'', which indicates that is can be used to cut meat, vegetables, or fish.
The Japanese created the Santoku based on the western Chef's knife; they changed the knife profile to be straighter to accommodate the Japanese cutting style of chopping rather than rocking,
as you would with the curved edge of the Chef's knife.
The santoku''s are also fairly short with a length of around 7 to 6 inches.
In Japan, they are used in the home kitchen and rarely seen in the professional kitchen.
Knives used in the video:
Santoku knives:
Global Santoku G-46: amzn.to/2TXxQru
Global Santoku Classic with hollows: amzn.to/2U0g4nq
Kai Shun Classic Santoku: amzn.to/2S58VSV
Griphinity Santoku Pegasus: amzn.to/37e8Ctl
Others:
Wusthof Ikon Classic Chef knife: amzn.to/35sOSCm
Zwilling Pro Chef Knife: amzn.to/2PskCC8
Keemake Bunka (Santoku Profile) knife: bit.ly/30ostUD
Blacksmith Yu Kurosaki: Shizuku 210mm - SG-2
Blacksmith Makoto Kurosaki: Black Forged 240mm - Shirogami White #2
Mcusta Zanmai Nakiri - VG10
For more Chinese knives: bit.ly/31Z5sXP
For more information about another steel-types, visit my website:
www.chefpanko.com/types-of-kn...
For more information about the steel-types and choosing your knife, you can visit my website:
www.chefpanko.com/choosing-yo...
If you have any questions about Japanese knives made in China or about some brands, feel free to ask it in the comment section below.
If you have seen my review videos about one of the knives and own one of them, feel free to add your experience in the comments too this will help other consumers make a decision.
Thank you all for your support and feedback.
Click on the link below if you want to search for other Chinese knives:
bit.ly/31Z5sXP
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction
0:23 - What is a Santoku?
0:59 - Is the Santoku something for you?
2:25 - Handle Choices
3:28 - Gripping style for a Santoku
4:09 - Core Material: www.chefpanko.com/choosing-your-knife/
4:23 - Importance of the correct balance point
6:15 - Santoku Profile, Hybrid & Traditional Santoku Profile
6:45 - Spine Distal Taper
7:33 - Summary
8:00 - Aesthetic & Functions - Jak na to + styl
*[CC] English Closed Caption has been added make sure to turn it on if you have trouble understanding my pronunciations.*
TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Video Intro
0:23 - What is a Santoku?
0:59 - Is the Santoku something for you?
2:25 - Handle Choices
3:28 - Gripping style for a Santoku
4:09 - Core Material: www.chefpanko.com/choosing-your-knife/
4:23 - Importance of the correct balance point
6:15 - Santoku Profile, Hybrid & Traditional Santoku Profile
6:45 - Spine Distal Taper
7:33 - Summary
8:00 - Aestatic & Functions
Note: My explanations about the balance point were misunderstood by some, therefore I tried to explain it more in this video.
If you still did not understand it or had trouble with it I would appreciate the feedback so that I can explain it better in future videos.
Extra information: Santoku knives are usually also thinner than other knives like the Wusthof Classic/Ikon or Zwilling pro.
(Special thanks to Jing Lee for mentioning)
All the knives used in the video can be found in the description.
What is the brand of the Black Santoku used in the video
@@solman5517 Kai Shun Classic Santoku, all knife versions and links are in the description.
I can Relate to your accent and I understand you well.
Thank you,chef...👍👍
Chef just to confirm the Kurosaki Gyuto Japanese knife you were demonstrating with the traditional handle is more a chefs knife than a Santoku correct? It is more commonly related to a western chefs knife blade as opposed to a shorter flatter Santoku?
Hello teacher. Excuse me, I'm thinking about buying a set of knives, and I'm between: Henzen, Xinzuo or Turwho. Any of the 3 brands are from the same line, that of Damascus. Which of the 3 brands is better?
after watching this i realised i dont have a life.. but thank you
We're all looking for a good knife here friend
Chef Panko’s awesome.
All good information. I got my mother, who lives alone and usually cooks small volumes, a Global santoku and she loves it. Not too long, and the wide blade means less risk of chopping fingers. She also loves the look and feel in the hand.
I dont think there could be questions after that epic video. I never even knew. Just got the Santoku knife randomly, now I am a PhD.
Thanks for making this video, has helped me narrow down my knife selection
A excellent and thorough explanation, Thank you Chef.
Glad you liked it :)
another brilliant video ChefPanko ... so clear and informative
I never knew Santoku was the knife for me until I've tried one. Since I did, its my most used knife by quite some distance, and imho, once one gets familiar with it and its few downsides it can do 95% of what any chefs knife can do, while having quite a few positives over a classic chefs knife. They are almost always lighter and thinner than a similarly sized chefs knife, which I prefer. The only real negative about them is their length, but then again If they were longer there wouldn't be much point to them.
My knife skills are at very good level for a home cook, but I always preferred a single cut/slide or chopping over the rocking or going back and forth. The bags are not a problem as I just slice the top of it completely as I sharpen my knives regularly. Only times when I go for my Gyutou is when I need to cut something big, and even then I wish I had the same length santoku in hands. Its a knife I never knew I needed, but I cant imagine myself using anything but now.
My next purchases are lightweight Chinese cleaver and a Nakiri, and going by how much I love Santoku, I will probably like those as well.
Or you can look for a Bunka styled knife which is a combination of a Nakiri, Gyuto, Santoku it is slowly becoming one of my most used knife style at home.
@@chefpanko Just googled Bunka, and to be honest I always thought it was a stylized version of Santoku and not a knife style on its own. And it probably is, heh.
Having said that, It looks like something I would enjoy using, and I will probably get that instead of Nakiri, because its shorter, and I prefer that.
Thanks for the heads up, and keep up the good work!
Thanks for elaborate feedback
I like santoku for its light weight, thin and sharpness.
I work at a poke restaurant. My boss promoted me last week. He taught me and told me how to cut fish the japanese style. He told me I might need my own knife to prep salmon and tuna. This video helped me so much! I know now that I’m getting a santoku! Thank you so much!
A poke restaurant depends on how the salmon, tuna, etc., gets delivered. Are they pre-cut, and you only need to cut it in cubes? or do you need to filet a complete salmon/tuna? (removing pin bones, spine, skin, head, etc.).
A Santoku should do fine for slicing cubes, but filleting a complete salmon with a Santoku is not ideal.
And if you need to do a high volume of large produce cutting, a long knife like a Gyuto (10+inches) is better and more versatile for restaurant use (entirely depends on the situation and prep work chefs have multiple knives for each station that they cover). (Fish fileting station, veggies prep station, etc.).
We need to filet 20+ complete salmon a day depending on the reservation, and we have a poke bowl menu too in the restaurant, besides sushi and other warm dishes like chicken katsu, etc.
For Tamago, we don't do them in cubes but use a mandoline style slicing so that we can present them like spreading cards in a fan for presentation (so we prefer a thinner front and point part of something like a Gyuto, Sujihiki orYanagiba (Yanagiba needs some cutting adjustments from you or you cut it will not cut straight) for this particular task since we pull the knife towards our body with the tip on the cutting board this reduces prep time a lot. Therefore, we learn new apprentice cooks to follow the same style so that they create muscle memory instead since the thinner point reduces drag and tear. You can transfer your finger to the other side with each pull so that the Tamago stays in its rectangular form so that we can portion size the poke bowl correctly with the correct amount (6 slices) of Tamago slices in a spreading card fanning position on top of the bowl).
We tried the mandoline style on the cucumbers (we use a mandoline for cucumbers, so no knives), but we reverted it back to cubes since it was not convenient for the customer to eat it. As with the Tamago, they can easily portion size or split it with a spoon or chopsticks, but it is not as easy with cucumbers, so we reverted it back to cubes convenience over presentation in this case (also we have a layer of salmon/tuna tartar that we cut in cubes, so cubes reduce the prep time for us in the kitchen another reason we reverted it back to cubes over mandoline style since it reduces prep time and the flavors/sauce mix better).
But for slicing cubes, a Santoku should do great, like mango, tofu, cucumber cubes.
But some poke restaurant is going for a mandoline slicing for some toppings for aesthetic/presentation purpose.
As I don't know what your prep consists of and your preferable cutting style, I don't know if a Santoku would be the ideal knife. (if fish comes pre filleted and skin already removed, and you only need to cut it in cubes, then a Santoku should be fine). Many poke restaurants order those (fish filets) from the fish supplier to reduce prep-time and an extra person they need to pay to do the filleting.
As I use the following for Salmon prep only.
Complete Salmon: A thick knife like a Deba or a lower Rockwell chef's/Gyuto knife for filleting and removing the head (head removal is done to reduce prep time, and we use them for staff meals).
A Yanagiba to portion size and to slice sashimi and nigiri slices. (it is designed to reduce drag, and it won't tear the flesh, so a smooth nigiri or sashimi slice)
A Gyuto for slicing cubes for poke bowls and a layer of maguro/salmon tartar. (Santoku should be fine for this too).
Hope you got some valuable information. If not, please ask more questions as I hope you find the correct knife for your prep work at the restaurant.
This is just a portion of some insight into how we do it at the Sushi restaurant (that I used to work in), but each restaurant has its own method to reduce prep-time (so make sure the knife helps with the prep you have to do in the restaurant you work at).
As I'm pretty sure a specialized poke restaurant has developed a more efficient prep method versus a restaurant that used to only serve sushi but had to add poke bowls to the menu to fight competitors with the new trend (and especially now with the restaurant closed and only available for take-away & delivery).
@@chefpanko Got nothing to add, just an excellently detailed comment
@@chefpanko Excellent advice, many thanks! The Yanagiba or Willow Leaf knife is so beautiful for cutting slices of sushi. A samurai sword indeed.
There are some exhaustive videos by Epicurious channel (a great food channel) on a broad array of Japanese knives and their functions. Also how to sharpen, select, carry them, and use them. You may want to check it to broaden your knowledge.
If you need to fillet the fish at the restaurant,a deba is a must have. A funayuki is also a good fish knife for smallerfish.
Thanks for the excellent and thorough explanation!
Thank you very much for this video! Very informative and beautifully made.
Thank you for the comment :)
Very good Advices and techniques in using the Two Famous knives....
Thank you Chefs....👍👍
Wow, such an informative video, amazing, thank you!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thankn you for watching :)
Great video! Thank you!
Perfect video, thanks
Thank you for the comment, I really appreciate it :)
I picked up my favorite santoku at a thrift store. It's a double man Henckel that I bought.....for only $5.
$5 for an Henckels that is a nice deal depended on the state but even if it was in a bad state you can't ask much for only $5! And since it is your favorite santoku I would say money well spend! :)
Tnks Chef Panko👌
awesome video 👌👌👌
Fantastic points about knife balance! For years I have tried to explain that to people who tell me that I am holding my wife's (Western) santoku wrong... It is balanced to be held by the handle (which she prefers), for push cutting. I hold my traditional gyuto far down the blade, and I use it for draw cutting because it is forward-heavy.
Yeah, I have different preferences per knife style, but sometimes the manufacturer changes the handle design which makes the balance point shift acceptable.
If they make a handle heavy Nakiri for example it is a preference and design choice of the manufacturer. People that hold the knife at the handle will love it.
Those that don't want that need to seek a different point of balance for their knife style.
I wrote an article about it that you can find here: www.chefpanko.com/knife-handle-kitchen-knife-balance-point/
@@chefpanko I agree.
My wife's santoku has a palm swell which is awkward if you hold the knife farther forward, but the knife is not balanced to be used that way. It is designed to be held by the handle only, and the palm swell helps to keep the knife firm in the hand despite having no grip on the blade. Excellent design.
My gyuto is the opposite. It has a traditional oval handle which could easily roll in your hand--except that it is balanced to be gripped by the blade. The handle is a uniform diameter, allowing you to grip the blade at the preferred spot with your back fingers wrapped where most comfortable. Excellent design.
I also have a full tang German-profile chef's knife balanced just in front of the half bolster, which happens to be the best hand placement and balance for rock-chopping. The half bolster is hollowed out toward the blade so that it is natural to pinch it there, and the handle is a square profile with rounded edges and uniform width so your back fingers can grip where most comfortable. Excellent design.
Three chef's knives, three different balance points, three different handle designs, all excellent. I hold each one differently and prefer different cutting techniques for each, and enjoy using all three.
@@chefpanko Thanks for the article, it is very good.
When assessing a knife, I find the balance point by resting it flat on my index finger, then I pinch it with my thumb. Turning it into position, I see where the rest of my hand naturally falls along the handle. If the knife is more comfortably held a bit farther forward, it will always feel back-heavy and vice versa. This will affect how I would tend to use the knife.
A knife that can be comfortably gripped at exactly the balance point is good. A knife that can also be gripped comfortably ahead and behind the balance point is more versatile. A knife that cannot be comfortably gripped at the balance point I would not buy.
Santoku still has pointed tip (Sheepsfoot) and it can pierces. You don't do rocking chops if the stack is too high, instead you do the front chops. My ideal Santoku blade shape are, 7 inch length, around 3/4 tall of Nakiri, mostly flat edge with starts to curved slightly at the middle of the edge up to the tip (the tip is not too high from the edge, just enough to do rock chops), and the spine mostly flat and greatly curved when close to the tip. I love Santoku!
I’m looking to buy my first knife. I just love the aesthetic and thought of the traditional octagonal grip so much. What would you recommend as a first if I’m looking to spend between $80-$150?
I always wondered why chefs and professional cooks always said they don't use santoku at work but never really said why.... it makes sense - they have a larger demand of orders and need to process them quickly, and some have more space to work on than a home kitchen so they can accommodate a longer blade which can deal with larger ingredients easily and quickly...
Yep, people think that the Santoku is not good since chef's don't recommend them.
But this is not true the Santoku is perfectly fine and great.
It is just too short for us since we do prep work in large volume. My go-to knife is a 10inch (most standard length that you will see in most of the cook's knife roll) knife due to the larger volume of prep work.
Same for knife skills we do certain things a particular way since we need to prep a lot of food in one go.
This can save us up to 1 hour of prep work if you are fast enough with your knife skills.
But a home cook will not save a lot of time.
They maybe save 1 min of prep time while risking cutting themselves while emulating the professional cook with speed.
We are not running a competition at the restaurant for who is faster, but we do it so that the team's workload gets less and less.
Or we try to finish things faster so that we can teach the new guy how we do certain things.
@@chefpanko I grew up using mostly santoku, and so a regular chef knife (gyuto/western) is rather odd (not that I can't use it). I want to build my own knife roll, and I was debating whether to stick to a santoku or go for a western-style chef knife... I'm only a cooking hobbyist so I don't expect to do hard-core ingredient processing or 3-hour mise en place. (I'm not made of money so I can't buy both santoku and chef knife sadly too hahaha
@@busansanai You may want to look at a ''Bunka'' styled knife, it has the same or similar profile as the Santoku but maintains a tip at the front like a chef's knife/ Gyuto (great for scoring) with the same height and knuckle guide as a Nakiri.
I wish it was a 3-hour mise en place :) more like 30 min to start up the kitchen with the team and then 4 hours prep and then dinner time before rush hour.
@@chefpanko I've heard of bunka knives. Definitely something I'll look into (2 birds with 1 stone). I hope it's not too expensive. Do you have any recommendations on brand/company?
I'm just a "home cook". :) But I think the Sentoku is for BOTH people who "rock" and "chop/slice". Or for people who mostly use a diagonal slicing and vertical chopping motion but might want to use the "rocking motion" maybe a quarter of the time...
If someone knows they will never use the "rocking motion" then I think a Nakiri is abetter choice with a "flat/straight edge"....
Luckily for home cooks both tyles of knife are easily found from almost all brands. Are affordable versions to expensive...Japanese, German....
Great work! About the Kurouchi finish, it would be interesting to know how it reacts to onion's juice beside fruits.
Thanks for the very informative video!
Will test that too, I was mainly using it for the Japanese cuisine so never noticed that it can come off, a viewer emailed me and pointed it out it reacts to lemon juice and alcohol and other stuff and in most cases when they are made in China they add a protective layer that comes of easier than the real finish.
@@chefpanko in my case it does not comes that easy off, but I prepare onions almost with every meal :) and on the inner/cutting side of the blade it starts to fade a very little bit.
@@damiancanteros I reread the email it seems like there is a protective layer for shipping and to prevent any rust forming. So not exclusively for the Chinese made ones but some Japanese manufacturers add it too. That is a layer that you should slightly polish/washed away but it is not harmful to eat.
But definitely gonna test it more now with all kinds of food before making a video about it.
Thank you for the extra info :)
Love your content. Please keep them coming. Once possible topic I have not seen is how to handle very thin, very hard, and very expensive Japanese heirloom quality knives. I own several of these and use them only for special occasions. Can they be used every day? And if so, is there any change to technique to use them? Thanks.
You can use them everyday, just don't do what some cooking shows show you what they do.
- Don't twist the knife
- Do not scrape with force
- Do not go through Hard bones
- Hard bread like a fresly backed baugette with a hard crust etc
Here is a video for more information: czcams.com/video/vdPmTNaf8vM/video.html
Hi! This was so helpful 😄. I currently have a Global 8in chef knife and find that its a bit heavy and long for me. I’m considering getting a santoku knife or a 6in chef knife. Do you have any advice?
Glad it was helpful :)
Depends on your slicing style. Do you use the more curved blade of a chef's knife a lot more? (rocking). If you don't and prefer a forward down and then up again motion lifting the knife from the cutting board, then a Santoku or other straighter profiled knives would suit you better (Bunka, Nakiri).
As for weight, I find the Global ''Classic'' knives on the lighter side. Do you have the Global ''Sai'' series? The Sai series is a hammered version with a cladding (3 layers) that version is heavy. The Global ''Ni'' is also on the heavier side.
My first sharp knife was a santoku, I believe that goes for most people.simply because at least a cheap santoku is thin compared to cheap chef knife bricks. That's why it's overrated often. I don't use mine a lot anymore but my wife likes it, poor shun vg10 getting harassed by her cutting watermelon with a 14cm santoku..oh well. Awesome video as always, if you want me to make a wish here you go: review large knifes, gyuto and chef knifes I am very interested in and I'll buy one but don't want to invest 350 bucks to a perfect one when my 30cm old wusthof does any work that has to be worked hard already...and my 27cm fake global does what a global does.
The Santoku was also my first Japanese knife but switched it pretty fast for a Gyuto. I'm always amazed by what the ladies can do with such a small knife, even when you tell them that it is not suitable for what they want to do they will always make it work (and prove you wrong).
I got a knife sent over by Tuo Cutlery, need to test the knife some more but they send me a 9.5 inch (24cm) Chef's knife from their Ring Series H. And they are planning to send a Fiery Phoenix Cleaver. They are currently fairly priced and that on their official Amazon store (Matching the prices of the AliExpress store). This was a surprise to me but they are on a discount on Amazon however their Amazon EU store is pricing the knives higher than the Amazon NA store.
They also asked my feedback, since they are planning to make a new knife line-up. So I secretly hope that they can fix all the things I have experienced with the Chinese made knives.
That would become a game-changer in terms of Japanese styled knives made in China. And they plan to make a special line for the western cuisine so not a Japanese styled knife but a German-style chef's knife.
Can you make a video for sharpening Japanese santoku knives?
I will do a general sharpening guide suitable for all ''double'' bevel knives including Chef's knife, Nakiri, Santoku, Bunka, Sujihiki, etc. I plan to do individual knife sharpening guide too but not sure since they are all the same once you understand the basics for double bevel sharpening.
hello there is a 5 and 7 inch choices can you please give me advice what size i should get
This is personal preferences the best thing you can do is to look at your current knife. You find it too long or just about right and how long is your current one?
I personally will choose 7 inches over 5 since I find 5 inches too short for my use.
Hello Chef Panko, here are three other brands of Santoku knife that I have found on Amazon that fall into the affordable price range I am looking for (Tuo, Kessaku and Ytuomzi) In addition to any others you might find to be a better knife, please let me know what you think is the best that fall within my less than $100 price range.
I prefer more of a traditional slicing and chopping forward motion Santoku knife rather than the rocking western style since I already have a western chefs knife.
You may want to look at a Chinese vegetable slicer (Cai-Doa), Don't get confused with the Chinese Chopper (or Dual purpose Chopper) of Chinese Bone Cleaver. The extra width and straighter profile make them ideal for forward slicing motion. You can still rock on herbs with them.
Look at:
Shibazi: czcams.com/video/feaXHT4yuLM/video.html
Dengjia: czcams.com/video/cM9lM-YVi-U/video.html
czcams.com/video/B_khFoUhWpw/video.html
CCK: czcams.com/video/wpbSb4i6R_Q/video.html
I only have tried Tuo which was a decent knife for the price (they do have a lot of series).
A Nakiri may be an option too but I prefer the Chinese vegetable slicer over a Nakiri.
Hello Chef. I have a question to the Kai Santoku you also introduced. What about the Handle? Is it an traditional handle or kind of hybrid? Its not a full tang, but it is durable as well? It has a steel end. Would you recommend it for everyday use? Or is there a better knive for the price to recommand for example the griphinity? Thx for an answer!
Good question, I think that the Santoku from Kai Shun is a Hybrid handle. So the chances are high that they actually have a hidden full-tang because of the metal endcap that he back of the handle (I don't have it confirmed but the best way is to contact shun directly to get a confirmed answer to my speculation).
A Hybrid handle because they kept the traditional wooden shape (D-shape) while adding a metal front and end-cap.
As for everyday use, as long as you don't go through bones and frozen food/ semi-frozen and cheese/ hard bread (the hard outer side of the bread like a baguette) then those knives should be fine for everyday use.
As for Griphinity vs Kai Shun, it depends on personal preferences but here are the comparisons:
Balance point: Both middles balanced at the curved cap.
Blade Profile: Kai Shun, Hybrid Profile - Griphinity Traditional (straighter profile)
Weight: Kai Shun 208g (in line with most Japanese fusion) - Griphinity 262g (heavy and comes more in line with a German chef's knife in terms of weight).
Rockwell Hardness: Kai Shun 61 (Good edge retention) - Griphinity 60/61 (It feels like a 60 and slightly higher around 60.5) The shun is harder no doubt but only noticeable side by side.
Steel core material: Kai Shun VG-Max is a bit more brittle than an AUS10 (keep in mind the VG-Max Rockwell is also higher) Griphinity AUS10 is less brittle than VG-Max but still brittle.
(As long as you follow the guideline of not going trough frozen food, bones, etc you should be fine).
Spine Distal Taper:
Kai Shun has a nice gradual spine distal taper thicker at the heel and thinner at the front.
Griphinity no spine distal taper pretty much the same thickness across the blade spine (one of the reasons that the knife is heavier).
Handle: Kai Shun D-Shape, is good and fills your fingers without adding extra weight, Griphinity Full-Tang western handle design which will add weight, therefore, the overall knife is heavier.
Personal opinion: While I like them both the Griphinity handle is more comfortable for my hands.
Another thing to consider: Kai Shun ''Made in Japan'' Griphinity ''Made in China''
While the Griphinity is made in China, the brand is from a Swedish company and they are handling the customer service and quility control themself (via Amazon).
And the Factory they choose is definitely a good one after testing both of their knives and is definitely a great contender in competing with a Japanese made knife.
However, the bad stigma around'' Chinese made'' will still be there and the miss of a few key points was a missed opportunity (Spine Distal taper).
They are also competing with pretty much the same price range as a Shun while already having a bad Judgement from the majority of the customers since the knives are manufactured in China. And they are still pretty much an unknown brand.
Now Griphinity vs Kai Shun,
If it wasn't for the spine Distal Taper I would have chosen the Griphinity knife over the Shun Classic Santoku. (If they had a distal taper and the current price of the Griphinity without discount is $110, I would choose the Griphinity even when the price is $10 extra over the Shun)
Of course, taking away the bad stigma around ''Made in China'' since the heavier weight did not bother me especially since the design of the overall knife is well-balanced and sits very comfortably in your hands. And not even considering the price since quility wise Griphinity is nearing the Kai Shun. (And hope that many others will follow this example if they plan to manufacture their knives in China while they never told me who their manufacturer is in China what I can say is that the one they choose is capable of producing quility knives).
^above comparison is the Griphinity Santoku Pegasus series vs The Kai Shun Santoku Classic series.
Now considering the rest like where it is made, spine distal taper, weight, brand name, and price.
I would have chosen then Kai Shun Santoku Classic (Especially if I have not tested the Griphinity knife my judgment would be Kai Shun).
As for better knives I haven't tested that many Santoku's and the Global is too pricey IMHO (They are good knives but not for that price range).
One of a good contender is a Bunka (Santoku profile, maintaining a tip like a Gyuto or chef knife, and having a with like a Nakiri):
bit.ly/30ostUD
Review I did can be found here:
czcams.com/video/KVjlkihHf1c/video.html
Keep in mind while Keemake is a sub-brand from Sunnecko, I personally find that the Keemake AUS10 series are from a better quility and overall design over the Sunnecko series.
Keemake Bunka: $60 (Fluctuates from $55 to $65)
Griphinity: $100 (with the temporary coupon of $10 off)
Kai Shun: $100
I hope that this helps a bit since choosing a knife is highly personal, therefore I try to include as many important details in my reviews for them.
And that is by not including the out-of-the-box sharpness but details that really matter since every knife gets dull and every person should learn how to sharpen the knives themselves.
Feel free to ask more and sorry for not having a yes or no answer (or a short answer).
@@chefpanko wow. Thank you soo much for this you answer. Thank you for the interesting information and that you took so much time for it. This will hdlp me make a good decision. Thank you.
@@chefpanko Hi again. I finally bought the Zwilling (Twins) Diplome Santuko. I am very happy with it and can really recommand it. Maybe you know it? Best regards
The video was very helpfull, what if there were holes (all the way) in the knifeblade like in a swiss cheese would it help to make cucumbers stick less?
It is more about the drag/clinging on the blade so you feel a resistance when you cut cheese. That is why they added holes to reduce drag/clinging for cheese knives. So it would work for cucumbers but I think that grantons will perform similarly (unless you use it on something like cheese then holes would be better).
The same with the soft boiled eggs at the Ramen/Noodle restaurant, they cut their eggs with a wire to avoid the yolk from smearing on the egg white (you will have a very clean cut of the egg so a very smooth split and the yolk will sit nicely on each half).
@@chefpanko Thanks for your answer, I really like your videos, how about you make a video on chopsticks. Yes bamboo is the the right ting, but I got a pair of steel chopsticks off wish.com that was not bad, not at all, yes they are more heavy and slipery, but they are reusabel, and they go right in the dishwasher, I did order some titanium off wish.com (still waiting). But to see chopsticks as cutlery is nice, and they look darn beautiful next to the plate.
Hello Chef Panko, I just purchased a chefs knife from Misen. I was wondering if you could suggest a good quality Sandoku knife for less than $100 (CDN)?
Global, Kai Shun, Kasumi, Tojiro, Brieto have some Santoku knives within that price range if I'm correct but not sure if they have them too in your country as for me not all versions and series are available here in the Netherlands.
Global eu tenho 👍
I want to buy the 14cm Kai Shun Santoku classic. The only problem is i dont understand why everyone says they wouldnt buy it. Seems perfectly fine for me??
length wise it's not very efficient for all uses,i'd say 18cm santoku will do for every home cooking and 21cm+ chef knives are for restaurant use or heavy use where u need to prep food beforehand for big amounts of people,an 18cm santoku is perfect for home cooking while still having a lengthy profile to cut large foods and having a balanced but heavier weight and still maintaining a slimmer blade shorter than a restaurant style chef knife which makes the santoku much more easier to handle and control especially for home cooks who don't use knives so much that they master using it,overall 14cm knives aren't applicable to every cooking style or recipe while 18-24cm chef knives cover all areas a home cook would face and even a restaurant cook would face depending on the amount of guests they'd have to feed but still a santoku would get worn out in a restaurant if it's used for every type of food and put through all that demand with such a slim blade compared to western chef knives thats why santokus are mostly seen in gourmet restaurants,sushi restaurants or home cooking
Hi Chef Panko, I would like to choose a brand of Santoku knife. I have a forward chopping motion that I enjoy when chopping vegetables and I would like a knife with a thin tip to go through my vegetables like onions very thinly with the tip of the knife. Which particular brand of santoku knives would be my top five choices that I could buy on Amazon?
Have you looked at the Bunka Styled knives? On Amazon, getting the ''Made in Japan'' brands and knives would be harder. But a Bunka would fit your description better as it has a Santoku profile and an added tip. (Depends on budget but: Shibata Koutetsu Bunka is a very thin knife), Hado knives are also great but both are not budget knives.
Hello ! I am looking for a global G4, It lookes like a modified santoku called "bunka". Have you tryed any of them ?
I did not try the G4 from Global. It looks good. If possible, I advise you to hold the knife in store first since the handle might be a bit small/narrow for some hand sizes.
For home use, less noticeable, but you can have some cramps for longer extended use if the handle does not fit your hand size.
For larger hand-sized handles from Global, you can look at the Global Ni series.
@@chefpanko thanks, yes i know that. I have medium sized hands and own others globals. The handle perfect fits my hands 😁
what is a heavy santoku, with a larger handle.
In terms of weight, I would say 175 +/- 25g is considered light.
200g +/- 25 is considered a fusion knife so in the middle.
250g +/- 25g is considered heavy for a Santoku.
the only Santoku I have that is heavy and matches the above scale ratings is from Griphinity:
Here is a review I did about their Santoku: czcams.com/video/-qzo_nuk1XI/video.html&t=
It also has a larger handle.
As for large handles, I would say go for a western full-tang handle design.
(handles differs from brand to brand and is harder to specific a ''larger'' handle since most of them only show you the handle length).
For the weight, you can use the above ratings to specify what would suit you the best.
As for the handle, it is hard to give a number since the design of the handle plays a huge roll in comfort.
Hope that this helps, feel free to ask more :)
What size is the most common santoku for home use? Thanks
The most common size is a 7-inch Santoku (around 18cm).
There are smaller versions like 5 inches (12/13cm).
A Santoku in general is ideal for home use which size to choose depends on personal preference and what you plan to use it on.
7 inches is my preferred length for a Santoku for home use it is long enough to do almost everything in the kitchen.
What weight in general is good for a santoku knife?
Depends on the knife from, western handle tends to be in 200 grams range, traditional Japanese handle sits around 150 grams. The balance point is important too I personally prefer middle balanced Santoku's. (you can see my preferance of certasin knives here: czcams.com/video/zn-74KDvXIc/video.html&t= in terms of balance point).
@ChefPanko
Can you recommend Santoku with Kuroichi pattern for home use?
I haven't tried that much Kurouchi finished so I can't recommend one sorry. But the only one I have is from Makoto Kurosaki.
He is one of the select few that also polish the spine and heal the area and smoothing the sides slightly so that it is not rough.
@@chefpanko maybe cheaper from China?
I have not found one yet that I'm happy with from China.
I did a review about one that only has a fake finish (the seller calls it titanium plating):
czcams.com/video/VfklKV_Q2sU/video.html
The knife itself is decent for the price (there are better for the price).
The biggest disapointment with it was a stack of multiple smaller details.
So fake finish, blade profile, core material (is fine) but there are better, bad out of the box sharpness (too low of an angle).
This all is pretty minor and can be fixed, but for the price there are better knives from China wich does not require any extra fix. The fake finish is fine, did not discover it coming off.
But for now I personally havent find a Kurouchi finnish that checks everything on my checklist yet. So therefore I can't recommend a knife from China yet.
(The review of that particular knife was a bit harsh but it all came down to a list of small disapointment versus my expectations especially for the listed price).
Are santoku knives always double bevel?
Yes, a Santoku is double beveled. Some webshop may have the wrong naming if it is a single bevel while having the same form as a Santoku.
Those are called Usuba, Kamagata (Kansai-Style) where the knife is single beveled and has a slanted front like a Santoku but a way more straight profile like a Nakiri (Single Bevel = Usaba, Higashigata = Kanto Style)
Kansai Style Usuba = Slanted front (Shape of a Santoku with a Nakiri/Usuba straight profile)
Kanto Style Usuba = Squared front (shape of a Nakiri)
Kanto/Kansai is a specific region:
Kansai: Osaka (just to name a place in that region)
Kanto: Tokyo (just to name a place in that region)
But there is also a knife style specifically designed on the location like Tokyo-style knives (Usually a specialized knife like a Unagisaki, Edo).
The depth and variety of Japanese cuisine are reflected in the knives that the Japanese chef use. They have a specific knife for the sole purpose of preparing a specific Japanese specialty: sushi, grilled eel, buckwheat noodles, etc. And they also have a variation of knives based on the region and how they prepare the specialty. You have Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Kyushu, Kansai, Kanto-styled knives, and knife techniques.
Hope that this explains it a bit.
For more information: www.chefpanko.com/choosing-your-knife/
I fount my Shun classic santoku very curved. I can easily do forward chopping on my gyutos, but can hardly do it on a Shun classic santoku.
With most hybrid santoku's like the Shun, Global I slightly curved them forward (especially when it is not herbs and will most likely result in an unfinished cut with the forward chopping).
I like that the west modified the santoku, but in some cases, you get the opposite of what you want. When I was in Osaka, Japan I saw the traditional Santoku knives in the knife shop.
From well-known brands but online they are not sold anywhere. And the select few you can find online with that traditional profile are not made in Japan.
The knife length is the other reason that is why you need to cut the food in sections compared to the Gyuto's.
Kai Shun as a brand is highly focussed on catering their knives to the west (USA), one of the reasons why I personally don't look at their newest knife line-up (They modified the knives to accommodate the western cuisine and cutting style).
@@chefpanko Shun is the only santoku I tried. Then I decided I like gyuto more :-) I generally like a gyuto with a flatter profile because I'm more used to forward chopping. And I like pakkawood western handle because it's light, so the knife won't be back-heavy, and it's mostly water resistant.
@@lighteningwawa I like the Santoku too because it is longer. As for the gyuto's that are more curved is mainly because of the western influence. It is fun to see that originally both the Santoku and the Gyuto was inspired by the western chef's knife. But now with the increased popularity by the west for the gyuto and santoku they are changing it back to the western style. But luckily a lot of complain were made since brands like shun was calling the knife Gyuto while the profile was exactly the same as a western chef's knife. They now are naming each of the knives correctly to match the blade profile. A chef's knife profile is now called chef knife. And a Gyuto straighter profile is called gyuto. (wish that more manufacturers and resellers name or label the knives correctly). It creates more and more confusion because of the lack of information given by the sellers.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in such detail. This is such an informative tutorial.
I had a craving for Korean buldak noodles after seeing you open the packet of Samyang 🤭 I am trying out different knives, still on the fence between gyuto and santoku.
haha I also like to eat Nissin noodles or Samyang uncooked. I prefer Nissin when it comes to uncooked but Smayang has a different crisp when uncooked (when cooked it depends on my mood as to what noodles to make). Just crush them in the packet/ break it and add the dry seasoning on top shake and eat :)
As for your decision, it depends what how you use the knife.
If you mainly do an up and down motion so not rocking as your main cutting motion then a Santoku will do great and better for that motion.
It is smaller and easier to be controlled out of the box too.
While the chef's knife or Gyuto is more versatile it has mainly to do with the length choices as you can get a far longer knife and the added tip but it needs more practice to be good with it.
Also make sure the knife feels comfortable in your hands, as I have seen some Santoku knives with handle that are way too big making it uncomfortable to hold especially if you already have a small hand size (my hand size is a Large Glove size).
@@chefpankoThank you for your detailed reply. I have small hands and hence I am comfortable using the santoku, but I think I will get a 210mm gyuto for bigger things like watermelon. Your channel and blog are very informative, you got me even more interested in knives.
@@dannamadura2035 if you can hold a knife in a store that would be great. Keep in mind once you go beyond the 210mm Gyuto the handle will be longer/bigger/wider when it comes to western style handle.
which santoku knife is it at 5:57?
Griphinity Santoku Pegasus all knives used in this video are also in the description hope that that helps. (Keep in mind that I'm talking about the Santoku ''style'', the Griphinity knife is not made in Japan, AUS10 core steel exported from Japan but the knife is made in China)
I have one question
Why You don't recommended a santoku knife in a professional kitchen?
It all depends on the kitchen you are working in, but the length is the main reason.
The reason for this is because most restaurants require you to do a lot of prep work.
Food needs to be cut on a specific length, but when you work in an Haute cuisine (small dishes) then a utility knife and a mandoline is a better solution.
So if you have a lot of prep to do a long knife can do more in less time (I personally prefer 9/10 inches approx 23cm+).
Since the longest Santoku, I have seen is only a 7.5 inch, therefore, the length is too short to work fast and efficiently.
For home use, you have all the time don't need to do food prep for 100+ guest, etc.
therefore a shorter knife gives you a lot more control and you can be precise as you want, this is harder to do on a longer knife unless you use it every day (for the smaller tasks we use a utility knife or a mandoline).
I prefer Bunka over Santoku
Un consiglio vorrei comprare un santoku e un trinciante misono 440. Sono buoni come coltelli giapponesi? Grazie
Misono 440 è un marchio giapponese, le persone sono prodotte in Giappone
@@chefpanko grazie mille
What is the name of the knife @5:57?
Santoku knife from Griphinity. A knife made in China but the brand/owner are Swedish.
Is there santoku utily knife?
Good question, you have a shorter length like 6 or 5 inches but how they perform or if they can be categorized as a utility knife is something I don't know.
MAC has a small santoku-like petty/pairing knife, MAC SK-40
or maybe global GSF-16
Hollaaaand!
Was it that obvious :) Holland indeed!!!
2:04 "to prepare a MULE for five" LOL 😂
will work on my pronunciation in future videos, thank you for the feedback! :), hopefully my recent videos have been improved, my apologies. I have added subs on every single video hope that will help.
@@chefpanko I don't like to enable the captions because they don't let me see the way you cut the food.
There is no need to work on your pronunciation, there are numerous software programs that can read your scripts in perfect English without any accent.
I have lived in Australia for more than 25 years and still have an accent.
As for the quality of the videos, they are very good, no problem.
Take care. 😎👍
Do you recommend any chinese Santoku from aliexpress?
Unfortunately, I have not found a Santoku that I like, mainly because of the balance point. I see more and more Santoku's catered to the western market shifting the balance point of a Santoku. They already curved the profile (Hybrid Santoku), and now I see more and more brands shifting the balance point.
While most Santoku on Ali is fine, I don't like the balance point of a back heavy Santoku and why I can't recommend a Santoku on AliExpress.
While it is not from Ali, my current favorite Santoku is from Kunihira Sairyu (Name of the knife in Japan), but most western webshops say Matsutani.
While western webshops say, ''Matsutani'' is the blacksmith........ The company is called ''Kunihira Sairyu,'' and ''Matsutani''' and his small team is producing the knives.
Not a Ali knife but made in Japan but very affordable of around $70/80.
@@chefpanko which model is your favourite from Junihira Sairyu?
@@Norhther Santoku and the Nakiri from ''Kunihira Sairyu'' or in western webshops known as ''Matsutani''. Are my current favorites in the Nakiri and Santoku styled knives.
The balance point is just correct while having a western handle design.
@@chefpanko do you have any links to check the exact model?
@@Norhther I have no control when it comes to links in the comment section, youtube sometimes deletes links directly/automatically (unless that website is manually linked with YT).
You can google the following:
Kunihira Sairyu VG10 Santoku Japanny
(the ''Japanny'' website as a reference they are a Japanese based webshop).
For western webshops, google:
Masutani VG10 Santoku knifewear (Canadian webshop)
Masutani VG10 Nakiri chefknifetogo (NA Webshop)
Masutani VG10 japaneseknives (EU webshop)
They only have 3 styles (Santoku, Nakiri, Gyuto) and 2 models (VG10 and VG1).
Subtítulo español pelease!
Se ha agregado, no estoy seguro si la traducción es 100% correcta, pero la traduje con Google Translate
I just buy arcos, cheap midrange, i dont need more.
You fail to mention that Santoku knives are normally thinner than western knives in knife set by any manufacturer.
I indeed forgot to mention it will add it in the pinned comment. Thank you for mentioning :)
Saw the comment on my other video but for some reason it is gone but I have it in my notification.
Thank you for your honest feedback I try to improve my videos in future guides.
Sorry that you did not like the ''Chef knife'' guide will try my best to make better videos/guides.
Unfortunatly the notification comment is cut off so could not read everything.
Не в те аспекты нужно упирается при выборе идеального кухоника. глупости ютуберов.
lol i can assure you are true japanese what an accent you have. No offence my accent is no better than yours lol
The accent is dutch my guy
100% correct :)
@@subgate8138 Way he pronounces Kuroichi is super french, you can hear the "H" sound like "Khuo-ichi" very common in french vernacular. Much like pronuncing Oui...
Global knife👎 not recommend
Santoko thats for women cook chef 8" is for men knife simple lol
Hahaha, I like my Santoku tho for home use despite being a man.