Santoku Knives

Japanese knife styles gain popularity

A santoku knife is a Japanese style similar to a chef's knife, but with a shorter, thinner blade, a straighter cutting edge and a less pointed tip. The name "santoku" roughly translates to "three uses," meaning that the knife is suitable for cutting meat, vegetables and fish. Some models have a hollow ground edge (sometimes called a Granton edge), which is intended to minimize friction between food and the knife surface for speedier slicing. The santoku's shorter, thinner blades excel at delicate tasks such as thinly slicing vegetables, and beginning cooks may find them easier to control than a heavy chef's knife.

Although santokus are great for slicing, most testers don't find them comfortable for mincing. Their straighter blades can't achieve the fluid rocking motion required for quickly reducing a large mound of vegetables or herbs to tiny pieces. So while many reviewers say that a santoku knife is a great addition to any cook's knife collection, most find that it can't truly take the place of a traditional chef's knife.

We found less overall agreement among reviewers about the best santoku knives than we did for more traditional cutlery. However, there is an enthusiastic and vocal group -- including many chefs -- that champions the Kershaw Shun line of Santoku knives; more than one professional source recommends the Shun Classic Santoku (*Est. $130) as the best overall. The knife receives 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 90 Williams-Sonoma shoppers.

Reviews are relatively brief, offering few details. However, several reviewers say that the knife is well-suited for those with smaller hands and makes chopping and slicing substantially easier than a traditional knife. The knife is also tested by Cook's Illustrated magazine, and in a 10-knife roundup for New York magazine, noted chef Masayoshi "Masa" Takayama names the Shun Classic Santoku as a top performer. It is also deemed a winner by Food & Wine magazine, which praises its "comfortable, gracefully sharp" blade. Takayama also likes the Wusthof Culinar Santoku (*Est. $160) , which he says is well balanced and very sharp, "ideal for slicing chicken and vegetables."

The Wusthof Classic Hollow-Ground Santoku (*Est. $80) receives stellar reviews from more than 120 reviewers at Amazon.com and more than a dozen buyers at Williams-Sonoma. Reviewers say that the knife, like the top-rated Shun Classic Santoku, is well-suited to those with smaller hands. However, several say that regardless of hand size, the knife is comfortable and efficient when chopping and dicing vegetables. The small dimples along the side of the knife, as advertised, do an excellent job of keeping food from sticking to the side of the blade. We did find several user reviews noting that while the knife performs adequately, its blade dulls quickly, and it isn't long enough to perform all kitchen tasks.

Even less expensive, the Mac Superior Santoku (*Est. $65) is top rated in the New York and Cook's Illustrated magazine reviews; the delicate blade takes an edge well, say reviewers, and the knife is easy to control and nimble.. We did find some reviewers who find the handle difficult to grip.  Another less expensive knife, the Wusthof Gourmet Hollow-Edge Santoku (*Est. $50) hasn't been included in any professional tests, but it gets positive reviews from users at Cooking.com and Amazon.com. Users say this knife is lightweight, very sharp and easy to handle, although a few find the construction flimsy.

Another relatively new development is the introduction of the gyutou knife, a hybrid between a traditional chef's knife and a santoku (consumers will sometimes see these marketed or reviewed as hybrid chef's knives). A gyutou knife resembles a chef's knife, but it has a narrower, sharper cutting angle and a slightly straighter edge. The gyutou's narrow bevel allows for greater precision, but it requires a very hard steel to prevent the knife from becoming dull too quickly. As a result, the gyutou is both lighter and more brittle than a hefty German-made forged knife. Also, the harder steel can be more difficult to sharpen.

We found few reviews or discussions regarding these knives. Cook's Illustrated magazine tested eight gyutou knives in 2009. Editors describe the new style as "feather-light, lethally sharp, wonderfully precise," and superb for delicate jobs like boning and mincing. A few gyutou knives are included in the chef's knife test at CookingForEngineers.com, but ConsumerReports.org and Choice magazines have not tested this type of knife. User reviews for gyutou knives are few and far between because most are sold through online retailers in Japan. Although these sites ship to the U.S., they don't generally allow users to leave comments on specific products. Because of the difficulty of finding these knives in this country, we can't make any recommendations for specific brands.

It is worth noting that there is a bit of a "knife geek" culture that has emerged over the past few years surrounding gyutou knives. Several high profile chefs, perhaps most notably Mark Laudner of New York's Del Posto, have discussed their love of the east-meets-west knives. In a recent Bon Appétit article discussing the top five new knives, the Korin Glestain Blade Gyutou (*Est. $185) was the top pick. There are few other reviews of the knife, making it difficult to discuss positives and negatives.

Another unusual chef's knife that has been the subject of recent attention is the Ken Onion Chef's Knife, manufactured by Shun (*Est. $180) . The Ken Onion chef's knife is a large, hefty knife with a curiously curved spine that makes it look a bit like a cross between a chef's knife and a meat cleaver. This knife was designed by its namesake, award-winning custom knife-maker Ken Onion. It is available in two lengths, 8 inches and 10 inches. Professional reviewers say this knife is extremely sharp and generally comfortable to use, and the curvature of the blade lends itself to the traditional Western style of chopping, which uses a rocking motion. However, they also note that the bump on the handle can be uncomfortable for people with large hands.