Santoku Knives

Japanese knife styles gain popularity

Similar to a chef's knife, a santoku knife has a shorter, thinner blade. Some models have a hollow edge (sometimes called a Granton edge), which is intended to minimize friction between food and knife surface for speedier slicing. Many reviewers say that a santoku knife is a great addition to any cook's knife collection. Santoku's shorter, thinner blades excel at doing delicate work, and experts say they're a comfortable choice for users who have smaller hands.

Chopping with a santoku knife requires an up-and-down motion, rather than the rocking performed with a traditional chef's knife. While the santoku technique is certainly flashier, some owners say it dulls the knives more quickly, and santoku knives are more difficult to sharpen. Most guided sharpeners are designed for chef's knives, which have a wider bevel than santoku knives. Santoku blades vary in their design; some have a narrow angle on the blade, and some are only sharpened along one side of the knife's edge. So unless you're an expert with a whetstone, santoku knives should be professionally sharpened.

Many reviewers, including the editors at Cook's Illustrated magazine, say that a santoku knife can't replace a chef's knife, because its blade is too short and thin to achieve a chef knife's versatility. In a 10-santoku roundup, testers commend the MAC Superior Santoku knife (*Est. $60). Other experts, including noted chef Masayoshi "Masa" Takayama, say the Shun Classic Santoku (*Est. $115) is best overall. The Shun Santoku is also deemed the best santoku knife in a recent review from The Wall Street Journal, where the Wusthof Classic santoku with hollow edge (*Est. $80) takes the award for best value. Contributors to Amazon.com and Epinions.com include fans of all of these santoku knives. Although it's more expensive than others, we've included the top-rated Shun santoku in the ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed section because it's selected as the best choice in at least three reviews.

Like santoku knives, gyutou knives are relatively new and have attracted attention from chefs and cooking enthusiasts. This type of knife looks a lot like a traditional chef's knife, but it has a narrow bevel and is more lightweight than a hefty German-made forged knife. 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. The main disadvantages of gyutou knives are that the hard steel can be difficult to sharpen, and that lower-quality blades can shatter if dropped.

Cook's Illustrated magazine recently tested gyutou knives, and a few were included in the chef's knife test at CookingForEngineers.com. ConsumerReports.org and Choice magazines have not yet tested gyutou knives. That said, user reviews for gyutous are few and far between because most are sold through online retailers in Japan that ship to the United States but don't allow users to leave comments on specific products. In tests, the Masamoto VG-10 (*Est. $140) and the Tojiro DP (*Est. $100) perform well. The Masamoto is available in right- and left-handed configurations, while the Tojiro can be used in either hand. Otherwise, the two knives are very similar, except that the Tojiro uses slightly harder steel while the Masamoto has an asymmetrical bevel (which should make it a little sharper but requires professional sharpening). Both are available in several blade lengths, from 7 to 10.5 inches.