On Santoku knives, some manufacturers make oval notches on the blades closer to the cutting edge, so-called “air pockets”.
Many people ask why and what are they needed for? First things first.
Santoku is a universal Japanese kitchen knife. It was originally developed as a modification of the Western (specifically French) chef's knife for cutting beef, and then it was adapted for the needs of Japanese cuisine.
"Santoku" literally translates to "three good things" or "three uses", which refers to the knife's ability to cut, chop and chop well. The size of the santoku is convenient for cutting into small slices or cubes both meat and vegetables. Compared to the Japanese original, Western Santoku models have different balancing, blade design, and are made of softer steel, which affects the thickness of the blade and edge.
Also, European variations of santoku may have pockets on the blade (they are also called “grantons”), designed to reduce the sticking of food to the knife (cooked raw sausage, etc.)
When the kitchen is equipped with modern time-saving appliances and equipped with convenient and useful kitchen utensils, then routine cooking turns into a fun and enjoyable process. One indispensable kitchen “gadget” in our kitchen is the Santoku knife.
A little history
Santoku is a Japanese type of knife, although in the Land of the Rising Sun it was formed from a French one carving knife. He has interesting story appearance. Among the products of Japanese cuisine, greens and grains predominate, so a vegetable knife, which is convenient for chopping and chopping, was popular. A chef's knife is also indispensable in the kitchen for cutting meat and fish fillets. Japanese dishes combine both meat and vegetables, which is why it became necessary to use a utility knife in the kitchen. Such a universal cutting tool to this day is the santoku. Top chefs call him the king of Japanese cuisine.
The name of this knife literally means “three uses” or in other words “three good things”. Indeed, this knife is good for cutting, chopping and crumbling. Moreover, you don’t need to learn how to use a santoku; as soon as this knife is in your hands, it becomes intuitively clear how to use it, and your first attempts at slicing will certainly be crowned with success.
What is a Santoku knife?
What is santoku used for? This question is easier to answer after studying the characteristics and distinctive features this tool. The difference between this knife is its wide, thick blade, combined with a relatively thin handle. It is this thin handle that allows the cook to perform various manipulations with the knife. At long work with a knife, due to the shift of the center of gravity of the blade forward, it takes the cook much more less strength and the hand practically never gets tired. Initially, only one-sided sharpening of the knife was used, but now knives with double-sided sharpening are becoming increasingly popular.
The standard knife length is 188 mm. But recently, manufacturing companies have been able to deviate from the proposed standards, while maintaining its features and advantages. An excellent example is Mora knives.
Differences between Santoku and Chef's Knife
Some inexperienced housewives believe that a chef's knife and a santoku are one and the same. In fact, these tools have many differences that affect their applicability and ease of use.
As mentioned, the original Santoku knife is 188mm long, while the standard chef knife length is 330mm. In terms of blade width, the chef's knife is inferior to the santok. The rise of the cutting edge of a santoku is steep, while that of a chef's knife is smoother. Distinctive feature Santoku is the tip of the blade reduced to the bottom. The chef's knife has a sharpened blade. The Santoku is heavier in weight than a chef's knife; this characteristic can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage of this cutting tool. If the knife is very heavy, fatigue may occur when working with it for a long time, but some chefs believe that for convenience you need to feel the knife in your hand.
Why do you need a santoku knife in the kitchen?
If you are interested in cooking or are simply involved in everyday cooking, you will be pleased with such a purchase as a Santoku knife. It will become an indispensable find for any housewife. Hard potatoes and soft trout fillets are equally easy to cut with this knife. You can use this tool if you need to cut vegetables into even thin slices, cubes or chop greens for salad; it will also help you when cutting fish or chopping meat fillet into minced meat.
An important factor is also the compactness of this knife. Its small size allows it to be conveniently stored in a regular nightstand. kitchen utensils without using additional containers.
Video test of Santoku knives
Knife in the kitchen
Date of writing: December 2008
TYPES OF KNIVES AND THEIR USES
In every chef's life there are only two
really important decisions: choosing the right one
assistant and buying a knife
Russ Parson
When you think about how many knives you need in the kitchen, you should start with three. You can get by with two if you are an unpretentious person or are on a budget.
Of the three knives, two are required - one large and one small. Usually this is a chef (Chef's) or santoku (Santoku), and a knife for cleaning (paring, peeling, petty). With the third knife you have a choice. If you eat a lot of fish, it will be a fillet knife, if you have a lot of bread in your diet , then you buy bread. If you prefer vegetables and are a fan of Asian cuisine, then the Chinese Cleaver will be the best choice. Many people will also prefer a good slicer. The main thing is to start. And as needed, you can purchase everything you need, in accordance with your own preferences and budget. The main knife is the chef's knife, and it should be where most of the attention and budget should be spent. So, if you have a budget of 4-5 thousand rubles, you should buy only two - a large chef and a small one, and from 3 to 4.5 thousand rubles should be spent on a chef. This is not only the largest knife in the kitchen, it is the most...
important TOOL
in the kitchen.
As for me, I'm not a big fan of buying sets of knives, as a rule, some of them (sometimes almost half) are rarely used or not used at all. It seems to me that the set is good as a kitchen interior (see William Henry, serie “Maestro” in the review) or as a gift.
Blade length varies from 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) or more. A blade shorter than 8 inches (20cm) is not very convenient for many jobs, and a blade longer than 30cm takes some getting used to and having the appropriate size for your table and cutting boards (and kitchens, of course). Standard sizes European chef - 6-8-10-12 inches (15-20-25-30 cm). Gyutou, the Japanese equivalent of the European chef comes in 180mm, 210mm, 240mm, 270mm and 300mm. Unlike European knives, the Japanese have a metric system (or their own, they measure the length of the blade in SUN, 1 sun = 3.037 cm). Of the European manufacturers, only Messermeister makes 9 inch (23 cm) knives. From my point of view, the optimal length is 8 -10 inches (20 - 25cm).
Professionals prefer longer ones - 10 -12 inches (270 - 300 mm) or more, and 8 inch (200 - 210 mm) knives are perfect for a regular kitchen.
As the length increases, as a rule, the width of the knife also increases.
And the width is a very useful thing - firstly, it is more convenient (smoother) to cut some products, and secondly, it can be used as a spatula for transferring the cuttings into the pan. We must also not forget that CHEF's is not only a cutting tool. Its butt can be used to break the shell of crabs and beat meat, and the side can be used to crush garlic.
Typically, gyutou has an edge of about 15 degrees, and European chef from 22 to 26 degrees on each side.
The butt, relatively thick at the handle, tapers not only towards the cutting edge, but also forward towards the tip, and is called a “distal taper”. This is most clearly visible on forged knives of the century before last and some samples of G. Prokopenkov.
This structure of the knife allows you to use each part of it (the middle, the tip and the heel) with maximum convenience: the sharp, thin tip allows you to perform precise work (like slicing fillets and shallots), while heavy work falls on the heel. This is where the blade is thickest and widest, and you can apply significant force without risking damage to the knife. Here, German models have an advantage - the thick, heavy German chef is better suited for chopping chicken bones than its French counterpart and, of course, better than the light, thin guyou.
Here are slightly simplified drawings of these knives.
French
German
Japanese
It can be seen that the Germans have a more convex middle part (“belly” - “tummy”), the French have a more straight line between the tip and the heel. This blade is great for classic French cuisine. Japanese guitou is somewhere in the middle, maybe a little closer to the French style.
The table shows a comparison of some models of approximately the same size by weight
Total length of knife, mm |
Blade length, mm |
||
| G. Prokopenkov (Russia) | |||
| Gude (Germany) | |||
| F.Dick mod 1905 (Germany) | |||
| Sabatier Lion (France) | |||
| Murray Carter (USA) | |||
| Al Mar (Japan) | |||
| Hattori FH |
So, CHEF's is an essential multi-purpose kitchen knife. It has a wide, hard blade from 15 to 36 cm.
This knife allows you to:
-using the HEEL, chop the herbs, onions, garlic, etc.
-Using the TIP, chop the leeks, celery, onions and vegetables.
- using the middle part, cut large vegetables (cabbage, whole celery root, turnips, etc. You can also cut meat and poultry.
- using the flat part of the blade, crush the garlic
The main part of the work performed by this knife is shredding, and it is best suited for this.
(I would like to note that the majority of a chef’s time in a restaurant is spent on shredding – this is where his working day usually begins)
The best choice
F.Dick Chef Premier Plus 22cm
F.Dick Chef Serie 1905 21cm
F.Dick Serie 1778
G.Prokopenkov Chief 21cm
Hattori Gyutou 270 mm
Murray Carter Gyutoy 330mm,210mm
Misono UX10 Gyutou 270 mm
Fujiwara Kanefusa Gyutou 240 mm
Hiromoto AS Gyutou 210 mm
Messermeister Meridian Elit Chef 23cm
Sinichi Watanabe Kintaro-Ame Gyutou 240 mm
Hattori FH Gyutou 240 mm
Wusthof Ikon Chef 20 cm
SANTOKU, SANTOKU (JAPANESE CHEF, ORIENTAL COOK's)
Santoku is sometimes called Wabocho (Murray Carter).
I don’t know of any other knife that would cause so much controversy - from “I love my Santoku, I do almost all the work in the kitchen with it, this is the best and the right knife for the kitchen,” to complete categorical rejection. Santoku is not liked by professional chefs (with some exceptions).
The reasoning is roughly as follows - “too short, too subtle, and there is no work that he (santoku) could do better than my guyo (chef).” There is, however, a category of people who accept santoku unconditionally (in America). These are women housewives.
Here, however, we must pay tribute to television propaganda - in America there is always a kitchen show with the host Rachel Ray, who uses santoku for presentation (Recently, the Australian company FURI began producing knives of the same name - Rachel Ray santoku). This polarity of opinions, from my point of view, is explained by the following: all Japanese
kitchen knives “tailored” for a specific, very narrow task (except for the guyto, which was made for Europe and America as a kind of Chef's) and, as a rule, are designed for professionals. In Japan there are more than 200 types of knives, but only TWO are specially designed and produced as knives for home cooking (which is primarily determined by the small size of both the kitchens themselves and the cutting boards). Of no small importance is the fact that there is no continuous production in the kitchen. One of them is NAKIRI - a knife for vegetables, primarily for slicing, the second is SANTOKU, which was developed as a multi-purpose knife. And for
home cooking
these are wonderful knives.
Santoku and Nakiri differ in their tip (see photo below)/
“Santoku” can be translated as “knife of three virtues.” However, what these virtues or virtues actually mean is anyone's guess. There are the following versions: (like the chef’s) – the tip – for precision work, the heel – for heavy work, the whole blade for basic work (cutting); another version suggests that the three advantages are slicing, chopping and mincing in one knife; the third explains the three virtues as being able to cook fish, vegetables and meat. The latter seems the most plausible.
Available with traditional Japanese handles
It is not for nothing that all famous European manufacturers have included santoku under the name “oriental cook"s, Japanisches Kochmesser” in their lines - from German (Wusthof, Henckels), French (Sabatier) to Spanish (Arcos). Another thing is that only Wusthof produces decent santoku, good ones are Sabatier (“K”, “Lion”, “Diamant”, “Elefant”), and the santoku produced by Zwilling J.A. Henkels (the “Twin cuisine” series) only has a general appearance left of the real santoku.
Wusthof Ikon Santoku
Santoku, like Nakiri, has a wide blade (40-50 mm santoku, 50-60 mm nakiri), which allows them to be used as a spatula for collecting and transferring products, the blade length is 160-180 mm, the slopes are practically reduced to zero, so The sharpening angle practically coincides with the convergence angle and is 4-6 degrees for Nakiri and 6-10 (sometimes up to 15) degrees for Santoku, which is generally determined by the tasks of the knives.
Butt: upper – santoku, lower – nakiri
In this photo, Nakiri is at the top, Santoku is at the bottom.
The upper Nakiri has a blade length of 120 mm, the middle one – 150 mm, the lower one – 180 mm. Master Shinichi Watanabe. The optimal size from my point of view is 180 mm
Japanese knives are made of hard steel (hardening more than 60 HRC), which allows them to have such sharpening angles. The German Henkels (Twin cuisine series) has a thickness of 0.5 mm (Wusthof - 0.3 mm, Arcos - 0.4 mm) and sharpening angles of about 25 degrees, which is natural for softer steels, but the cut is completely different!
From top to bottom: Zwilling J.A.Henckels, Arcos, Wusthof
For comparison, let's give a photo of the Japanese. From top to bottom: Fujiwara, Hiromoto AS, Hiromoto G3, Tojiro DP
Many resources (knife conferences, various studies, etc.) recommend the Santoku as the first knife when purchasing knives for the kitchen.
The question is often asked whether Nakiri is needed if there is santoku.
For working with vegetables, the Nakiri is a little better (sharpening angle is smaller), but in general the knives are similar for working with vegetables. But in a professional kitchen, if there is Gyutou and Nakiri, then, according to the majority, there is no need for santoku.
So, having a santoku in your kitchen, you can:
- cut and slice meat, poultry and fish
- chop the greens
- cut vegetables
- cook crabs
- cut bread
- etc.
The best choice
- Nakiri is better for chopping vegetables, but you won’t be disappointed with Santoku either.
Siniche Watanabe
SANTOKU
Hattori KD, KF, HD
BABIES
All of these names refer to small knives that are vital in the kitchen (try chef or santoku peeling potatoes!). In Russian cooking there is no general name for small knives (maybe because for a long time in Russia, the smallest was considered the rooted one, which had a blade length of 14 - 18 cm).
There is quite a lot of diversity in Europe. In addition to the above, fluting, trimming, potato, curved are sometimes mentioned, but quite rarely.
PARING, PEELING are translated from English the same way - remove, cut off the crust, peel; cleanse, cleanse. Lightweight, comfortable, sharp knife with a short, hard blade 5 to 10 cm long. Great for those jobs where a big chef would look clumsy (all kinds of delicate work - peeling potatoes, cutting out potato eyes, peeling citrus fruits, roots, peeling and slicing apples and pears, etc.).
The classic Paring knife looks like a smaller version of the chef
But other blade shapes are also common, such as the SHEEP FOOT (looks like a small santoku).
This knife has a straight blade, and in some cases this gives a slight advantage (say, if you are peeling vegetables while holding them in your hand), but if you are using a cutting board, then the classic is probably more suitable.
There is also a specific form of knife called “BIRD's BEAK” or “TOURNE knife”, which in Russian can be called “claw”.
This knife has a rounded blade and is used when peeling round objects (potatoes, apples, oranges). Often used when preparing various presentations.
The French TOURNE (English turn) is translated as “giving an elegant appearance, turning, turning, rotating.” The knife is interesting, but not vital. Although it should be noted that in some restaurants that adhere to the “old school”, it is customary to consider the ability to wield such a knife as a kind of indicator of chef’s art. This knife is often used outside the kitchen, for example, for opening boxes.
In Japan, small knives are called "PETTY" (from the French "petit" - small). It may have a longer blade (up to 150 mm, although 60-70 millimeters are also found.
Japanese knives, as always, have greater hardness and a smaller sharpening angle. It’s more pleasant to work with them, but I would recommend the European classics - after all, there are a lot of people who want to use such a knife without realizing what you are doing (for example, spreading butter, scratching the tip of the knife against the butter dish, etc.)
So experience shows: for such knives, the simpler and cheaper the better. Of course, for yourself, your loved one, you can buy this:
Kikuichi Monji Honyaki Petty
Watanabe Kintaro-Ame
Kikuichi Monji Hunmatuhaisu
These are all quite expensive knives and you need to think carefully about why you are purchasing them.
From my point of view the best choice is:
Wusthof, Sabatier (photo above)
Simple but wonderful:
Opinel (both Stainless steel and Carbon steel)
Kikuichi Monji 10A series
Rysen serie Blazen (my favorite)
CHINESE CLEAVER
This is no longer a knife, but a hatchet. Its roots come from China, where it is known as CAI DO. In Japan, after modification by Japanese craftsmen, it received the name CHUKKA BOCHO.
Despite the fact that the CHINESE CLEAVER is very similar in shape to a European butcher's hatchet, it is intended for completely different jobs. It has a large, heavy, strong rectangular blade, length from 19 to 22 cm, width 9 -11 cm with a thickness of 2 to 6 mm, weight from 300 to 800 grams. Equipped with a strong short handle and is a versatile universal kitchen knife for various jobs. Its heavy and large blade will do an excellent job of cutting chickens and other poultry, chopping and slicing meat, vegetables and herbs. There are three basic varieties - thin, medium and heavy, each of which is designed for a specific job. Thin is used similarly to santok and nakiri - for slicing and chopping vegetables and meat; The average one performs work that the subtle one cannot do - cutting up poultry and fish; he can be compared to a debauch. Well, the heavy one gets all the “hard” work - for example, cutting up frozen food.
In any kitchen, CHINESE CLEAVER is a direct competitor to the great European chef, and if you master and love his technique, then victory will definitely remain with the hatchet.
Despite the fact that the technique differs from that of a chef, once you have mastered the Chinese cleaver technique, you will understand that it is a VERY GOOD TOOL. We must not forget that with all its originality, Chinese cuisine dates back several thousand years of kitchen experiments and, having reached great heights in this art, it came to practically one knife - TsAI DO (aka Chinese cleaver, Chukka bocho), in contrast to dozens of types in Europe and hundreds in Japan.
The most common characteristics of the average chukka bocho are: length about 22 cm, width 10 cm, thickness 4 mm and weight about 500 grams. Available in every real Chinese restaurant.
There are options with both single-sided and double-sided sharpening.
The best choice
Available in both Carbon steel and Stainless steel.
With some experience, it becomes one of the favorite and frequently used knives in the kitchen. I always use it when I need to make minced meat - it turns out much tastier than using a meat grinder, since the meat is cut and not crushed.
The butt of the blade is used for beating and crushing products, the plane is used for chopping them and transferring them to a wok or pan.
The handle can be used as a pestle.
Mizuno Tanrenjo
SLICER, CARVING, gastronomic knife, Sujihiki
Slice - in English: a thin layer of something, a slice, cut into slices.
A long and usually narrow knife with a rigid or slightly flexible blade ranging from 9 to 18 inches (20-45 cm) in length.
The blade shape of the slicer can be classic Sabatier Diamant
or this one called Yatagan
Sabatier Lion
Real value
There is no blade shape - this is your personal choice.
The long blade allows you to make a clean cut in one movement, which is very important for beautiful and fast slicing, especially when you are working with cooked meat.
A knife for cutting a large piece of roast beef (roast beef) is called a CARVING, generally has a blade length of 9 inches (23 cm) and usually comes with a special fork. As a rule, roast beef is cut at the table in the presence of guests using a knife and fork, and therefore they try to make such a presentation knife of higher quality, more beautiful and, naturally, more expensive.
The Japanese equivalent of the European slicer is called Sujihiki Hattori FH
A long and usually narrow knife with a rigid or slightly flexible blade ranging from 9 to 18 inches (20-45 cm) in length.
Yanagiba can also be used for the same purposes, but it has a one-sided sharpening and requires some skill when using it.
Sometimes among European knives blade, allowing it to be used not only for slicing and cutting, but also as a filleting tool. (I note that G.K. Prokopenkov simply reproduced a knife that was made at the beginning of the 20th century by such masters as Zavyalov, Ivanov, Kondratov - and their knives had more international awards than their counterparts from the city of Solingen. Now, except for G.K. Prokopenkov Nobody makes such knives - it can only be made by free forging, with very high labor intensity and at the limit of profitability).
A knife of exceptional quality, sharpness and ease of use.
The quality and elegance of the fillet from the same master is not inferior
SALMON is a salmon knife; it is more correct to classify it as a FILLET - fillet knives that have a very flexible, narrow, long blade up to 12 inches (30 cm) long.
SALMON is designed for cutting large fish (salmon) into very thin slices.
If the slicer is used for slicing bacon, sausage, balyk, already cooked (fried) meat, etc., then a fillet knife is indispensable where it is necessary to use its flexibility: primarily when slicing fish, when it is necessary for the knife to slide along the skin and rib bones, but it is also convenient when cutting, for example, a lamb saddle, when you need to cut along the spine along the ribs.
Frost fillet
Simple but very good fillet
Wusthof Ikon Fillet
In addition to those mentioned above, noteworthy:
Wusthof Icon Slicer
Glestain Sujihiki
Misono UX 10 Sujihiki Some knives have so-called “Air pockets” - air pockets that protect the cut pieces of food from sticking to the blade. This type of blade is called "GRANTON EDGE". The ovals on the blade themselves are called “Kullens”. One of famous manufacturers
Western-style knives in Japan, Glestain, produces almost all of its knives with such blades. Whether it's aesthetically pleasing or not can be debated, but the fact is that it works. IN professional kitchen
In continuous production, slicers are used less and less, giving way to slice machines.
BREAD, BREAD, Pan kiru knife
This knife from the German company “GUDE” is considered one of the best of its kind. The Gude company presents it as the first example of a serrated knife. The serrated teeth produce an aggressive cut, preventing slipping on a hard bread crust.
The length of the blade of a bread knife should be from 10 to 12 inches (i.e. 25 – 30 cm), a shorter one will not always be able to cut a large loaf without crumbs, and a longer one will create storage problems. I generally like big knives, but I don't really like the bread knives that come in sets - they tend to have a blade length of 6 - 8 inches (15 - 20 cm). It seems to me that it is better to buy a separate knife with a longer blade.
A few words about the seritor. I want to say right away that I really don’t like serrated knives. From my point of view, serrated knives are always of lower quality than knives with a straight blade, and they only benefit when immersed at the beginning of the cut. Serrated knives are very difficult to keep sharp. Even a blade made of the best steel will become dull over time with use, and sharpening such a knife is a separate and difficult task.
I can only imagine two tasks where a serrated blade outperforms a regular blade:
-Sliced bread fresh out of the oven
-Slicing steak on a glass or ceramic plate
Although it must be said that the sereytor does all the work, but for a fairly short time, which is where the practice of using it comes from - after one or two years of homework, you need to throw it away and buy a new one. It follows that a serrated knife must be cheap.
A serrated bread knife can be used not only for slicing all types of bread and muffins, but also for peeling and slicing large hard-skinned, soft-fleshed fruits such as pineapple (but shorter pieces than 10 - 12 inch).
It is also difficult to perform delicate work with a serator, but a knife with a SCALLOPED blade (wavy, comb) can handle this better, which can do double duty - both as a good slicer (for example, for slicing meat, which no serator can do beautifully), and as a good bread knife. A knife with a scalloped blade produces a cleaner cut.
The recognized favorites here are MAC SB015 and Wusthof Super slicer.
The photograph shows a “scalloped” bread knife from the early 20th century produced by Pavlovskaya Artel.
BONING, Boning knife
A knife with a short, rigid blade with a blade length of 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm). IN in this case the name clearly defines the function - removing meat from the bones of lamb, beef, pork, as well as cutting poultry. 
Tramontina Century
Sometimes it can be produced with a flexible blade, closer to the fillet knife (so that the knife can go along the bone, cutting off the meat). These “paired” knives are produced by Messermeister:
Messermeister Meridian. Upper – rigid, lower – flexible
Japanese analogues are:
Honesuki and Garasuki
Glestain Garasuki (top) and Honesuki (bottom)
Garasuki is essentially a larger version of Honesuki. Both of these knives are designed for cutting poultry (Honesuki - for cutting chickens and smaller birds, Garasuki - for larger ones, say, turkey, goose). Both knives can have a double-sided, but highly asymmetrical sharpening, or one-sided sharpening (on the front side), and an even sharpening on the back side.
Hattori FH Boning
The handle can be either Western or Japanese.
A knife for cutting large pieces of animals (usually hanging) is called Hankotsu.
Please note:
Wusthof Ikon Boning
Sabatier Diamant Boning
Murray Carter Honesuki
Watanabe Kintaro-Ame Honesuki
Hattori HD Boning
Misono UX 10 Boning
Rysen Blasen Boning
Kanetsugu Pro-M Boning
Kasumi Boning
UTILITY
from English “UTILITY” – usefulness, profitability.
A utility knife with a narrow, hard blade with a blade length of 5 to 7 inches (12-18 cm).
Wusthof Icon
This knife can be used for cutting vegetables, fruits, sausages, cheese, herbs and small pieces of meat.
Like any universal knife, it has its advantages and disadvantages.
So, it has a shorter blade than Chef's or a slicer and therefore the cutting made by Utility will be less beautiful and will take longer. On the other hand, it will be much more convenient for them to peel potatoes than Chef's, but paring will cope with this task is much better.
In the Russian tradition, such a knife with a blade of 14-16 cm was called root and was used for cleaning and cutting root vegetables.
G.L. Prokopenkov. Root knife
Among the UTILITY knives, several more functionally “sharpened” knives can be distinguished:
TOMATO
Narrow serrated blade up to 13 cm long. For delicate slicing of fruits and vegetables with hard skins and soft centers - tomatoes, oranges, lemons, etc.
It often has a forked edge to make it easier to pick up the cuttings.
Wusthof Ikon Tomato
But it often happens without a forked edge
Sabatier LionTomato
Approximately the same knife can be found under the name
"SAUSAGE", i.e. sausage cutter – mainly used for slicing hard sausages.
Wusthof Ikon Sausage
Another modification of such knives is known as “SANDWICH” - a knife for cutting sandwiches. They can be either in serrated or simple (“plain”) versions.
Wusthof Icon Sandwich
Japanese manufacturers do not use the name “Utility”: knives with a blade up to 15 cm are called “Petty”, and then they come “Gyuto”.
The main problem with cutting food with a Utility knife on a cutting board is that due to the narrow short blade, you cannot fully use the entire length of the blade without risking injury to your own fingers (usually a third of the blade is not used). Therefore, the so-called “DELI KNIFE” was developed - a Z-shaped knife, where the blade is lower than the handle and your fingers do not interfere with the use of the entire blade when working on a cutting board. Available in both serrated and plain versions. It is believed that a “deli knife,” especially in a serrated version, does work with sandwiches, tomatoes, cucumbers, and bread better and faster.
F.Dick. Deli knife
I personally think that the shape of the knife gives some advantage, but I have big doubts about the serator (unless compared to a dull knife).
Sometimes there are knives of this shape with a longer blade than the Utility knife (for example, bread knives, or for slicing cakes and muffins).
Spyderco produces wonderful knives, both in serrated and regular versions. This pair, in my opinion, is the most versatile for the kitchen, given the quality of workmanship and good steel.
Spyderco KX 06 "Yang" and "Yin"
G.K.Prokopenkov
Sabatier Utility Diamant and Lion
Fiskars FF Utility
Tescoma Utility AZZA
Tescoma Utility Cosmo
A narrow knife with a raised tip (Yatagan blade) and a smooth spine up to 13 cm long.
Typically used as a serving knife for meat dishes.
Often has a serrated sharpening.
Kitchen hatchet. It has a thick, wide blade 15 -18 cm long. A powerful tool for cutting large pieces of meat (including frozen), cutting joints and joints.
Cheese knife. There are different modifications for different cheeses.
F.Dick. Cheese knife
Most often this is a knife with a serrated cutting edge and a forked edge. Usually there are large holes in the blade of a knife (up to 13cm long) to reduce the sticking of cheese to the blade.
Cheese knife set
f 176
There are also a number special knives, such as citrus knife, pizza slicer, paring knife, sommelier knife, garlic slicer, butter knife, etc.
Butter knife
Sommelier knife for uncorking wine bottles
H.Roselli Garlic knife
Pizza, paring and citrus knives
Oyster knife
Slicer - cake knife
Knife for slicing watermelon (Watermelon knife and Suikakiri)
In the kitchen, any housewife has several knives that perform different functions. But all of them can be replaced by just one universal Santoku knife. Why do you need a Santoku knife, what’s special about it?
A bit of origin history
The development of a kitchen knife by the Japanese company Santoku under the same name is a modification of a Western chef's knife designed for cutting meat and fish. Traditional Japanese kitchen knives were largely intended for cutting vegetables and herbs, which dominate the Japanese diet. They had difficulty coping with meat and fish. The Santoku knife combines the functions of cutting vegetables and cutting meat and fish. Once on the world market, the Japanese brand conquered it in a short time.
Design features
Translated, “santoku” means three virtues. This means that the knife has three main functions: slicing, chopping, crumbling.
These functions are due to its design features:
- Unlike other universal models, it has small sizes, which is very convenient not only for male hands, but also for women;
- The blade is slightly curved, in the shape of a sheep's hoof, angled at the end. This shape allows you to use the cutting edge 100%. Some of the models have longitudinal grooves on one side of the blade. They reduce food sticking to the blade when cutting them. The blade, light and thin, has a one-sided sharpening, traditional in Japan. But now there are Santoku models with double-sided sharpening, which are very popular in the West;
- Blade length – from 12 to 20 cm.
Design Features
True Santoku models have a rugged design that emphasizes the blade rather than the handle. The Japanese value knives, first of all, their functionality.
Different types of steel are used for the blade:
- Single-layer, various brands;
- Three-layer;
- Stainless steel combined with Damascus steel.
Features of use
The Japanese Santoku chef's knife is suitable for all types of work:
- Cutting fish and meat, including those with small bones;
- Cutting portions of meat and fish;
- Sliced vegetables;
- Chopping vegetables.
The cutting edge of the blade does not bend, which implies vertical movements when working. This is unusual for those who have previously used a European chef's knife, which first falls on the heel when cutting. But they quickly get used to the new movement, and this gives an effective result.
You can buy such a popular Japanese Santoku knife on the website of the online store of tableware and related products PosudaPlanet (http://posudaplanet.su ) . The store offers real Santoku knives from the world's leading manufacturers.
A santoku knife is a cutting tool for cooking originating from the land of the rising sun. The Japanese love this knife because it is versatile and comfortable. Translated from Japanese language, the word “santoku” means “three cool things” or “three uses”, which fully reflects the technical collations of this tool.
With his support, you are allowed to work in any technique that your soul desires. In short, this one tool can replace several traditional knives in your kitchen.
Initially, the use of a multifunctional Santoku knife was not the same as it is now. It was developed as a replacement or backup version of the French cutting tool for cutting beef. After that, it was adapted to the needs of Japanese cuisine, and it really became universal remedy both in professional and home cooking.
Important advantages of Santoku and the purpose of its use
This tool is very comfortable to work with.
Why is it needed?
Primarily for cutting meat, fish and other stringy products. It is also ideal for chopping vegetables and fruits for stews, soup, salad or other snacks.
Of course, it is better to use it for direct purposes. True, housewives sometimes even cut bread with it, using a Japanese kitchen knife for all significant purposes.
Some, having acquired this instrument, completely forget about its analogues, because it surpasses them many times in its high-quality calls.
It will be the optimal solution for practical people who do not want to clutter their kitchen with a lot of tools.
So, why and how are Santoku knives used?
Key information about a suitable tool
The size and shape of santoku is optimal for cutting into small cubes, layers and strips. You can cut both meat and vegetables. But, it’s true that the characteristic feature of Japanese knives is their versatility; it’s better not to overload them.
For example, if you want to carry out full-scale cutting of meat, it is better for you to additionally buy a standard hatchet, one that is prepared for chopping bones and tendons. And you really shouldn’t overload the santoku with this. And if you work preferably with pulp, purchasing it will be the best solution for you.
Santoku has a blade shaped like a "leg of lamb". This ensures a fine gap between the cutting edge and the cutting board during application. This tool is therefore particularly suitable for slicing with smooth, downward movements. They are also comfortable making smooth transitions when cutting shapes. This chef's knife has some restrictions regarding swinging, so it is better not to cut cartilage and other dense inclusions, exclusively in meat or fish.
Why do you need a santoku knife?
In order to grind products using traditional methods:
- Cubes;
- Straws;
- Half rings;
- Rings;
- Squares;
- Shredder.
According to the thesis, it can be used for cutting meat and fish, provided that there are small cartilages and bones in the product.
The blade length of this tool is shorter than that of traditional ones. A typical Japanese santoku has the most excellent balancing, but its Western counterparts are no different. If you want to purchase an authentic tool, it is better for you to purchase a knife made in Japan.
Is it convenient to cut a santoku knife?
Undoubtedly. However, you must be familiar with the techniques of cutting food in order to achieve real convenience in cooking.
Correct cutting technique
Many beginners, and even experienced housewives, are wondering which is more comfortable - a chef's knife or a santoku?
It is impossible to give an unambiguous result here, because different people completely different ideas on this matter. Some find it fearlessly uncomfortable to hold in their hands. japanese instrument, others, having once tried to work with it, never return to the usual cooking tools. But it is impossible not to highlight the main thing - the santoku is truly more practical and versatile than an ordinary chef’s knife.
Therefore, if you are drawn to pragmatism, you should prefer it for continuous use.
And of course, in order to be comfortable using the tool, you need to know the chef’s technique for gripping the tool.
Correct takeover:
The most common gripping mistakes are when the cook imagines that he is holding a sword in his hand. Under no circumstances should you place your index finger on the back of the blade - this could cause injury.
Small knives are held directly in the palm, across the fingers. The large finger is set slightly upward, and all the rest are bent under the instrument itself. Such products are traditionally used for cleaning certain vegetables and fruits.
When cutting food, different parts of the blade are used. Usually the emphasis is on its middle. That part of the blade that is located at the tip is used for the so-called “ticklish” cutting, when it is necessary to very finely chop food or herbs. The heel (the side opposite the point) is used in cases where you need to cut something hard. That is, where greater effort is required.
Whatever knife you plan to buy, you need to take a closer look at its good quality collections.
Choosing a tool must be scrupulous and careful. You shouldn’t believe everything the store assistant tells you. It is required to initially research the collections of metals from which similar tools can be made, and choose among them the one that is suitable for yourself. Of course, the best thing is to buy a knife made of stainless steel, since it is suitable for most products and does not have the ability to spoil them with oxidizing metal. You can also pay attention to blade materials such as carbon iron, high carbon iron and alloy iron.
Proper use and storage of knives is very important for their long and acceptable use. Relate to this instrument with due attention, and he will answer you with a long and suitable service.