The second type of universal kitchen knives are chef knives and santoku knives. These are large knives, mainly shredding ones. Based on the principle of “shredding”, these include Chinese knives “tsai-dao” (“hatchets” in our understanding). These knives can only be operated while standing and using standard height kitchen surface.
Both Tsai Dao, European chef's knives and Santoku have only one grip. When the thumb and index finger wrap around the blade. Like this:
These knives have no other grips.
If you hold such a knife, for example, only by the handle, you will not be able to control the cut, the blade will move to the side. Therefore, housewives who practice a root knife do not switch to a chef. 
The advantages of chef's knives are obvious.
First. The chef's knife allows you to chop at incredible speed. To do this you need to use certain technologies. The side of the knife slides against the stop - the knuckles of the left hand. At the same time, the most important thing is to protect thumb from a cut. In Europe they explain it this way: “take what you’re cutting, as if you were putting your hand on an orange, chop it.” In America they teach a safer technology - they teach you to move your thumb to the farthest position. Of course, the division into American and European school- conditionally. But, nevertheless, the threat to the left thumb is the main one during fast shredding.
European school, the product is pressed as far as possible with the palm and fingers. The thumb is in a natural position. There is always a temptation to touch up the product with your thumb - this is where injuries begin. 
American school, the product is held with the fingertips, the thumb is removed. It's not always convenient, but it's safe. 
Second: a chef’s knife can serve as a spatula when you need to send the slices with cutting board into a bowl.
Third. A chef's knife can work with any product: potatoes, onions, garlic, meat, fish, herbs and much more.
A chef's knife can not only chop, but also cut like a slicer (a gastronomic knife - in the Russian tradition).
Using one grip, you can use a chef's knife to different ways shredders - both chop and cut away from you, and towards you, and work with wave-like movements - this depends on the geometry of the blade. There are blades that allow you to chop - when in one blow everything that is under the knife is cut. Such a blade must have at least small area smooth, straight shape. There are knives whose blade shape suggests only wave-like movements (for example, the strange chef from Opinel). Although, 99 percent of chefs assume, of course, that you will use pulling or pressing towards the handle during the cutting or shredding process. On the knife that I revived for Elena Fedorova, I specially made a straight, even part - from the handle to the middle of the knife - this was logical when restoring the blade. I think Lena is happy.
When working with a chef, you can use different parts of the blade - closer to the handle - for hard products (for example, chop a bunch of mint with sprigs, for lemonade), closer to the tip of the blade - for example, chop garlic, or, as everyone does, with the middle of the cutting part .
Depending on what operations are most important in the kitchen, you need to choose knife balancing. For a chef, balancing is important. If you place your index finger between the handle and the blade, you may find that your knife: (1) balances at that point;
(2) falls towards the blade; 
(3) falls towards the handle. 
These are the features of balancing. A smooth, balanced knife gives a feeling of absolute, one hundred percent controllability. You have only just thought, but the hand with the knife has already done it. This balancing is liked by people who keep the chef as their “favorite knife” and do most of the operations in the kitchen with it. If the knife falls down onto the product, this increases the accuracy of the work - the knife, along with you, seems to be looking for Right place application - this is important not so much when shredding, but when slicing products. With such a knife they usually work “on their own” - they find a point and cut. For fast shredding, it is more convenient (in my opinion from European knives) a knife whose balance is shifted to the handle. When the handle is heavier, when shredding, it helps to remove the knife from the product; after pressing, the blade itself tends upward, as if rebounding. All you have to do is work from above, pressing.
An important characteristic of a chef's knife is the width of the butt. Many housewives love knives with a wide spine - such knives are heavy, solid, inertial (if you keep in mind fast movements). In addition, on wide butts there is less chance of damaging the bend of your index finger (it’s unnoticeable while you’re cooking dinner, but when you’re shredding 50 kg of cabbage for pickling, this is very important). The wider the butt, the heavier the knife (you can beat meat), the more obtuse the angle included in its design, respectively, more resistance material. If you are cutting herring for mincemeat, this does not matter. If you chop a hard product, such as radish or carrots, you will feel resistance. I love chefs with a thin spine, which is not comme il faut, especially when you communicate with lovers of Japanese forged knives (they, as a rule, do not consider me a person). But I like the ease of cutting that the thin blades provide. And if you need to chop a lot, I glue a patch on the crook of my index finger in advance). 
I will not analyze here the peculiarities of the geometry of German and French chefs, I will only say that German blades are more understandable to me than French ones, primarily in terms of steels and sharpenings. The French ones are also good, there are no words. They are more attractive, more pleasant, and easier to use. However, I can’t help but feel that any Sabatier was made in a Chinese village unknown to me.
I'll say a few more words about santoku. Many believe that this is the national Japanese analogue of the European chef's knife. This is only partially true. Santoku is not the national knife of Japan. This is a knife that the Japanese specially invented for Europeans and Americans when they were planning expansion into these markets. Despite the unconventionality of this knife, it turned out to be extremely successful. The Japanese removed the sharp tip from the European chef (why is it needed, tell me?), due to this they made the geometry of the blade not a triangle, but such a uniform stripe and added a not very elegant hook-nosed bend at the tip of the blade. The grip of this knife is no different from the usual grip of a chef. It seems like everything is as always. Yes, Japanese steels are harder, meaner, retain their edge longer, are sharpened and straightened a little differently (we’ll talk about this later). Yes, the “shovel” turns out to be more responsive. Yes, with a traditional grip we are not annoyed by the Japanese handle and frankly crappy bolsters. What's the trick? The trick is steel, of course. This was marketing not of form, but of steel. Compare Japanese santoku and santoku made, say, in France or Germany. 
There is one more feature that few people know about, but I really like it. I'm talking about this most unaesthetic hook-nosed blade tip. I use it often at work. Look: you baked the peppers. Peeled. Now you need to remove the seeds. We cut it into two parts, turn the knife over and remove them with one movement of the hooked part. Or: you need to remove the seeds from the pumpkin slices. The same. And so on) 
One more note. The Japanese, as a rule, make the handles of their knives either from magnolia (light, white, sometimes yellowish, soft wood) or from ebony (black, gray-black, dense wood). Neither can be washed in the dishwasher. Bullshit. Ebony wood from the dishwasher becomes rough and prickly. This is the first year. Then it settles down and becomes quite pleasant. Does not crack, does not change shape. Magnolia is just a song. Soapy water makes it velvety to the touch, sometimes, like wool, it becomes covered with “pellets” (you can’t see them, you feel them on your skin), but this also goes away quickly. 
So. Now - about Tsai Dao chopping hatchet knives. Tsai Dao is a delight if you know how to chop professionally. The height of the blade of these devices is two to two and a half times greater than the height of the blades of European chefs. What does this give? This gives range of motion. If you are chopping a bunch of dill, then the European chef or santoku is the way to go. If you need to chop a large product, for example half a head of cabbage, then with traditional chefs this becomes traumatic. And not for the thumbs, but for the supporting knuckles. Of course, the head of cabbage can be cut into several convenient pieces. This is a way out, but in many cases it is palliative. If for a santoku or European chef the knife stroke is about 3 cm, then for a tsai-dao it is eight centimeters. Do you feel the difference? 
Summary. Standing only. Shredder. Long, neat cuts. Spatula. Speed. At the same time, the knife is heavy, requiring strength and control, not flexible, and the edge is not used in any way. I love it, I love it. 
In America there is not only a saying, but a saying: “There is nothing in the kitchen that I cannot make my santoku.” Of course, I won’t say anything about the fact that santoku or chef, and even more so tsai-dao, you can’t peel potatoes. Root knives and varieties of large chopping knives: more in modern kitchen There are no universal knives. The rest are specialized. We'll talk about them later)
(santoku bōchō or 三徳包丁) is a traditional knife for the Japanese culinary school, which is considered universal and is used everywhere in the preparation of national culinary products. It is noteworthy that the Japanese Santoku knife is a prototype European knife chef, which is also considered universal and is used in the cooking process wide range dishes.
Often in the literature the Santoku knife is referred to as Satoku Bocho. The santoku knife was originally used for cutting meat. However, later various modifications of the Santoku knife began to appear, so the kitchen device began to be used for various culinary manipulations with food. It is worth noting that the name of the Santoku knife is literally translated from Japanese language means "three good things" or "three uses."
This self-explanatory name for the Santoku knife is due to the device’s ability to cope with various types food products. The Santoku knife is suitable for cutting ingredients into both large and small pieces or thin slices. In addition, a santoku knife is used for chopping food. The blade of a Santoku knife has a special tip shape, which is made in the shape of a sheep's leg. The blade of a santoku knife resembles the outline of a sheep's leg. This knife design makes the device very convenient to use.
A Santoku knife has a slight gap between the cutting blade and the surface of the cutting board. This is both a plus and a minus of a santoku knife. On the one hand, the original shape of the blade helps the chef in using the knife, but with strong sharpening, the functionality of the santoku is reduced. In order to use the santoku, the cook must have some knowledge about the culinary device.
When using a Santoku knife, you need to make single, downward slicing movements with the device. In addition, you should lightly press the Santoku knife onto the cutting surface, so the device will be better able to cut or chop ingredients. It is worth noting that the Santoku knife differs in size from other specialized chef's tools. The blade of a Santoku knife is shorter and, as a rule, it standard sizes do not exceed 188 mm.
In order to provide the cook with wide scope for culinary manipulations, the blade of the knife is wide, and the handle of the santoku, on the contrary, is much narrower. Before using a santoku knife for cutting fish, meat with bones, or vegetables, the device must be sharpened. High-quality Japanese Santoku knives differ from cheap fakes in their service life. In addition, professionals say that the traditional Japanese santoku is well balanced, since they use high temperatures, as well as pumped out steel.
Typically, the Santoku blade is sharpened more strongly, which helps achieve thinner and more precise cutting of food during use. kitchen appliance. The sharpening angle of the Japanese Santoku is 18 degrees. European Santoku models are not as well balanced, so achieving improved slicing results with such a knife is sometimes difficult or even impossible. In Europe, santoku blades are made from lower quality steel, which also affects the characteristics of the knife.
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Every housewife knows that a knife is an important device, without which it is impossible to prepare delicious dishes. A Santoku knife allows you to chop any food quickly and efficiently.
Most residents of our country have already appreciated the benefits of santoku. This type of knife sharpens well, so you can use it to chop fish, meat with bones, etc.
The wide blade of a Santoku knife allows you to perform any manipulation without difficulty, so its owners can easily cut, chop and chop food.
Thanks to the special blade shape, this type The knife is characterized by a small gap between the knife and the surface of the cutting board. This allows you to cut food with minimal physical effort.
To perform fine slicing, the knife blade is sharpened as finely as possible.
This type of knife is made from strong but durable steel, which allows you to cut even very small products. If the knife has grooves, they will protect it from food sticking while slicing. Choose Santoku and you will find out that chopping food can be a quick and enjoyable experience!
Of all the varieties of knives belonging to different peoples and the peoples of the world, special, can rightfully be called - Japanese, because the requirements for them are prohibitively high.
This is due not only to the fact that Japanese cuisine is famous throughout the world for its original and delicious dishes, and to a greater extent - strict table etiquette and, accordingly, a careful and reverent attitude towards the cooking process itself. All products in mandatory, thinly, neatly, finely and very beautifully must be cut, and this is the main requirement!
In the kitchen (in any Japanese restaurant or home) there is a real cult of the knife. Every cook looks after and cherishes his working weapon, carefully wiping it until it shines, not allowing a speck of dust or a trace of a drop of liquid on the steel. After use, the knife is always put away in its sheath, and if it needs to be transported, a durable case is provided for this purpose. Such reverent attitude is reminiscent of how samurai once treated their swords - it was something sacred that no other hand except the owner could touch.
The sharpening process is also equated to a real art; no chef will ever entrust his knives to an amateur or undertake to do it himself (except to slightly correct them during the working day), then the knives are given for sharpening only to the most experienced craftsmen.
Today it’s even difficult to say how many professional knives there are in Japan - they are provided for every type of dish. However, in everyday life there is no point in keeping all of them; it is enough to choose the most necessary and used models, such as, for example Japanese santoku knife.
Santoku knife: its features and the secret of popularity
The real “king” among professional knives, according to many chefs from different countries world, is considered santoku(or, as it is called in its homeland, “Santoku bote”).
This is a universal chef's knife, the name of which translates as “a knife designed to solve three tasks”, i.e. with it you can:
- cut;
- crumble;
- chop.
The design of such knives is specially thought out and made in such a way as to ideally and quickly cope with any of the listed three tasks, while the cook’s hands will not get tired.
A distinctive feature of this knife is that it is equipped with a very wide and heavy blade. Its handle, on the contrary, is narrow and relatively light, but despite this, it fits perfectly with the blade. Thus, the design ensures that the center of gravity of the knife shifts forward. Interestingly, the knife is perfectly balanced, and you can easily perform any manipulation with it.
The length of the blade can vary from 120 mm to 200 mm. The blade is distinguished by an impeccable asymmetric sharpening, especially sharp - closer to the tip of the knife. The quality of sharpening is due to the fact that they cut not only vegetables, but meat and fish (with and without small bones), and all this, taking into account the Japanese predilection for the perfect edge of pieces. The profile sharpening angle of this knife is 18 degrees. Blade santoku made of expensive and high-quality steel, tempered at high temperatures.
It is worth noting that the blade of this type of Japanese knives is not intended for cutting (chopping) thick bones and various hard materials, which can damage the edge of the blade.
In terms of blade, it is not the longest among its compatriots, it is just average. The size of the handle is ideal for cooks with small hands, in this case providing sufficient space for the hand. That is why the knife has become very popular among women.
Traditionally, the handle of all Japanese knives and, of course, Santoku is made of wood (the most commonly used of them is magnolia). The Japanese do not consider it necessary to make handles from more durable materials, in their understanding: it is better to replace the worn handle with a new one after a while, because the main thing is the quality of the blade. The length of the Santoku handle is selected in accordance with the size of the blade, and on average it is 140 - 160 mm.
Santoku knife: buy and what to look for
Lovers of perfect and aesthetic cutting can real knife Buy Santoku in online stores specializing in such products. Products from leading world-famous manufacturers will not be cheap, but high quality, ease of use and extensive capabilities, with good strength and durability - all these advantages fully justify the price.
Today on the Internet you can find cheaper Santoku, such “non-Japanese” variations - produced by European companies. Their blade has various indentations and protrusions to reduce the sticking of cut products to the knife. These knives are made of softer and less expensive steel than real “Japanese” ones; accordingly, their price is lower. Some of these models are also made cheaper by using polypropylene for the handle.
Choosing Japanese the knife is real, do not forget that genuine “Santoku Bote” do not have such “decorations”, high-quality steel and correct geometry blade edges.
When buying a knife, do not forget about the certificate that comes with it, guaranteeing the high quality of the product and confirming that the Santoku is a type of universal chef's knife.
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Very few kitchen knives, which are traditionally used in the East, were able to gain popularity in the West, like Japanese santoku. In short, this is a universal chef knife, and it was invented quite recently.
But the Santoku knife is a relatively recent invention of the Japanese. Modern residents Japanese cities They prefer to use semi-finished products from the store for cooking rather than buying fish, chicken and vegetables in the form they are sold in the market. The result was new type kitchen knives, which were called “santoku bocho” (read “santoku bocho”).
This multi-purpose or utility knife has become a staple tool for Japanese chefs. Unlike many kitchen knives of Asian origin, Santoku has organically entered many series of kitchen knives in the West. Knife sizes and blade lengths vary depending on different manufacturers, but a blade length of 7 inches (18 cm) can be considered the established norm.
In the modern kitchen, many of the most popular different knives. However, it has been noticed that, for the most part, knives with a large blade are not required to cook food for two or three, and housewives most often strive to find a knife that can do various functions. Experiments with Santoku kitchen knives have shown that it can be a universal kitchen knife that can do any job.
Universal, medium in length, but with a wide blade (larger than ordinary chef's knives). Plus special notches (“grantons”) made so that food does not stick to the knife. Here are the three main characteristics of a Santoku knife.
What is the Santoku knife used for?
On the one hand, its size and geometry are simply ideal for cutting into small slices or cubes both meat and vegetables. This is because the center of gravity is shifted towards the end of the blade, which also has a finer sharpening in this place. On the other hand, due to the wide blade and modest size, it is also convenient for preliminary cutting of small and medium-sized pieces of fish, meat, and chicken.
In other words, Santoku is a universal kitchen knife for urban kitchens where it is not necessary to work with large whole pieces meat/chicken/fish, but you first need to cut already cut meat and work a lot with vegetables for salads and soups.
But the leg has a thin tip and reverse side- in inexpensive Santoku knives made of insufficiently high-quality metal, it easily bends or even breaks off. This is the key reason for negative reviews about Santoku, to avoid this - buy quality knives from famous manufacturers. I'm not saying that you should rush out and buy the expensive Tojiro, which costs as much as a Jeep wheel (but if you can afford it, then Tojiro is a great choice). Just don't buy unknown brands without reviews. The golden mean in terms of price/quality is the Samura Harakiri (about 2,000 rubles) or KAGAMI SANTOKU (from 1,400 rubles) models.
Differences between Asian and European versions of Santoku
Both Japanese and European models have a very thin cutting edge that cuts beautifully and is easy to sharpen. There is one difference between Japanese and European santoku. Japanese knife blades are usually made of three-layer steel: a layer of very hard knife steel between two layers of softer steel or iron. All three layers may be carbon steel, corrosion-resistant steel, or, in many cases, a layer of carbon steel between layers of corrosion-resistant steel. This way the knife has an edge that lasts a long time and that has corrosion protection over most of the surface. 
Most models European production are turned or forged from a blank of homogeneous knife steel, usually corrosion-resistant. If the sharpening angle is found correctly, this also works well.
The Santoku SwissClassic knife from VICTORINOX is a typical representative of European Santoku.
Concerning special knives, regarding this type chef's knife exist great opportunities. Very attractive is the santoku from the new Shun series from Kershaw, in which the main layer with the cutting edge is made of VG-10 steel, and the side layers are made of Damascus steel SUS410 (such knives are called Santoku Damascus).
eHida Tools and Hardwar offers a wide selection of Santoku blades in both carbon steel and corrosion-resistant steel. The Spyderco model, the Pro Culinaire K08PBK, has a wider blade and a less prominent point than most knives made in this style, but nevertheless has many fans among professional chefs. 
Fallkniven Knives offers the K2 model " White whale", with a seven-inch blade made of VG-10 steel with a black Teflon coating. Finnish manufacturer offers two models of hand forged carbon steel santoku: R 710 and R 720, with blade lengths of 6.5 inches (17 cm) and 9.5 inches (250 mm), respectively. Today, Santoku has received registration in the catalogs of all major manufacturers of kitchen knives in Europe and America, and their popularity is steadily increasing.
Among those who are in one way or another connected with knives, there is an opinion that a universal knife, which is the Santoku chef knife, can be good for everything, but you can’t do anything well with it. However, in our opinion, the Santoku is an exception to this rule, as it is an almost ideal knife for any kitchen job.
Where to buy a Japanese Santoku knife in Moscow and the regions - current prices
In general, santoku can be found for literally 100-200 rubles, so if the goal is to buy it as cheaply as possible or for testing to understand whether it is suitable for you personally, then there is no problem at all:
But, frankly speaking, these knives are a compromise, and you may not get the full impression. As they say, the miser pays twice, so we advise you to immediately pay attention to more expensive options. As we wrote above, these knives are also made by European brands, including the French Tefal and Czech Tescoma, so beloved by our compatriots. Current prices for knives Santoku Tefal:
And in these stores you can buy Santoku Tescoma:
IN upper class most popular and widespread Santoku Tojiro:
In addition, there is also santoku on the market for true connoisseurs, from. Damascus not only provides maximum hardness and wear resistance, but also looks exquisite:
And yet, we repeat, in terms of price/quality ratio, one of the leaders in Russian stores is Santoku Samura. Moreover, a Japanese kitchen knife, in our opinion, is better made in Japan, and Samura is a Japanese brand: