Santoku Knife Vs Chef Knife: Which Should You Choose?

Santoku knife vs chef knife: Many people often misunderstand these two types of knives because they have the same form and function. However, the santoku knife and chef knife are quite different.

Are you wondering which knife you should choose, santoku knife or chef knife? Don’t worry! You only need to read this article to the end, and you will get the answer.

What Is A Santoku Knife?

Santoku knife, also called “three uses” or “three virtues”, is a versatile kitchen knife that originates from Japan.

The blade of a santoku knife is normally between 5 and 8 inches in length. It has a straight edge and bends to an angle of 60° at the tip.

The name of this knife refers to the various functions that santoku knives can solve, such as handling meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, or cutting, slicing, dicing, and chopping.

The shape of the blade is the sheep’s foot shape. People design santoku blades and handle by combining well the width and weight of the blade to those of the handle so that it can work harmoniously. That is similar to the initiatory Japanese Santoku.

What Is A Chef Knife?

A chef knife, also known as a cook’s knife, is a cooking knife used for preparing food. Initially, they use the chef knife or steak knives to cut and share out large pieces of beef. Nowadays, they are utility knives for most of the Western cooks.

The blade length of a chef knife is about 8 inches, and it is 1,5 inches wide. Besides, some models may range from 6 to 14 inches long.

There are two popular types of blade shape of this Western knives: German and French blade. German knives have a deeper and continuous curvature along the entire cutting edge. French blade style has a harder edge until the end, then curves up to the blade’s tip.

Santoku Knife Vs Chef Knife: The Differences

Although the two types of knives are similar, there are still several different features. Now, we will tell you about the differences between a  chef’s knife vs. santoku knife

Size

The standard Santoku blade is 5 to 8 inches in length while the length of a chef knife blade is about 8 to 10 inches. Hence, this means that the Santoku knife is usually smaller than the chef knife.

Material

Almost kitchen knives blades are made from stainless steel. However, there are many types of stainless steel, and which one used depends on the manufacturers.

The famous manufacturer of Santoku Kai produces their Shun Classic series of knives from very delicate corrosion-resistant V-Gold-10-series steel in a Damascus shell. 

V-Gold-10-series steel manufactured in Japan is strong with high carbon steel that provides the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.

The Western kitchen knife is made of softer, tougher, and harder steel with thicker blades, which means these knife blades need sharpening frequently. The softness of the steel keeps the blades durable and makes them less chipped.

Handle

A traditional Santoku knife does not look like a bolster, which is a striking feature of a Western chef knife. This feature can help protect your hand from sliding the blade and provide a higher grip.

Uses

The main difference between the Santoku and chef knives may be the way people use them to cut food. Each type has its uses.

The chef knife is a versatile knife that can deal with almost sort of food and task, for example, deboning meat or chopping. If you want to dice and mince with a chef knife, it will also be suitable.

Meanwhile, due to the features of the Santoku knife blades tip, you cannot use it for complex tasks such as slicing or disjointing meat. However, a Santoku knife is ideal for rocking motion with fruits and vegetables on the cutting boards.

Weight

Because of the material, you will feel the difference when you hold a Santoku, and chef knife. 

The chef knife is longer, thicker and heavier than the Santoku knife.

Which is Better?

Overall, if you know precisely your uses and needs, you will have the right choice. 

For less professional chefs, Santoku knives will be ideal because it is easy to use and control. One con of this type of knife is that you cannot deal with some tasks you want, such as deboning meat or chopping.

In contrast, chef knives can do most of the tasks in cooking, but they are a bit heavier than Santoku knives, which may make it harder for you to control it. 

It’s Time to Make Your Decision!

Santoku knife vs chef knife: Which will you select? Depending on your personal preference, you will make the right decision on taking Japanese knives or Western knives.

We recommend you should choose the one that is appropriate for your skills and purposes. If you are home cooks, a chef knife is an excellent idea to deal with all the food. Nevertheless, in case you are not a professional cook, take a Santoku knife. Thank you for reading!