Santoku Knife

A mainstay in Japanese knife kitchen craftsmanship with a wide blade and ultra-fine cutting edge, the santoku knife has the chops to slice, dice, or mince your ingredients into beautifully shaped and uniformly sized perfection.

The blade of the santoku typically falls between five to seven inches in length. Forged from lightweight Japanese Damascus steel or high-carbon steel, the santoku is well-balanced and easy to control.

Much of the santoku’s allure comes from its super-sharp blade and scalloped or Granton edge. Santoku knives typically have a single bevel, resulting in a smaller blade angle and thinner edge.

Its thin edge allows you to create small and detailed cuts without damaging softer ingredients, while the shallow indentations along the knife’s straight edge help keep food from sticking to the knife blade as you work smoothly through your ingredients of choice.

The santoku knife has a sheepsfoot design, meaning the unsharpened spine of the blade curves down to meet the straight edge at a low and rounded point, resembling the shape of a sheep hoof.

Chopping. With its exceptionally fine cutting edge, a santoku knife is perfect for this straight-down cut. Rest the tip of the blade on the cutting surface, position the edge above your target ingredient, adjust for your desired thickness (or thinness) and press straight through.

Slicing. Similar to chopping, slicing allows you to make fine to thick cuts off the edge of your ingredient. Rather than lifting the whole blade above the food, however, you’ll keep the tip steady on your cutting board for small items, or cut straight down for thicker ones. From this position, you can cut in a clean, quick, down-and-forward motion. Once you have the hang of it, you can quickly return the santoku blade back to the starting position and repeat in a steady, uninterrupted motion.

Dicing. To dice your ingredients—usually veggies or herbs—start by cutting your ingredient horizontally into small, uniform chunks. With the santoku blade’s tip steady on the cutting surface, cut those small chunks vertically into even tinier ones.

• Grip the knife handle firmly in your dominant hand, with your index finger resting on the spine. Use your other hand to hold the food steady on the cutting board.

• Slice with a gentle rocking or up-and-down motion, allowing the knife to glide through the food smoothly. Avoid harsh chopping motions.

• Keep the blade's edge touching the cutting board as you slice to avoid lifting it too high. Excessive up-down blade movement can lead to injury.

• For better control and thinner slices, use the front half of the blade when cutting. The curved tip works best for mincing.

• When mincing, hold the knife tip down and rock it back and forth, keeping the food contained under the blade.

• Always use a clean, stable cutting board. Hard surfaces will dull the blade prematurely.

• Hold food steady with your other hand, fingers curled under to stay clear of the blade. Use a claw grip if needed.