Food is connected to our soul. A chef must be satisfied with the food they cook, be it in a restaurant or at home. So a good bonding with your knife is very important in the kitchen. Santoku knives are often regarded as the ideal knife for general uses. We’ll discuss the uses of this knife in this article.
The Santoku knife is a general-purpose knife that originated in Japan. The word “Santoku” refers to the three virtues of this knife: slicing, mincing, and dicing. Its job is to fulfill most of the cuttings needs in the kitchen and replace multiple specific purpose knives with a single one.
What is the job and purpose of a Santoku knife?
The Santoku knife provides you with all the features a general purpose knife has. It has three general use cases: slicing, dicing, and mincing. It cannot cut hard items like bones due to the blade being thin. But this adds two very important elements to the knife: lightweight and preciseness. So it will also help you cut soft items faster than the other knives.
Slicing:
Santoku knives are great for cutting slices. It can even make very thin slices due to their blades being thin. You can use it easily to slice off vegetables for salad and cheese, fish and meat for many recipes out there.
Dicing:
Dicing is another one of Santoku knife’s specialties. Place the vegetables on a cutting board and dice them with no extra effort. The sharp edges will do the work for you.
Mincing:
Mincing is no big deal when you have a Santoku knife. Due to its one sided sharp edge and very thin blade, you can mince any vegetables as thin as you want.
Example:
- Slicing cheese, meat and vegetables.
- Dicing vegetables.
- Mincing meat, vegetables and herbs.
- Creating fine slices.
- Chopping meat.
- Slicing fish.
The size of the blades in santoku knives ranges from 5 inches to 7.9 inches. From which, 5 inches blades and 7 inches blades are the most popular choices. The size of the blades gives these knives unique specialties among one another and makes it easier for people to choose the right Santoku knife for them from the many possible choices.
Uses of a 5-inch Santoku knife
5-inch Santoku knives are made for the comfort of use and preciseness. A 5-inch Santoku knife has most of the features a Santoku knife can offer. It can be used for chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing. This knife is amazing for small cutting.
It has a smaller handle. So it gives a solid grip. It can also be used to make cuts as precise as possible because of this size. This knife is perfect for people with smaller hands. Also, it is a very good choice for people who prefer a solid and a comfortable grip.
Uses of a 7 inch Santoku knife
7 inch Santoku knives are all purpose knives offering all the features a Santoku knife has. It covers most of the cutting needs in a kitchen. This knife has a larger blade and a larger handle. So even though it is a bit uncomfortable to hold, it can make cuts of all sizes easily.
Admittedly, it’ll need a little bit of more effort into making cuts as precise as a 5 inch Santoku knife. But it’ll be able to make both small and large cuts more easily. So even though it takes away some versatility of a 5 inch Santoku knife, it adds some versatility of its own.
There are many kinds of knives out there. The decision of choosing the right knife ultimately depends on the comfort of the chef and use cases in the kitchen. Knives are usually built to deal with specific uses. So in order to add one feature, another one is sacrificed. Even the general purpose knives are no exception. But the good news is, there are definitely some knives out there that are the right choices for you. All you need to do is a little bit of exploring.
The Santoku knife itself comes with many options out there. It offers a whole array of different blade size and shapes and different abilities. If you want a knife that’ll stay sharp for a long time, slice through anything with very minimum effort and at the same time make it faster to cut, the Santoku knife is the perfect choice for you.
Among 5 inches and 7 inches Santoku knives, it comes down to how you intend to cut your vegetables and other items. If comfort and preciseness are the prime factors for you and you don’t often need to make very large cuts, 5 inches Santoku is the one you should choose. It’s also the best option for people who have small hands.
If you want a Santoku knife that’s good for both small and large cuts even though it doesn’t come with the comfort that the 5 inches provide, choose the 7 inches Santoku knife. It’s true that it’s a little uncomfortable to hold at times but once you’re used to the knife the discomfort will no longer be present. And to be honest, it does its job very well.