Best of the Best

Santoku-style knives are certainly an example of “what goes around comes around.” The santoku was originally a Japanese version of the common European chef’s knife. Today, most santoku knives available outside of Japan are non-Japanese versions of the Japanese santoku. Just as the Japanese santoku is quite different from a European chef’s knife, the non-Japanese santoku is quite different from the Japanese santoku.

Non-Japanese santokus generally have “sheep’s foot” profile and were originally likened to a Chinese vegetable cleaver with the end of the spine curved rather than squared-off. But unlike the Chinese cleaver, most santoku designs leave the tip of the cutting edge to end at a sharp, acute angle. This causes the tip to catch on your cutting board if you attempt to cut with a rocking motion. For this reason, you must hold a santoku so the edge is close to parallel with your cutting board when you slice with it.

Many of the manufacturers of non-Japanese santokus have designed their blades to be thinner than a similar-sized chef’s knife. This causes the knife to feel lighter in your hand. This is perceived as a benefit by people who prefer a santoku over a chef’s knife.

Also, many santoku designs incorporate grantons. These depressions ground in the sides of the blade help reduce surface tension when you slice through dense, moist vegetables, like a potato. Some manufacturers label a blade with grantons as being “hollow-ground,” but this term actually refers to a method of making inexpensive knife edges, not to grantons. The benefit of grantons on a wide-bladed knife, such as a santoku, is debatable.

High-end santokus are made with the same blade manufacturing techniques as high-end chef’s knives except that many are ground to the tighter bevel common with Japanese knives.