Last Updated on November 19, 2022
The Santoku is a Japanese-made multifunctional knife that is used to cut steak, fish, and veggies. If generally translated into English, the name casually means ‘three purposes. Since it differs from other knives in a few ways, we’ll focus on how to sharpen a Santoku knife in particular.
While the word “santoku” literally translates to three uses, it’s most commonly known as the all-purpose kitchen knife. It is shorter than a chef’s knife and has a wider blade. Which makes it perfect for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables. However, just like any other cooking tool, if you don’t take care of your knife it will quickly become useless.
Best Way to Sharpen a Santoku Knife Without any Hazardous Tools!
Santoku knives are a little shorter than conventional kitchen knives. It ranges from fifteen to eighteen inches in length rather than the conventional 20 inches. While cutting, its sharp edge stands taller, allowing extra clearance for your knife knuckles. The edge is bent like it’s a sickle, making it less prone to shatter but also restricting its use in delicate cutting circumstances.
The santoku knife is a Japanese all-purpose kitchen knife. It has to be able to handle many different tasks. Most manufacturers have created this blade with a double-bevel edge. Which gives the knife an easy slicing ability without sacrificing too much cutting power.
To Keep Your Santoku Knife in Tip-top Shape, Follow These:
First, wipe it down with a clean rag or paper towel to remove any debris or residue on the blade from food preparation. Then use a sharpening steel to realign the edge of your blade by holding it at a 20-degree angle against both sides of the steel.
You can sharpen a Santoku knife like other knives, with a 20° sharpening angle to the whetstone. However, if it’s one of those knives with a Granton knife edge, you might have to decrease the angle slightly to 15°.
Once you choose a sharpening angle, keep the knife at that angle against the whetstone with your dominant hand. With the other hand, hold the flat of the blade and push it in a stroke that ensures the entire length of its cutting edge touches the whetstone during each motion. Move your hands but try not to rotate your wrists at the end of every stroke.
The best way to sharpen a knife is to use the entire length of the stone. If you isolate one part, that part will wear out faster and distort the angle, causing you to flatten it again.
And repeat the same procedure on the other side of the knife. And you will be good to go!
The Easiest Way to Maintain the Sharpness of Your Knife!
For a long time, people have been using stones to sharpen knives. But sharpening on a stone is not the best way to maintain the edge of your blade. It’s fine for occasional use, but it requires you to remove too much metal from your knife for daily cutting tasks.
You may have heard that the key to a sharp knife is using it regularly. That’s only partially true. The truth is, though, you should use your knife regularly; however, if you want to keep it sharp, there are some other steps you need to take.
There are many ways to sharpen knives; however, they all can be loosely grouped into two categories: manual and electric. While both methods work well for keeping knives sharp, the method you choose will depend on how often you plan to use your knife.
The most common myth about honing a knife is that it should be done on a steel rod or steel surface. In reality, you should be using a whetstone instead. You can use a whetstone to sharpen the edge of your blade. Whereas a steel rod simply helps remove burrs from the side of the blade.
Honing a knife is a simple yet important process that many people don’t understand. Honing the edge of your knife allows it to keep its sharpness for extended periods of time, and makes cutting food much safer.
Things to Consider to Keep Your Knife Sharp
Sharpening a knife is an art and every knife has its own sharpening needs. So, there is no universal solution to keep your knives sharp. However, you can find some general tips that will help you maintain the sharpness of your kitchen knife.
First of all, you should replace your old and blunt knives with new ones as soon as possible to save yourself from extra work in the future.
Secondly, always store your knives properly after use. You should never leave them on the counter or sink. Because the other objects around them may damage or dull them.
And finally, keep your edges always sharp so you can go for an immediate cut whenever you wish!
Conclusion
When you have a sharpened santoku knife, preparing meals will be that much easier. It should take less time to prep ingredients for cooking and cooking your food will feel more efficient. We hope you found this guide helpful! If there is anything else we can do for you, please let us know by following our Instagram page or visiting our website today.