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The santoku knife is a must-have in the kitchen when it comes to cooking. However, many home cooks are perplexed as to how to use a Santoku Knife in a practical manner.
The santoku, forged in Japan, has a distinctive design that makes it great for slicing meat or vegetables with ease. The santoku is highly versatile, because of its wide blade and rounded tip. You can dice ingredients on a chopping board or slice them into small strips while holding the food in your hand with a santoku knife.
The fact that they can be used for cutting, slicing, and chopping gave them their name. “Three uses” is the literal translation of the name. We’ll go through how to utilize a Santoku knife in your kitchen on a regular basis in this article.
Step-By-Step Guideline to Use Santoku Knife Properly
What is a Santoku knife?
A Santoku is a Japanese kitchen knife with a curving blade that makes chopping food simpler than with straight blades. This knife is an Asian chef’s knife that can be used for a variety of tasks. It is distinct from other knives of the same type, such as the traditional Western chef’s knife, which has a blade that is thinner and higher than most chef’s knives.
Santoku knives are great for slicing and dicing vegetables, boning, cutting meat and poultry, pounding garlic or nuts, and any other work that requires a multi-purpose knife.
In western kitchens, this Asian-style utility knife has acquired appeal. It can be used to chop meat or fish, as well as to slice sushi, in place of a chef’s knife. The Santoku is popular among many people since it is simple to use and extremely sharp.
Santoku knives are available at kitchen supply stores. They can also be found on the internet. Knives with identical specs are available from a variety of companies.
How to Use Santoku Knife Properly
Santoku gets its name from the three attributes it embodies: sharpness, weight, and ease of use. The knife was created at the end of the nineteenth century in Japan. Since then, it has grown in popularity in both commercial and residential kitchens all around the world.
The Santoku knife is ideal for any operation that requires concentration and precision, from chopping vegetables to cutting meat. After you have the hang of it, using a Santoku knife is simple and enjoyable. Here, we’ll explain all you need to know about Santoku knives and how to use them effectively.
Firstly,
It takes long enough to do almost any culinary task, but not so lengthy that it becomes daunting or intimidating. Furthermore, the blade’s length makes it ideal for chopping bigger vegetables without accidentally smashing your fingers into your chopping board, particularly if you’re chopping with the “pinch grip,” as we knife nerds call it.
While cutting, wielding your knife in this manner gives you considerably more balance and stability. There are a rationale cooks use it all over the place, from a local restaurant to the Cooking Channel. Pinch the blade with your index finger and thumb while holding the handle with the rest of your knuckles, and you’re ready for action!
Secondly,
Despite the fact that the santoku’s cutting edge is relatively flat, the curve as it approaches the tip adapts itself ideally to producing a smooth forward gliding or drawing-back action. This allows you to cut paper-thin slices of anything you’re chopping. So, now you’ve evolved into a human violin!
This is where the knife’s flat side comes in handy. You’ll get a smooth cut through whatever you’re slicing or chopping because you’ll have so much touch with the chopping board. And you won’t have to bother about the “dropdown effect,” where almost all portions are still attached by a thin barrier because you didn’t cut entirely through your foodstuff.
You can now chop those slices into small twigs, and then chop them the much finer way. This gliding method not only provides for lovely, clean slices but also makes the edge of your knife easier to maintain. This ensures that your favourite kitchen partner retains its sharpness much longer!
You can even begin incorporating a little rock into the cut if you’ve mastered sliding. This helps you to get so much out of the blade’s design without resorting to the harsh rock-chopping techniques seen on television, which can quickly dull your edge.
What makes a Santoku knife special?
Santoku knives feature a shorter blade than chef’s knives, measuring around 6 inches long. The shorter blade allows for more control, which is especially beneficial for less experienced chefs. A chef’s knife blade is typically 8 inches long, although it can be as long as 14 inches.
Important Tips about Using the Santoku Knife
Since the early twentieth century, the Santoku knife has been a popular form of a Japanese kitchen knife in Japan. It’s one of the most versatile knives you can own, and it’s widely used as a general-purpose kitchen knife.
They’re made to make your culinary experience go more smoothly, easily, and enjoyably. Before you start cooking with a Santoku knife, you need to learn how to wield it properly.
Santoku knives are often constructed of stainless steel, although they can also be made of ceramic or have a high carbon content. We utilize high-carbon steel at Mosen because it has a lot of long-term advantages: it’s stronger, more durable, and keeps its sharpness longer than other materials.
Any decent kitchen knife must have a sharp blade. High-carbon steel knives already have a sharper blade, which is a significant plus for a kitchen instrument like a santoku. You should purchase a Santoku knife that fits comfortably in your hand and has a blade length of four to six inches.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Santoku knives are versatile kitchen knives, they are not jacks-of-all-trades. Do not use it as a replacement for all of your kitchen knives. It’s similar to a multi-purpose utility knife that can cut herbs and slice meat. Keep it clean and sharp, and it will serve you well for many years to come!