The Santoku is a versatile multi-use Japanese knife, famous for the translation of its name, ‘three virtues’. Santoku Kitchen Knife - 7 inch Ultra Sharp Japanese Chef Knife - Premium German High Carbon Stainless Steel with G10 hand-polished Handle Asian Knife - Three Smiles Collection 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 $25.90 $ 25 . It’s especially popular with female chefs, and Giada de Laurentiis uses one religiously. Santoku are derived a lot from japanese vegetable knives (nakiri), and are optimized - flatter though not completely flat profile, harder material on a quality knife - for techniques where the pivot point is the hand/wrist of the user and the knife is lifted off the board in its entirety between cuts. Santoku knife blades are normally handmade from thinner steel that allows it to be the lightweight cousin of chef’s knife. Rather it is a more versatile chef's knife in the Oriental tradition. The word ‘santoku’ is a Japanese word. It also allows you to cut food in one swift motion. The santoku knife is designed to provide a comfortable, well-balanced grip. Learning how to use a Santoku knife is critical for making the best use of these versatile blades. The design differences between Santoku and Chef’s knives mean that they need to used very differently. What is a Santoku knife? The santoku, meaning ‘three virtues’, is a multi-purpose knife that takes its name from its ability to easily handle meat, fish and vegetables. It means ‘the three virtues’. Most of the time, one uses the santoku knife to dice and slice food. Let us begin by disclaiming a common belief: the santoku, a legendary type of Japanese knife, is not a "sushi knife". Or better, it is not specially made for sushi. The knife design as well as the blade length and size allows for a thicker spine and adds to the knife’s weight. The three virtues are said to refer to the Santoku’s versatility in use for chopping, slicing and dicing, or the primary range of ingredients that it can be used … 6. 90 $35.90 $35.90 At first glance it’s easy to mistake a Japanese Santoku knife for a Western chef’s knife, but the two aren’t remotely the same. What is Santoku knife? “Santoku” translates to “three virtues” or “three uses.” This refers to the three types of cuts the knife is made to perform: slicing, dicing, and mincing. That’s because the knife allows you to be swift in cutting. The Santoku’s blade is flat, unlike many rounded Western knives. It might be a difficult question for most of the Europeans or Americans to answer. Why santoku translates to "three virtues." The high profile of the blade makes the santoku well-suited for home use, keeping the knuckles well above the cutting board. The design of the handle and the weight distribution of this knife make it popular with people who have small hands. 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