What is the difference between a Chef’s Knife and a Santoku Knife

what-is-the-difference-between-a-chefs-knife-and-a-santoku-knife

If you remain busy in the kitchen all day, then you must have seen various kinds of knives all around you. The chef’s knife and the santoku knife are two different types of knives available in the market, which are popular. So, let’s know about what is the difference between a chef’s knife and a santoku knife?

Knives are used in the kitchen to cut meat, fish, and vegetables, where different chefs are used to different types of knives. So, if you are confused to select the perfect one from these two, then you need to know them in detail and know the differences. 

Today you will know about the chef’s knife and santoku knife and what’s the difference between them. Along with the difference, you will get FAQs and some additional tips. So, let’s dig into the content to know more.

what-is-the-difference-between-a-chefs-knife-and-a-santoku-knife

Contents

What is a Santoku Knife Used for?

So, what is a santoku knife, and for what reason should you use it? Well, the santoku knife is perfect for cutting meat, vegetables, and fish. You can also do chopping with this knife by not touching the nip to the cutting board. The knife design will help you to use the nip of the knife perfectly. The knife is very much used and popular in Japan, and the size of the knife is smaller than the chef’s knife. 

However, there is some curbed portion on the body of the santoku knife, and these curves make the cut more beautiful. The handle of the santoku knife is comfortable to hold, and it has a small bolster. Again, the sharpening system for this knife is also very easy. You can slice cheese with this knife and mincing meat. The balanced weight will offer you the lighted holding.
It can be 5 inches to 7 inches long blade for this type of knife. The Santoku knife set can offer you great cutting experience over time.

What is a Chef’s Knife Used for?

A chef’s knife is an ordinary knife for kitchen cutting, and so on. You can use this knife for chopping and other tasks. This knife originated in Germany and the body of the knife is curved. Again you will find this knife with a double bevel. The bolster in the handle is thick and it’s heavy to hold the knife.

For cutting meat, you can use this type of knife, slicing cheese, and other different cutting things. If you need a complex cut, then this knife will help you to do so. Whenever you go to cut anything, the tip will touch the cut board, and it will continuously touch the board.

The pointed tip helps get into the cut–piece. The smooth surface of the knife is very much needed to cut smoothly without any design. The material of this type of knife is very easy to sharpen and handle.

Main Difference: Chef vs Santoku Knife

You can differentiate these two types of knives by seeing them for the first time. But there are more other differences too which make them different from one another. Before we make the difference table let’s know the key feature of these two types of knives-

Key Feature for Chef’s Knife

  • Made of stainless steel
  • Easy to restoration
  • Suitable for cutting meat, vegetable, and fish
  • Can be used with cutting board

Key Feature for Santoku’s Knife

  • Made of stainless steel with good quality
  • Suitable for cutting and chopping meat, vegetable, and fish
  • Easy to handle
  • Restoration is easy to do

Head to Head: Difference Table about What is the difference between a Chef’s Knife and a Santoku Knife

Now, let’s see the difference in a table that will help you understand more about them. It will associate you to select the perfect one for you.

CHEF’S KNIFESANTOKU’s Knife
The chef’s knife originated in Japan and is popular in the Asia region. The santoku’s knife originated in Germany and France and is popular in the European region.
This type of knife comes with a pointed tip that is used to go inside any cut-piece.It has a curved spine which is useful for cut smoothly
Heavy-weight but very effective in cutting complex cutLight-weighed but not suitable for a complex cut.
Weight balance is not perfect and the professional can use it perfectly. Perfectly weight balanced and everyone can use it
Comes with a thick bolster and so it’s not easy to hold and cutComes with a very thin and small bolster which make the cutting more precious
Curved edge Straight edge

FAQs about what is the difference between a chef’s knife and a santoku knife?

Do I need a chef’s knife and a Santoku?

It depends on you and the kind of food you are going to prepare. If you need to cut meat with some light bones, then the chef’s knife can be your choice. On the other hand, if you need to cut the meat without heavy tasks, then you can go for the santoku knife.

Can you use a Santoku knife to cut meat?

Yes, you can use a santoku knife for cutting and chopping with ease. Again, it is perfect for chopping salad and vegetables. So, you can go for this santoku knife for your kitchen.

How to choose the best santoku knife 2021?

Before choosing the Santoku knife you need to see the weight balancing and the sharpness. After that, you can check the materials also.

Additional Tips: On using Knife

These additional tips will help you to use the knife easily. Let’s have a quick look-

  • Hold the knife in your hand and check the weight balancing so that you can cut easily.
  • Check the sharpness of the knife to get a better experience
  • Never cut any other things other than food with your kitchen knife

Final Note

Hopefully, you have understood what is the difference between a chef’s knife and a santoku knife. Before cutting anything in your kitchen you need to make sure that you are wearing gloves and glasses. As the knife has a sharp edge, it may cut your hand, so be careful with that. 

 Choosing a knife depends on you but before choosing, you need to make sure that the knife is going with your cutting style or not. 

Similar article:

  1. What is a bowie knife