The chef's knife
The chef's knife is a versatile knife that can be used for a variety of tasks in the kitchen. With its wide, pointed blade, it is perfect for slicing, chopping and mincing food quickly and efficiently. The chef's knife is often considered the basic kitchen tool and is used by both professional chefs and home cooks.
The blade of a chef's knife is usually between 18 and 25 centimeters in length. It's designed to be sturdy and resilient, making it effortless to cut through tough meats and vegetables. The rounded shape of its blade allows the "pendulum" cutting technique, which consists of holding the tip of the blade against the cutting board, and lowering the heel of the blade towards the ingredient to cut it.
The santoku
The santoku is a kitchen knife of Japanese origin which is also very versatile. The blade of the santoku is shorter and wider than that of the chef's knife with a straight blade edge, giving it a distinct square or trapezoidal shape. This unique shape allows for more precise cutting and chopping food faster. The blade of a santoku generally measures between 16 and 20 cm. This makes the santoku very popular with home chefs and cooks who prefer a shorter, more manageable blade.
The blade of the santoku is also generally thinner and lighter than that of a chef's knife. This makes the santoku ideal for cutting vegetables and fruits. With its flat blade, the santoku is generally used in an up and down motion to cut the ingredients.
Which knife to choose between a santoku and a chef's knife?
The main difference between the chef's knife and the santoku is the shape of their blade. The chef's knife blade is longer and thinner, while that of the santoku is shorter and wider. This difference in shape has an influence on how the knives can be used in the kitchen.
Their common point remains the versatility in their use which makes it possible to attack meat as well as fish or vegetables.
So choose your knife according to your way of cutting: a preference for pendulum movements? Then take a chef's knife like the Ultimate Chef's Knife If you prefer clean, straight gestures, opt for a santoku knife !
It's up to you to choose the multitasking knife that suits you the most according to your tastes, your culinary habits and your level of cutting! Whatever happens, don't forget to bring a suitable cutting board, like the ones we offer in our cutting accessories.
At Atma, for the moment we have chosen the chef's knife, because we are real fans of the pendulum technique, but who knows, maybe our collection of knives could grow soon :)?!
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