Everyone,

Just for curiosity's sake: What is considered the proper technique
for chopping veggies with a santoku knife? Is it the same as the
usual rocking motion with a conventional chef's knife? Or because the
blade is almost straight, do you lift the entire knife up and down to
chop?

TIA,

Ken

In article
>,
Ken > wrote:

> Everyone,
>
> Just for curiosity's sake: What is considered the proper technique
> for chopping veggies with a santoku knife? Is it the same as the
> usual rocking motion with a conventional chef's knife? Or because the
> blade is almost straight, do you lift the entire knife up and down to
> chop?

For starters, most santokus that I've seen have curved blades. Rocking
is definitely an option, particularly for finer mincing. I find slicing
to be the most efficient approach for general dicing and mincing. By
that, I mean adding a horizontal motion to your cutting stroke. I don't
use my 10" chef knives, since I was given a santoku, unless I'm cooking
for about 8 or more eaters.

D.M.
--
greatvalleyimages.com

"Ken" > wrote in message
...
> Everyone,
>
> Just for curiosity's sake: What is considered the proper technique
> for chopping veggies with a santoku knife? Is it the same as the
> usual rocking motion with a conventional chef's knife? Or because the
> blade is almost straight, do you lift the entire knife up and down to
> chop?
>
> TIA,
>
> Ken
>
>
I avoid the Santoku knife for chopping, and reach for the 8" chef's knive.
It has the right amount of curve to balance the sawing and the chopping. The
Santoku is nice for slicing, though I really haven't gotten used to it.

Kent

I find there are differing Santuko blade shapes—some more "flat" or
"straight" than others.

I bought two, really cleap Santukos just to try them out for their
feel without spending a bunch, you might try the same.

I found I prefereed the more curved blade for chopping with the same
rolling technique I use with a chef's knife.

To me, the greatest thing about the Santuko was its thin blade. I use
Henkels knives and those thick chef's blades tend to send little bits
flying when I chop. The Santuko was better at keeping those fine
pieces on the cutting board in their nice, little heap. The wide
blade functions just like th chef's knife.

In general, I like the Santuko for chopping but a 6" Utility knife for
general cutting prep. Those two plus a chef's parer do 95% of my prep
work. (But I do have a block full of Henkels acquired over the years.)

Pixmaker


On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:29:23 -0700 (PDT), Ken
> wrote:

>Everyone,
>
>Just for curiosity's sake: What is considered the proper technique
>for chopping veggies with a santoku knife? Is it the same as the
>usual rocking motion with a conventional chef's knife? Or because the
>blade is almost straight, do you lift the entire knife up and down to
>chop?
>
>TIA,
>
>Ken

(I just got back into town, so this is a bit late.)

Everyone,

Thanks for your replies.

Ken