Before starting this item test, we were afraid that examining the best Santoku knives as well as the best cook’s blades would be redundant. Plus, Epicurious has taken place the record claiming there are just 3 knives a house chef truly, really requires: (a chef’s blade, a paring blade, and a serrated blade). When my associates and also I decided to do a fresh round of knife-testing, we took into consideration maintaining our slicing and dicing contained to these models, but after a few discussions, we decided that the santoku can not be disregarded. Continue reading for the very best santoku blades of 2019; for the specifics of exactly how we tested as well as what to seek in a santoku knife, scroll to the bottom of the web page.
The Best Santoku Blade for the cash: Mac Knife Superior
Like the Mac chef’s knife, the santoku blade is very sharp and also well-priced at $75. While santoku blades have actually boosted in popularity in the united state considering that the early 2000s, the Mac is among the original variations on the market– and it is difficult to beat. With a weight of 5.5 ounces, it’s convenient, light-weight, and also has a slim blade that comes well-sharpened on both sides. The knife cut through hard potatoes and minced delicate herbs effortlessly. It’s no-fuss with a simple coating, vibrant and responsive in your hand, and also great for people looking to buy their very first santoku knife.
The Mac is just one of the original santoku blades on the united state market– and it is difficult to beat. This is our preferred santoku knife, specifically if you’re purchasing your very first one.
The Very Best Luxe Santoku Knife: Misono UX10
The Misono UX10 santoku knife is an extremely nimble, light, and qualified knife with an ultra-thin blade. This was the sharpest knife we evaluated, and also it stayed sharp after rounds of generous slicing and also dicing. The rounded side at the front has a sharper point, which differentiated it from even more basic santoku blades. The take care of is slightly much heavier than the Mac blade, yet it tapers toward the front in such a way that makes it much easier to grasp and choke up on, even if you have small hands. It includes a greater price tag than the Mac at about $160, but the quality appears in its finish as well as agility. If you’re a knowledgeable cook looking to upgrade your knife game, we recommend this.
The Very Best Low-cost Santoku Knife: Victorinox Fibrox Pro
At less than $40, the Victorinox is a great worth blade. The one we tested has a rubber deal with, but you can purchase a wood-handled variation for $65 (we liked this version but if you’re going to invest greater than $60, choose the Mac knife). This blade is nowhere near luxurious yet it’s sharp out of package and very easy to develop over time. The plastic deal with variation of the blade is lighter than the wooden one (and at 4.6 ounces, it’s lighter than the Mac) and is simple to grip. It handled our tests with precision and convenience. And also, as we kept in mind in the Victorinox chef’s knife, a lower-quality blade similar to this is excellent to have around when you require to be a little bit extra self-contained in the kitchen (you can place it in the dish washer!). This is the very best santoku blade you can obtain for this little money.
This is our budget choice for the very best santoku blade. It’s very easy to hone as well as doesn’t require the delicate treatment of other blades. Proceed, placed it in the dish washer!
What’s a Santoku Knife?
Santoku equates to “3 uses” in Japanese, which describes the blade’s remarkable capability to slice, dice, and dice. In keeping with the Japanese style, santoku knives are lighter than a lot of Western ones and have thinner blades. They’re much shorter than conventional chef’s blades (5-7 inches rather than 8-10 inches), as well as completion of the blade has a rounded curve, not a sharp point. Regardless of the rounded end, its cutting edge is level, so the knife ought to always have a cutting motion instead of a rocking one. Comparable to Western-style chef’s blades, santoku blades tend be honed on both sides, while Japanese-style cook’s blades are normally only honed on one.
Why Should You Get a Santoku Knife?
A santoku knife doesn’t differ a lot from a cook’s knife, however as a result of its rounded end, it combines the functions of a cleaver and a cook’s knife in one. It’s especially powerful for dicing delicate herbs as well as performing accurate, ultra-thin knife deal with vegetables. A cook’s blade has a bit more weight, power, and length behind it. If you have little hands, you might locate a santoku knife to be extra manageable. Certainly, you could possess both.
How We Tested
We evaluated the santoku knives on the very same products we utilized when examining chef’s knives: challenging wonderful potatoes, delicate herbs, as well as raw onions. We considered the blades’ capability to cut through veggies and do more specific work, like dicing. We observed the quality of the steel and sharpened edge, the feeling of the deal with, and also the weight of the blade. When we tightened the great deal to our top five picks, Senior Food Editor Anna Stockwell and also Bon Appétit’s Chris Morocco additionally evaluated the blades and also gave beneficial feedback that informed our decision.
For our upgraded test in 2019 we attempted a few brand-new blades on the market along with ones that had fallen under our radar in 2015. The direct-to-consumer brand name Misen formerly only made a normal cook’s blade (which we tested in our cook’s knife review and also regarded a runner-up). Because our last evaluation, Misen has actually brought out a santoku knife that we understood we had to attempt. We also included a santoku knife from one more direct-to-consumer brand name, Brigade Cooking area. We likewise wished to attempt the Tojiro santoku, as the brand name won tests for the very best santoku knives as well as Japanese-style blades at The Wirecutter as well as Serious Consumes.
Factors We Reviewed
Just how hefty is the knife?
We were most definitely looking for something lightweight. To handle slicing, dicing, and also mincing, the knife should be light in the hand and also simple to slide back as well as forth.
Just how comfy is the manage? Exactly how receptive is the blade?
We sought a knife with a comfortable handle that wasn’t too lengthy or also heavy. A knife’s responsiveness refers to just how much you really feel the blade react in your hand, which you can test by tapping the blade versus the cutting board or counter (a receptive knife will certainly vibrate back right into your hand). We wanted a receptive blade since it gives you greater control while cutting.
Exactly how is the finish top quality?
Exactly how nice is the steel? Just how are the transitions in between blade and also manage– are they smooth as well as beautiful? Just how does the manage look? Is it reliable?
Just how sharp is the blade? Exactly how does it handle chopping, slicing, dicing, and also dicing?
To really examine the blades’ performance, we initially cut through pleasant potatoes to see how sharp and also smooth the blades were while reducing. We really did not want blades that would certainly catch on the potato’s inside– we wanted tidy, very easy slicing. We then sliced and also diced onions to establish the knives’ accuracy. Particular blades made it less complicated to obtain continually slim and also pieces. Finally, we desired a blade that could cut with heaps of herbs without squashing, jumbling, or mushing them.
Various Other Knives We Checked
In our 2019 upgrade, we had high hopes for the Tojiro santoku blade as it was a favorite at other testimonial websites. It was a great blade, and also it’s simply somewhat more affordable than the winning Mac blade. Nonetheless, we found it too heavy and also huge– especially when agility and also dexterity are key features to seek in a santoku knife. While that knife was just somewhat much heavier than the winning Mac, it made a difference when it concerned delicate knife job. On the other hand, both the Misen as well as the Brigade blades were massively hefty– hefty enough to feel like Western-style cook’s blades, in fact. This kept them from beating out our top-selected Japanese-style knives.
We found the Miyabi santoku blade sharp, lightweight, as well as comfy to hold. There had not been much not to such as, but we don’t believe the price ($ 140) validates buying it over the Mac blade. Both had equal efficiencies, as well as I ‘d only select this knife over the Mac based on looks. We also suched as the Shun knife, another visually pleasing option with a fantastic sharpness. As is characteristic of Shun, the knife was a little too hefty and also wish for our preference. The Kramer by Zwilling santoku is made from top notch steel and was sharp out of package, but we discovered it to be as well bulky in the take care of as well as much less nimble than we wanted. And also, it’s $200!
Our Takeaway
For a middle-ground, practical and reasonably economical santoku knife that will certainly offer you well, purchase the Mac Blade Superior. For a costly, next-level blade with great surfaces as well as unbeatably agility, select the Misono UX10 As well as for an inexpensive alternative that’s low-maintenance as well as efficient, pick the Victorinox Fibrox Pro.