When it’s about the kitchen knife then the chef knife is a more versatile and highly performance knife which you can use. It also does not matter whether you are cooking a few times a week at your home or multiple times in each day just like a professional chef, the chef knife is always a stable knife and everyone can easily own it. It may be called a chef’s knife but as you begin to consider your purchase, you will soon realize that there are many different types of chef’s knives with the most popular being kiritsuke and santoku chef knives.
Before moving to further detail, one more thing I would like to point out here is that kiritsuke and santoku are Japanese versions of famous western chef’s knives. You will see a lot of similarities in both knives when you compare them with western equivalents.
There are always some questions that arise in every personality who uses these knives such as what are the best uses of kiritsuke knives? Can’t a chef’s knife be used for more or less anything? What is a santoku knife?. In this article we will give answers to all these questions and also compare both knives and tell to our audience which one is the best knife or one of them may or may not be considered truly the best!
When comparing both knives, the best thing for starting is to look at their features which make each of them. Kuritsuke and Santoku will have similarities as they both have Japanese knives so it is important to keep that in mind.
What is Kiritsuke Knife
Kiritsuke is a relatively low-famous chef’s knife but very close to most of the variants of Japanese chef knives like gyuto. It is characterized by long, flat blade edges having pointed tips. Some people say that it is a mini sword. If you have the proper requisite skills, kiritsuke knives are generally sharp and perfect for a variety of kitchen tasks. It can be used from slicing a vegetable to preparing raw fish to chopping meat.
Shape
The kiritsuke knife has a long and flat blade which is widely used for up and down chopping motion. If you think that you have never used this kind of knife before then you need to learn or get experience of using curves and don’t expect the balance and size to feel familiar right away. Once you become a master of using your tool, you will notice a great improvement in your entire kitchen production.
Easy to Use
Initially, Kritsuk knives were only used by highly skilled chefs in restaurant kitchens. The “mini sword” shape means it can feel quite unusual for a beginner. However, it is useful to note that the smoothness and skill presented here is unlike anything many western chefs have experienced. Simply, if you are a skilled cook then definitely you will like a kiritsuke knife.
Single – Bevel Sharpness
The kiritsuke knife has a single bevel design which allows the superior level of sharpness as a single sided blade allows for a much thinner edge inclusively. I know you also want to consider the double beveled version of the kiritsuke knife.
Uses of Kiritsuke Knife
Kiritsuke Basic Statistics
What is Santoku Knife
Santoku knives have been famous all around the world because of their versatility as its name “santoku” means three uses or goodness. Depending on who you ask, this is referring to either the three main tasks of the kitchen such as cutting, slicing, and dicing or the three main tasks of Japanese cuisine like meat, fish, and vegetables. The unique thing about santoku knives is its short blade and surprisingly balance which make it highly versatile in the kitchen.
Sheep’s Foot Shape
One more feature of a santoku knife is its sheep’s foot shape. It is characterized by straight edges and dull spine. These things make the santoku knife super easy to handle and perfect tool for chopping.
Easy to Use
The universality of santoku knives should come as no amaze as they’re so easy to use. The blade length and overall size of these knives should be friendly to any chef who has used western chef knives before. Whether you are a beginner or expert chef, you can easily get the santoku knife which works for you nicely.
Single or Double Bevel Choices
The major difference between kiritsuke vs santoku knife is that both knives are available with single and double bevel variants, but the santoku double bevel is difficult to find as it rarely exists. The double bevel knives are more anticipated to western chefs but do not provide precise and sharp results.
Must Read: https://knifeplatoon.com/single-bevel-vs-double-bevel-knife/
Uses of Santoku Knife
Basic Statistics of Santoku
Kiritsuke Knife Vs. Santoku Knife
| Knife | Kiritsuke | Santoku |
| Blade Length | 9.5 – 13 inches | 6 – 8 inches |
| Blade Thickness | 1 – 2 mm | 1.5 – 3.5 mm |
| Flexibility | Not flexible | Some flex |
| HRC | 59 – 63 | 56 – 59 |
| Main Purpose | Slicing fish and cutting vegetables | General kitchen work |
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
When it comes to kiritsuke vs santoku knives then we say that both knives could be a great selection. All knives are good in their own respective ways and the best one will depend on what you need from your knife. The Santoku will be your best choice if you want precise and versatile cutting and the Kiritsuke is best suited for those who want extreme precision and is best used by professional chefs working with vegetables or fish cut into pieces. In the end, we can’t say that one is better than the other, we can say that both are excellent quality knives and each of them will be a nice addition to your kitchen.