My husband and I were involved in preparing a picnic barbecue for 150 people, and I had the dreaded job of cutting up 60 pounds of potatoes. One of my friends who was also helping to prepare food, brought over her KitchenAid Santoku knife, and I was so impressed I am going to buy one for myself!
The word Santoku means three virtues’ in Japanese. San translates to three, and toku translates to virtue. KitchenAid makes several different sizes of a Santoku knife, including a five inch and seven inch – and these knives are part of KitchenAids “Professional” series knives.
The version I used was the seven inch Santoku, which has a nice long seven inch blade, and a handle that is almost the same length. The handle is made of silicone and is ergonomically designed for comfort and a sure grip. The end cap is made of stainless steel as is the blade. This knife feels good in the hands, with great balance.
When we had all of our red potatoes washed, it was my job to cut them unto chunks for roasting. I used this seven inch KitchenAid Santoku knife exclusively for two hours, and it really helped me to do a good job, and it was done much faster than if I had used a regular paring knife. I love the long blade and the design of the Santoku knife! If you have never used or seen one, the blade is shaped similar to a cleaver, with a beveled edge.
The bottom length of the blade has a short scalloped design, which is called a ‘granton edge’, and this is said to help release foods more easily. I must say it worked well for potatoes, very few of the pieces stuck to the blade when I had to cut potato eyes or bad spots from the potatoes. The blade worked better for my small hands than a meat cleaver would, and I found it had an extremely sharp blade and made cutting or chopping a breeze.
After using the KitchenAid Santoku knife for an hour, and seeing the familiar “KitchenAid” name written across the blade, I was sure that this was probably a very expensive knife. I asked my friend where she purchased it and how much it cost, but she replied she had received it as a Christmas present. Doing a quick search on the internet, I found that this knife retails for as little as $19.99, which is an extremely fair price for the quality you get! On top of that, KitchenAid offers a one year warranty on their knives as well, so it’s good to know they stand behind their products.
In my kitchen I have a Chefs knife, which has the traditional upward curve of the tip, but the Santoku knife has a flat blade and the entire blade remains flat against your cutting board, so it makes chopping so much easier. I have been told that Santoku knives are also great for slicing cheese or tomatoes into very thin slices, chopping vegetabls such as celery and onion, and for slicing raw meats. We even used it to cut lamb and beef roasts into thin slices for sandwiches (cutting against the grain). It did an amazing job!
Aftr using the KitchenAid Santoku knife for two hours, my hands weren’t even sore or red! I could not have done that job with the knives in my kitchen without having sore hands afterwards. I am honestly so impressed that I have the KitchenAid Santoku knife on my shopping list and I plan to purchase one on my next shopping trip. They are amazing, and KitchenAid does justice to the Santoku!
