THERE’S a new knife on the block.
Browse through any cooking catalog and you’ll inevitably find a photo of a santoku knife – this season’s “it” kitchen gadget – next to the words “most popular.”
During a visit to Bloomingdale’s on Saturday, three couples made a bee-line for the dimple-edge blades within five minutes; two bought them on the spot. And a constant stream of santoku seekers is trickling into stores like Broadway Panhandler and Williams-Sonoma.
“It’s the knife of the moment,” a Williams-Sonoma salesman confirmed.
The name is said to mean “three virtues” – for its ability to slice vegetables, meat and fish, which it cuts paper-thin. Many models, which range in price from $30 to $175, have hollows along the cutting edge called grantons (or kullens) to create little air pockets so that food is less likely to stick.
But another virtue might be that if you find the one that’s right for you, it’s smaller size and lighter weight makes chopping and slicing so effortless, the blade feels almost like an extension of your arm – like a culinary Edward Scissorhands.
Sara Moulton, executive chef of Gourmet magazine and host of Food Network’s “Sara’s Secrets,” says her 10-inch Wusthof chef’s knife is “still the best knife for a lot of things,” but the santoku’s lighter weight makes it easier to manage. “And what I absolutely love it for is chopping onions,” she adds.
“When you’ve got a 10-inch chef’s knife, the point is so far away from the tip that it’s hard to control. When you have a santoku, that distance is so much closer,” she says.
German cutlery company Wusthof introduced the santoku here 10 years ago, but the current rage is credited to Food Network chef Rachael Ray of “30 Minute Meals,” who declared the Wusthof santoku her favorite knife two years back.
“She created a huge demand,” says knife experts Norman Kornbleuth, owner of the Broadway Panhandler, “and I don’t know that it’s peaked yet.”
Now, the cleaver-like Japanese santuko has found its place alongside Western paring and bread knives in collections from Henckels to Daniel Boulud, along with Calphalon, Viking and just about every other blade maker.
Handles can be just as important as the blade. Designs range from the chunky, Italian-made Sanelli with its rubber-like grip to the race-car sleek handle by F.A. Porsche, of sports car fame.
Every maker has its own recipe for metal. Kershaw’s stunning Shun Classic, which has 16 layers of high carbon stainless on each side, is sharpened on leather strops, like shaving razors.
And oddly enough, though the knife is also called a Japanese Cook, some Japanese makers – such as Global (which claims to make its santoku in the “samurai” tradition) – have just added them to their lines.
While the santoku is an all-purpose knife, it’s not for everything. Frozen food or bones could damage the blade, an edge so delicate, most makers recommend chopping only on plastic or wood, and not on hard surfaces such as glass or granite.
And, contends Kornbleuth, the much ballyhooed santoku is no substitute for the heartier chef’s knife, which “can get through some really hard products without damaging the knife.”
But the Japanese-inspired newcomer definitely has its plus side. “It’s like a razor blade and it’s the sharpest knife most people have ever had in their hands,” says Kornbleuth.
We’d call that a cut above.
Look sharp, chefs
To keep your santoku in prime slicing form, each maker offers its own suggestions:
* Global recommends sharpening the blade on a whetstone, at a 10- to 15-degree angle, drawing the knife back and forth in smooth strokes.
* Shun suggests a sharpening steel and a 20-degree angle, pulling the knife down and across at a slight arc, with very light pressure, six or seven times per side.
* Chroma insists that whetstone sharpening, when always done by the same person at his own angle, will make the edge even sharper.
A cut above the rest
HENCKELS TWIN SELECT: $99.95 at Williams-Sonoma
Elegant and clean-looking, the dimple-free Henckels means business. It’s solid and weighty with a curvy, longish handle, and its ice-hardened blade cuts though a tomato with little resistance.
CHROMA PORSCHE: $80.95 at Broadway Panhandler With a design by F. A. Porsche, this is one racy number. A metal “pearl” demarcates the end of the handle “for better control,” they say, which I found a bit distracting. The flat-top handle is substantial and comfortable. The blade doesn’t seem razor-sharp, but the instructions promise it will become sharper if sharpened on a whetstone by the same person each time.
SANELLI: $41.95 at Broadway Panhandler
This sporty Italian design, more snub-nosed than the others, has dimples straight across rather than following the curve. The chunky red and green rubbery handle is easy to grip, almost like a firm handshake. What it lacks in super sharpness it makes up for in being the friendliest blade on the block.
WINNER: GLOBAL: $82 at Williams-Sonoma
Sexy and super-light, Global’s santoku is made “in the samurai tradition.” Indentations in the oval handle make it a dream to hold; a curvier, dimple-free blade is more amenable to a rocking motion; and it easily turns a tomato into tissue.
DEXTER RUSSELL: $69.95 at Broadway Panhandler
This Massachusetts maker (since 1818) puts laminated rosewood handles on its santoku, which is otherwise utilitarian in shape with a straight, beefier handle. Slicing is not quite as effortless as with some of the others, but it gets the job done.
2nd PLACE: WUSTHOF CLASSIC $89.95 at Williams-Sonoma
The sensation-causing Wustof is light, and comfortably curvy at the bolster. A more voluptuous handle provides a natural grip and the balance gives great control. Slicing a tomato is almost effortless, and the knife glides through an onion.
3rd PLACE: SHUN $114.95 at Broadway Panhandler
The almost ceremonial looking Shun is gorgeous to behold with a D-shape, ebony-colored handle of pakkawood. The blade, made from 16 layers of carbon steel on each side, slices as thin as you please. And the purposely offset design feels like an extension of your arm.