welovepamperedcheftoo

Just got my Aug/Sept issue of Cooking Pleasures magazine and there is a great article entitled...

East Meets West: The all-purpose santoku knife carves a niche in American kitchens.

By Patsy Jamieson

This rectangular-shaped knife is taking America by storm, thanks in part to endorsements by celebrity chefs.

There are plenty of solid reasons why the santoku rivals the chef's knife as an all-purpose tool.

1. It can handle almost all of your kitchen prep work with ease, including chopping vegetables, smashing garlic

(needed only if you don't have a PC garlic press) and trimming and carving meat. It excels at precision slicing.

2. Most people experience a greater sense of control with a santoku. That's because the hand sits closer to the tip of the blade than it does with a chef's knife. Santoku blades are typically 6 to 7 inches in length, compared to the 9 to 10 inch long blades of many chef's knives.

3.The steel used in high-quality santoku knives is harder than traditional chef's knives, so it holds a sharper edge. And the thinner blades typical of good quality santokus make the knives lighter and easier to handle.

After mentioning the distinctive shape, the composition, honing and sharpening, the "dimples", plus the fact that there are santokus for every budget, the author goes on to say there are some occasions when a chef's knife or a heavy-duty cleaver works better than a santoku, such as when cutting large items like cabbage or very hard foods like shellfish. And if you prefer

to use a rocking motion for chopping, the curved edge of a traditional chef's knife can be an advantage, although some santokus have been designed with a slight curve to accommodate a rocking motion. I do believe our PC knife has a slight curve to the blade.

The author closes by saying: I am one of the many cooks who have become fans the santoku. In addition to appreciating its cutting qualities, the santoku feels very comfortable in my hand. For me, switching to the nimble santoku was like moving from dial-up to broadband.

Patsy Jamieson is a food writer and cookbook author based in Vermont.

These are just the highlights but I feel this article offers up some great ideas to share at shows, What do you think?

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