Santoku

The santoku is a general purpose chef's knife originating in Japan. Its unshouldered blade, which is typically between five and eight inches long, has a flat edge and a dull back which curves down near the point to a tip angle of around 60 degrees. The top of the santoku's handle is in line with the top of the blade, giving the chef's fingers plenty of room underneath. The name santoku, which roughly translates to three virtues, refers to the three areas of the blade useful for differing tasks: the tip, the center, and the heel.

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The santoku is a good compromise between a cleaver and a chef's knife. The flat edge is excellent for slicing and mincing, very good for dicing, and works fairly well for light chopping. It is especially popular among people with smaller hands, and is commonly seen on television in the hands of female chefs particularly.

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Chef: A chef (also executive chef or chef de cuisine), from the French for chief or head person, is the executive in charge of a kitchen, responsible for recipe and menu creation, staff training, and overseeing all cooking. A chef directs the staff of cooks, bakers, butchers, and everyone else involved i...

Knife: :"Knives" is also an episode of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5; see Knives (Babylon 5)....

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....