A santoku knife is the single tool that turns a pile of onions, peppers and leeks into even dice in a fraction of the time, and the best santoku knives for vegetables are the ones that hold a thin edge, sit flat on the board and stay comfortable through a full session of prep. Get that combination right and your onion dice is uniform, your cabbage shreds clean and your wrists still feel good at the end of a long dinner.
The santoku was named for its three virtues: slicing, dicing and mincing. Its tall, mostly flat blade puts the entire cutting edge on the board in a single downward stroke instead of rocking back and forth, and that height also gives your knuckles clearance and lets you scoop finished dice straight into the pan. That push-cut behaviour is why the santoku became the default Japanese-style knife in home kitchens, even though many cooks trained first on a curved Western chef’s knife.
What follows is a ranking of ten santokus based on published specifications, the consistency of owner feedback and the tasks each blade actually suits. Every rating and review count here is copied straight from the retailer listing, and every size, steel and hardness figure comes from the manufacturer’s own data. Last reviewed October 2026.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Picks for the Best Santoku Knives for Vegetables for October 2026
Babish 6.5 Inch Santoku
- Forged 1.4116 German high-carbon steel
- Full tang
- Granton hollow edge
Mercer Genesis 7 Inch
- Forged German high-carbon steel
- Taper-ground edge
- Santoprene grip usable wet
The Babish 6.5 inch is our top pick for vegetable prep: a forged high-carbon blade with a granton edge and the largest owner base in this group, which means its strengths and weaknesses are well documented. Mercer’s Genesis 7 inch takes the value slot for cooks who want a longer blade, a grip that works with wet hands and a lifetime limited warranty. Cutluxe’s 7 inch is the budget pick, pairing a 56+ Rockwell forged blade with a hollow granton edge and a sheath in the box.
Quick Overview: Ten Santoku Knives Side by Side for October 2026
| Product | Specs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Babish 6.5 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Mercer Culinary Genesis 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Cutluxe 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 HENCKELS Classic 7 Inch Hollow Edge |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Shun Classic 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Wusthof Classic 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Tojiro Professional 6.7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 imarku 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Victorinox Swiss Classic 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
 MOSFiATA 7 Inch Santoku |
|
Check Latest Price |
1. Babish 6.5 Inch Santoku – Best Overall for Fine Vegetable Prep
Babish 6.5 Inch Santoku Knife High Carbon 1.4116 German Steel Kitchen Knife Razor Sharp Blade Durable Precision Cutlery for Slicing Dicing Chopping Vegetables Meat and Fish
6.5 inch forged 1.4116 German steel
Hollow granton edge
Full tang
0.34 kg
Pros
- Sharp out of the box and holds an edge with routine honing
- Well balanced with a sturdy in-hand feel
- Granton edge reduces drag through food
- Fine tip handles shallots and herbs precisely
Cons
- 6.5 inch blade is short for large squash
- Some sticking when dicing
- Handle can feel slippery when wet
This is the knife I would hand to a cook who spends most of their prep time on small and medium produce. It arrives sharp, it is forged from a single piece of high-carbon 1.4116 German steel, and owners across thousands of reviews describe the same balance point near the heel that makes dicing feel controlled rather than effortful.
On shallots, garlic and herbs it is genuinely precise. The hollow granton edge breaks the contact patch along the blade, so wet onion layers and potato skins release instead of gluing themselves to the steel.
The catch is size. At 6.5 inches, a butternut squash or a full cabbage head leaves you repositioning the vegetable more often than you would with a 7 inch blade, and that costs time on the biggest prep jobs of the week.
Owners also report that sticking is reduced rather than eliminated, and that the handle gets slick once your hands are wet. Neither is a deal-breaker, but both are reasons to keep a towel within reach.
Where this knife earns its place
If your weekly list is built around onions, peppers, shallots, herbs and garlic, this is where the 6.5 inch length is an advantage rather than a compromise. A shorter blade gives finer control on brunoise and julienne work, and the fine tip makes in-hand peeling of small roots straightforward.
Where it falls short
Cooks who regularly halve a winter squash or butcher a whole cabbage will feel the blade length limit every time. If your produce skews large, the extra reach of a 7 inch model is worth more than the extra control here.
2. Mercer Culinary Genesis 7 Inch Santoku – Best Value
Mercer Culinary M20707 Genesis 7-Inch Santoku Knife,Black
7 inch forged high-carbon German steel
Taper-ground edge
Santoprene handle
3.04 ounces
Pros
- Handle stays grippy with wet or messy hands
- Sharp out of the box and easy to hone
- Enough heft to slice without pressing
- Backed by a lifetime limited warranty
Cons
- Medium-hardness steel needs regular honing
- Some find it front-heavy at first
- Not dishwasher safe
This is the classic recommendation for a first good knife, and the 7 inch format is why. The Genesis covers a full cutting board width without the handling weight that makes short blades feel cramped on larger vegetables.
Owners with years of use describe it as a daily workhorse that stays free of rust and takes an edge easily on a basic stone. The taper-ground edge is a sensible middle ground between a very fine Japanese edge and a forgiving Western one.
The Santoprene handle is the quiet hero. It stays grippy when your hands are wet or coated in onion juice, which is precisely the moment a slick handle ruins an otherwise clean cut.
On the other side, that medium-hardness German steel loses its edge faster between sessions than a harder Japanese core would, so plan on routine honing rather than a once-a-year touch-up. A dull knife also needs a slight sawing motion on tomato skin, which owners mention often.
What to know before you buy
The handle sits slightly forward of centre, and a few buyers report that the balance took a few sessions to get used to. It is not a deal-breaker, but if you are strongly sensitive to balance, hold one in a shop first.
Who should skip it
If you refuse to hand-wash anything, this is the wrong pick. It is also a poor match for a cook who wants maximum edge retention between sharpenings and rarely touches a stone.
3. Cutluxe 7 Inch Santoku – Most Versatile
Cutluxe Santoku Knife, 7″ Meat & Vegetable Chopping Knife – Sheath Included
Forged 1.4116 steel at 56+ Rockwell
14-16 degree hand-sharpened edge
Pakkawood handle
9.12 ounces
Pros
- Sharp hand-sharpened edge good for precise cuts
- Triple-riveted pakkawood handle resists slipping
- Forged steel resists rust and staining
- Sheath and lifetime warranty included
Cons
- Light feel for those who like a substantial blade
- Pakkawood handle will not take the dishwasher
- Needs routine honing like any European steel
At 7 inches with a 56+ Rockwell forged blade, this covers the geometry basics better than most knives at this tier. The hand-sharpened 14-16 degree edge per side is a sensible angle that slices cleanly without being fragile enough to fret over.
The triple-riveted pakkawood handle is a genuine step up from plastic. It absorbs oil, resists moisture movement and gives a fuller grip than narrow moulded handles, which matters when you are cutting a large head of cabbage for longer than you planned.
The granton edge does the same job as on more expensive knives, reducing sticking on wet onion layers and cut potato surfaces. For dice and brunoise on soft and firm produce, owners report consistent, repeatable results.
The main complaint is that at 9.12 ounces the knife feels light next to heavier forged competitors, and that pakkawood means hand washing only. The edge also wants regular honing, which is normal for this steel at this hardness.
Why it beats the entry-level options
The difference from a stamped budget knife shows up in the balance and the rivets rather than in any headline specification. A fully forged blade with a triple-riveted handle absorbs the side load that makes thin stamped blades wander off a straight cut.
Where the money was saved
This is a hard steel, so it is a good match for firm vegetables and a slightly worse match for very hard roots. Owners who cut a lot of frozen or bone-adjacent material report the same chipping pattern seen with other high-hardness blades.
4. HENCKELS Classic 7 Inch Hollow Edge – Best for Small Hands
HENCKELS Classic Razor-Sharp Hollow Edge Santoku Knife 7 inch, German Engineered Informed by 100+ Years of Mastery
7 inch fully forged hollow-ground blade
6.4 ounces
Stainless steel handle
Dishwasher safe
Pros
- Light balance suits small hands and stiff wrists
- Dishwasher safe for easy cleanup
- Strong on onions
- cucumber
- garlic and cabbage
- Holds its edge well between sharpenings
Cons
- Some owners report surface rust on the blade back
- Hollow edge does not stop sticking on wet skins
- Heel forms a sharp right-angle point
At 6.4 ounces, this is one of the lightest fully forged options in the group, and that is the whole point of the recommendation. Cooks with smaller hands and arthritic wrists describe it as the knife they can use all evening without fatigue.
The hollow-ground edge creates scalloped indentations along the flat of the blade, which is why it moves cleanly through cut onion, cucumber and cabbage. The satin-finished high carbon stainless steel is also rated by the manufacturer as dishwasher safe, unusual in forged German cutlery.
Edge retention comes up repeatedly in owner reviews, along with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. That combination makes it a sensible first knife for a household where someone else washes the dishes.
The recurring complaint is surface rust appearing on the back of the blade within weeks, which usually means the knife went into the dishwasher or into a wet knife block. Towel drying after washing prevents it entirely.
What to watch for
The heel of the blade forms a sharp right-angle point where the edge meets the bolster. It is a minor safety consideration for anyone cutting with a claw grip, and it can be lightly deburred on a stone if it bothers you.
How it handles wet produce
The hollow edge helps but does not solve sticking. On very wet skins, a freshly honed edge still matters more than the scallops, so keep the honing habit even with this knife.
5. Shun Classic 7 Inch Santoku – Best for Edge Retention
Shun Classic 7″ Santoku Knife
VG-MAX Japanese steel core
68 layers of Damascus cladding
16 degree edge per side
3.53 ounces
Pros
- Holds a razor edge through years of daily use
- Light and agile for long prep sessions
- D-shaped pakkawood handle works in either hand
- Free sharpening service and lifetime warranty
Cons
- Higher hardness steel can chip on bone and hard surfaces
- Thin blade not meant for heavy breaking work
- Factory edge angle arrives steeper than many owners like
- Resin in the handle leaves a noticeable smell
The Shun is the knife on this list for cooks who care most about how long the edge lasts. The VG-MAX steel core is clad in 68 layers of Damascus stainless, ground to a 16 degree edge per side, and owners describe it as still taking a sharp edge after years of daily vegetable work.
At 3.53 ounces it is the second-lightest blade here, which makes fast prep work on large volumes of produce genuinely comfortable. The D-shaped pakkawood handle is a different shape from most Western handles and adapts to either hand once you adjust your grip.
The manufacturer includes free sharpening and honing service for the life of the knife, which removes the biggest objection to owning hard Japanese steel: you never have to wonder whether a stone skill exists in your kitchen.
Hardness cuts both ways. Owners report chipping when the edge meets bone or a hard unpeeled root, and the factory edge angle is steeper than some cooks want, so the first session on stones changes the feel of the knife noticeably.
What the cladding means for vegetables
The Damascus layers are a surface treatment over a hard core. They make the blade look finished and add corrosion resistance, but the cutting behaviour comes from the VG-MAX core, which is the reason this knife holds an edge so well on fibrous cabbage and dense squash.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you break down bone, pry packaging or want a knife you can abuse. It is also a poor fit for anyone bothered by a resin smell, which some owners say transfers to the hand for the first few uses.
6. Wusthof Classic 7 Inch Santoku – Best for Thin Slices
Wüsthof Classic 7″ Santoku Knife
7 inch forged high carbon stainless
Full tang with full bolster
Triple-riveted POM handle
Hollow granton edge
Pros
- Highest satisfaction rating among owners here
- Forged single-piece blade with a durable edge
- Full tang and bolster add real stability
- Handles wafer-thin slices and even dicing
Cons
- Most expensive knife in this roundup
- Hollow ground edge needs more frequent honing
- Hand wash only
- Handle will not tolerate strong heat
This knife carries the highest owner satisfaction score in the group, and the feedback is unusually consistent: razor sharp out of the box, precisely balanced, dependable for years. For cooks who want wafer-thin onion and cucumber slices rather than thick chop-style pieces, the edge geometry is the reason.
The full tang running the full length of the handle, plus a full bolster at the front, gives the stability you feel when the blade meets a hard carrot or a dense cabbage core. Nothing flexes, so your slices stay even.
The hollow granton edge reduces contact with cut produce, so dicing does not drag pieces onto the blade. The triple-riveted POM handle comes from the brand’s longest-running line, and it is a shape many cooks already know from a chef’s knife.
Two honest caveats. It is the priciest knife here, and a hollow ground edge on a forged blade wants periodic honing more often than a fully convex edge would. The handle is also hand-wash only and will not forgive a dishwasher cycle.
What this steel gives up
High carbon stainless forgives mistakes and rusts far less than carbon steel, at the cost of some edge retention between sharpenings. For most home cooks that is the right side of the trade.
When another pick makes more sense
If edge retention between sessions matters more than slice finesse, the Shun holds an edge longer. If budget is the constraint, the Cutluxe gives you the same full-tang, hollow-edge layout at a fraction of the outlay.
7. Tojiro Professional 6.7 Inch Santoku – Best for Everyday Produce
Tojiro Knife Professional Santoku 6.7″ (17cm) – JAPAN
6.7 inch cobalt alloy core
13-chrome stainless with 18-8 base
Laminated wood handle
0.19 kg
Pros
- Traditional Japanese forged construction
- Stain resistant edge for everyday prep
- Even edge usable by either hand
- Core steel sharpens to a fine edge
Cons
- 6.7 inch blade covers less board than 7 inches
- Laminated wood handle dislikes standing moisture
- Fewer owner reviews than mainstream brands
The Tojiro is the closest thing to a traditional Japanese-forged santoku in this group without moving into collector pricing. The core is cobalt alloy steel, clad in 13-chrome stainless with an 18-8 base, which is a construction method Japanese makers have used for decades.
Owners rate the edge quality highly relative to what they paid, and several note that the core steel takes a genuinely fine edge on stones. The even bevel is symmetric, so the knife performs the same whichever hand you hold it in, which matters for a two-handed prep style.
At 0.19 kg the knife is light without feeling flimsy, and the stain-resistant edge shrugs off the acidic juices of tomatoes and onions without immediate discoloration.
The 6.7 inch blade is the limitation for large vegetables, and the laminated reinforced wood handle is less moisture resistant than stainless or POM, so it wants to be rinsed and dried promptly rather than left near a sink.
How to match it to your board
Because the blade is narrower than a 7 inch santoku, pair it with a board around 12 inches wide. On a very large board you will find yourself sliding the vegetable forward more often than you would with a longer blade.
Who should skip it
Cooks who want a hollow granton edge for wet produce will find a plain edge here instead, so wet onion skins can cling a little more. Buyers who rely on a large volume of owner reviews will find the evidence thinner than for the mainstream brands.
8. imarku 7 Inch Santoku – Best for a Scalloped Edge
imarku Santoku Knife 7 Inch with Sharp Japanese High Carbon Stainless Steel
Japanese high carbon stainless at 2.5mm
15-18 degree hand-polished edge
Scalloped hollow edge
Pakkawood handle
Pros
- Very sharp out of the box and easy to hone
- Scalloped edge visibly reduces sticking
- Light at 6.88 ounces for a 7 inch blade
- Large owner base with many multi-year users
Cons
- Lowest average rating among the picks here
- Scratching and finish wear reported over years
- Pakkawood handle needs hand washing
No other knife here has as much owner feedback, and that is genuinely useful: with thousands of reviews you can see which complaints are patterns and which are isolated. The pattern is a knife that arrives very sharp, feels light for its 7 inch length, and holds a comfortable pakkawood grip.
The scalloped hollow edge is the feature to look at on wet vegetables. Owners cutting potato, onion and cucumber report noticeably less drag than with plain-edged blades of the same price tier.
The 15-18 degree hand-polished edge is slightly wider than the 14-16 degree edges on the German-forged picks, which makes it a little more forgiving on hard produce and a little less precise on fine brunoise.
The rating here is the lowest of the ten, and the reason is visible in the reviews: some longer-term owners describe surface scratching and finish wear, and a few question how the blade holds up against harder forged Japanese steel over decades. A minority of buyers also ran into instruction sheets not in their language.
What the wide bevel angle buys you
A 15-18 degree angle has more steel behind the tip, which is why this knife is a reasonable choice for a cook who occasionally hits frozen produce or a hard root. You trade a little slice finesse for more resistance to chipping.
When to spend more instead
If you are buying once and want the edge to stay sharp for years rather than seasons, step up to a Japanese-forged model. If you want the widest possible range of real owner experience before deciding, this is the one with the most of it.
9. Victorinox Swiss Classic 7 Inch Santoku – Best for Dishwasher Use
Victorinox Swiss Classic 7 Inch Santoku knife, Granton Blade, Black
Stamped Swiss stainless blade
Fluted granton edge
3.84 ounces
Dishwasher safe
Pros
- Sharp out of the box and very easy to sharpen
- Lightest balance here
- reducing hand fatigue
- Fluted edge helps keep potato and cut produce from sticking
- Precise on herbs
- chives and firm vegetables
Cons
- Softer steel than Japanese blades
- so touch-ups come sooner
- Handle may feel narrow for a fuller grip
- Stamped rather than forged construction
The Victorinox is the one to buy if your knife washing routine is a dishwasher slot. It is Swiss made, stamped stainless steel and rated dishwasher safe, which is rare among forged santokus in this roundup and removes the most common way a good blade gets damaged.
Owners, including working chefs, describe decades of use with a blade that still takes a sharp edge. At 3.84 ounces it is the lightest knife here, and that low weight is the reason it stays comfortable through a long vegetable session.
The fluted granton edge keeps cut potato and other wet surfaces from welding themselves to the flat, which is exactly the failure owners report with plain-edged knives. On herbs, chives and firm vegetables the cutting is precise.
The trade-off is steel softness. Compared with the Japanese-forged picks it needs more frequent touch-ups, and the handle width suits cooks with smaller hands more than those who like a full, bulky grip. Stamped construction also means less rigidity in the blade under heavy load.
What to watch for
Because the steel is soft, it is also forgiving: a moment of inattention is far less likely to produce a chip than on a VG-MAX or 56+ Rockwell blade. For a first knife, that tolerance is worth more than maximum hardness.
When to choose something else
Skip it if you want wafer-thin slices and maximum edge retention, or if you cut very soft items like ripe tomatoes where a broader chef’s knife geometry works better. Choose the Wusthof or Shun if slice finesse matters more than dishwasher tolerance.
10. MOSFiATA 7 Inch Santoku – Best Complete Set
MOSFiATA Santoku Knife- 7 Inch Vegetable Knife Ultra Sharp Chopping Knife- Forged EN.4116 German Steel- Including Sheath,Finger Guard,Knife Sharpener,Full Tang,Best Gifts with Handmade Gift Box
7 inch forged EN.4116 German steel
56 plus or minus 1 HRC
14-16 degree hand-polished edge
Micarta handle
Pros
- Sharp hand-polished edge straight from the box
- Triple-riveted Micarta handle with solid balance
- Substantial weight that suits two-handed cutting
- Includes a sheath
- sharpener and finger guard
Cons
- Heavier than most 7 inch rivals
- Plain edge offers less separation on wet skins
- Less established brand history
What sets this one apart is what arrives in the box. Alongside the knife you get a sheath, a finger guard, a knife sharpener, a wipe cloth and a sharpening guide, all in a handmade gift box. For a first knife or a housewarming, that removes the excuse to buy the wrong companion tools later.
The blade itself is forged EN.4116 German high carbon steel, hand-polished to 14-16 degrees per side at 56 plus or minus 1 HRC. That figure is on the softer end of the group, which makes it one of the more forgiving options when you meet a hard vegetable.
The triple-riveted Micarta handle is well balanced and secure, and at 11.2 ounces the knife has real heft. For cooks who cut with two hands on a board, that weight is a genuine advantage on dense vegetables.
The complaints are consistent: it is heavier than most 7 inch competitors, which shows up during long prep sessions, and the plain edge gives up less separation on wet vegetable skins than a granton edge does.
What the 56 HRC figure means in practice
At that hardness the edge is easier to bring back with a basic sharpener than a harder Japanese core, and less likely to chip if you catch the edge against a hard root or the board. You get an edge that forgives mistakes at the cost of holding it a little less long.
Who should skip it
If you want a light knife for precise small work, the weight will work against you. If your produce is mostly wet or fibrous, the plain edge will feel less lively than the hollow-edged alternatives at a similar tier.
Which Santoku for Which Vegetable
Matching the knife to the cut matters more than matching it to a brand. Soft, watery produce and hard, dense produce put different demands on an edge than a mixed weekly prep load does.
Onions, peppers, leeks and tomatoes, you want a blade that moves through wet layers without dragging, which is what a hollow or fluted granton edge does best. The Babish, Cutluxe, imarku, HENCKELS, Wusthof and Victorinox all carry that scalloped or fluted geometry.
For cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts, the cut is repetitive and fibrous rather than hard. A longer blade of 7 inches or more covers more board per stroke, and a lighter handle keeps wrist fatigue down, which points to the HENCKELS or the Shun.
On sweet potato, winter squash, carrots and beets, hardness starts to cost you. Blades in the 56 to 57 HRC range, like the MOSFiATA and Cutluxe, are more forgiving than very hard Japanese cores, and experienced cooks often keep a cheaper blade for this destructive prep precisely to protect a favourite.
For julienne, brunoise and in-hand peeling, the tip matters more than the edge. A short 6.5 inch blade with a fine tip, like the Babish, is easier to control on small detailed work than a 7 inch blade.
Santoku vs Nakiri vs Gyuto vs Chef’s Knife
A santoku is a generalist with a tall blade and a mostly straight edge, so it suits cooks who cut both vegetables and protein. A nakiri is a specialist: thinner, lighter, usually without a pointed tip, and dedicated almost entirely to push-cut vegetable work.
If your kitchen does vegetables four nights a week and meat once, a nakiri is the better tool. If you want one knife for everything, the santoku wins, and that is why it is the most common recommendation for a first Japanese knife.
A gyuto is the Japanese answer to a Western chef’s knife: thinner steel, more edge at the tip, a curved belly for a rocking cut and a handle that favours a pinch grip. It is superb on produce and fish, but it asks more of the cook’s technique than a santoku does.
A Western chef’s knife has a curved edge and a slim profile that rocks beautifully and rolls through herbs, but it has less blade height for knuckles and less flat surface to push against. The recurring complaint in cooking communities is that a santoku’s flat edge feels awkward to anyone trained on rocking, which is a learning curve of a few sessions rather than a defect.
If the knife is for a young cook, our guide to the best first knives for a kid covers the safety angles that matter more than steel type.
Sharpening and Care for a Santoku
Hand wash with warm water and mild soap, then towel dry immediately. Dishwashers cycle heat, detergent and pressure long enough to dull a fine edge, and they are the single most common reason a good santoku stops feeling sharp.
Put the knife on a cutting board that suits it. A soft end-grain board is kinder to a thin Japanese edge, while a hard board will dull a European steel noticeably faster.
Work up to your edge angle gradually. A 1000 grit whetstone resets a dull edge, a 3000 to 6000 grit stone refines it, and going straight to a very fine stone from a dull blade wastes time and can produce a brittle result.
Hone often and sharpen rarely. A few strokes on a stone every few weeks keeps a working edge and defers the heavier sharpening session, which is why the softer European steels in this group ask for a routine rather than a schedule.
Store it dry, in a block or a sheath, away from a dripping sink. Moisture left against the spine is what produces the surface rust that some owners of the dishwasher-safe models report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which knife is better for cutting vegetables, nakiri or santoku?
A nakiri is better if vegetables are the majority of your prep, because its thin, flat blade is built for a straight down push cut. A santoku is better if you also cut meat, fish or fruit and want one dependable knife, because its taller blade gives knuckle clearance and scoops cut produce into the pan.
What size santoku knife is best?
For most home cooks 7 inches is the sweet spot, covering most of a standard board without feeling heavy. A 6.5 inch blade suits smaller hands and fine detail work such as julienne and peeling. An 8 inch blade needs a wide board and confident hands to stay controlled.
What is the best santoku knife for a beginner?
The Mercer Culinary Genesis 7 inch is the easiest starting point: a forged high carbon steel blade, a handle that stays grippy with wet hands, and edge geometry that is simple to sharpen. The Babish 6.5 inch is the alternative if your prep skews toward shallots, herbs and small vegetables.
Is a santoku or nakiri easier for a beginner?
The santoku is easier, because it is symmetrical, forgiving at the tip and doubles as a general kitchen knife. A nakiri rewards a clean straight-down technique and does nothing for protein, so it is better learned as a second knife rather than a first one.
Why does my santoku knife get dull so fast?
Most often the cause is the dishwasher, which dulls a fine edge faster than normal use. Other common causes are a hard cutting board, infrequent honing and a very high hardness steel that needs more frequent touch-ups. Hone every few weeks and hand wash to see the difference within a month.
What is a santoku knife used for?
A santoku is used for its three virtues: slicing, dicing and mincing. On vegetables that means onion dice, cabbage shreds, julienne peppers, batons of carrot and brunoise of celery and herbs. Because the blade is tall, cut produce can be scooped straight into a pan or a bowl.
The Verdict: Which Santoku Should You Buy
The Babish 6.5 inch is our pick for the best santoku knives for vegetables overall, because the forged high-carbon blade, the granton edge and the largest owner base in this group add up to the most dependable combination we found for everyday produce prep. If your vegetables skew large, take the Mercer Genesis 7 inch for the extra blade length and the wet-hand grip.
If you only want one knife, buy one. Add a second only when you find yourself doing an hour of vegetable prep a week and wanting a dedicated push-cut blade, at which point a nakiri is the natural pairing. Whichever you choose, hand wash it, hone it often and match it to a board that treats it well.