My New Santoku Knife

Posted by Greta on April 10th, 2007 ·

Well, I finally caved in and bought myself one of those new, fancy Japanese Santoku knives. You’ve probably seen them…they look like a cross between a chef’s knife and a cleaver, with those groovy little dimple-hole-thing-a-ma-jiggies running along the bottom of the blade (can ya see why I’m not the spokesperson??). Apparently, the dimply pockets create air holes that help prevent sticky food from sticking, or something technical like that. Anyway, it’s the best money I’ve ever spent, next to my laser-eye surgery, which I had twice, but that’s a story for another day. I can’t believe I’ve developed recipes for three cookbooks and now a TV show without a Santoku knife! I had no idea what I was missing. You really must put this knife on your birthday/Christmas/mother’s day/groundhog day wish list. Seriously! It makes chopping, slicing, and dicing a breeze. My knife feels solid and comfortable in my hands, and that’s important for a cook. However, it’s so sharp that I’ve cut myself three times while washing it, so be careful! I didn’t spend a fortune on it, either. It was about 70 bucks (you can spend a lot more than that, but I don’t think it’s necessary). And in case you’re looking for a little useless trivia for your next dinner-party conversation, the word “Santoku” means “three good things” or “three virtues” depending on you who ask, and supposedly this refers to the three cutting tasks it performs so perfectly: slicing, dicing and mincing.

3 responses so far ↓

1 John // Apr 12, 2007 at 9:46 am

Can you tell me what brand of knife that you purchased? I have been looking at these Santoku knives for a few weeks now and really don’t know how to choose a decent one. I’m not looking for a top of the line, $300 knife, but I want one that will be good and will last. Your price tag of $70 is more in keeping with my budget. Can you share the info.? Thanks. By the way, I just caught your show episode of Lord of the Wings and thought it was fantastic! Can’t wait to test them out and also to see other episodes. Good luck on this latest adventure-it’s sure to be as big a hit as your cookbooks!
2 Greta Podleski // Apr 12, 2007 at 10:16 am

John, the knife I bought is made by Calphalon and it’s a 7-inch Santoku. I believe it was $69.99 and I bought it at Linens ‘n’ Things. It’s great! Like I said, I really don’t think you need to spend much more than that. Happy chopping!
3 Sacred Suzie // May 6, 2007 at 4:33 pm

I am so happy you finally have one Greta! I got one about six months ago and it’s sounds silly but it really has changed my life. I live with fibromyalgia and don’t have a lot of strength and am so happy the knife does all the work for me and I’m no longer fighting with my food.

You totally deserve to have one of these, they’re the perfect knife!

Eat Shrink And Be Merry

All the taste, but not on your waist!