Vegetable Slicing Knife

Sometimes you need much more precise slicing control than you get from a Chef's knife or Deba. The basic requirements are a relatively short, wide, very thin blade with a razor edge. Here are two excellent vegetable slicing knives, but both are of little use for anything else.

Santoku

More utter crap has been written about the Santoku than just about any other knife. Some years back, it was being widely heralded as the best of all knives, and the only knife you really needed in your kitchen. In 2009, at least one celebrity chef was still claiming the Santoku was the only knife he used - and I'm pretty sure he was being paid off by Wusthof. Evidence: he frequently gave away Wusthof Santokus, which were rather expensive, if you had to pay for them. this was before competition forced them to come out with a mid-priced line.

The much more economical Santoku in the photo served me very well for more than a decade. I retired it because wear to my cutting board required a Santoku with just a little more curve on the cutting edge. The "Grantons" (hollows) along the edge are intended to keep slices from sticking to the blade, making cutting smoother and easier. They sort of work, but slices still stick. The grantons are not a Japanese feature, but a European addition. Most Santokus sold in North America sport the European form handle. The photo specimen is fairly typical (Santokus now come in some pretty strange sizes). It's a 7 inch Cuisinart, with a cutting edge 6-1/2 inches long. The back edge of the blade is 0.07 inch (1.8mm) thick with a total length of 11-3/4 inches. It cost less than 2009 US $20 at BB&B.

My current Santoku (2020) is an admittedly expensive (though bought on sale) Shun Classic with damascus blade. The expensive damascus feature is entirely decorative and serves no other purpose. It's the very hard, narrow angle, non-damascus core that provides its cutting prowess. It must be stoned (I use a fine diamond hone). A knife sharpener would ruin this blade. I prefer Japanese knives because their cutting edges are generally much harder than Euro-American knives.

Why is the Santoku of little use as a general purpose prep knife? For one thing the back edge of the blade is way too thin. You can't press down on it without hurting yourself. The point is way too blunt for much prep work and the sides too flat. It slices very straight - because it is otherwise nearly impossible to maneuver. Trying to cut the core out of half an apple with a Santoku is an exercise in hilarity. It is too light and unstable for chopping. It is also too flimsy for tasks such as crushing garlic or whacking nuts with the side of the blade.

Many Santokus are waaaaaay out of balance, including the one in the photo. The blade is so light compared to the handle that if you place it near the edge of your cutting board (as you always do with your regular prep knife), it'll do a back flip off the board and head straight for your foot, point first. A light Japanese style wooden handle would really help here.

Nakiri

This knife is still much used in Japan, in various sizes and thicknesses, but in North America it has been eclipsed by the Santoku due to heavy promotion by manufacturers. In theory it is very similar, short, wide, very thin, razor sharp, but is even more limited by having no point at all. This one, purchased about 50 years ago in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, has a European form handle. The cutting edge is 6 inches long and the back edge of the blade is 0.7 inch (1.8mm) thick. Total knife length is 11-1/4 inches.

This knife is always on the bread board at my parties, because it is much better at slicing breads than the serrated bread knife. So much better guests have asked where they could get one.