Santoku Knives
Complete your kitchen cutlery lineup by adding one of these high-performance santoku knives from Sur La Table. Used by home cooks and professional chefs alike, this item is an essential part of any knife set. Learn more about the uses for these knives and browse the full collection to find the best santoku knives from trusted culinary brands.
What Is a Santoku Knife Used For?
If you’re not familiar with this particular kitchen tool, you may be wondering: What is a santoku knife? This type of knife originated in Japan, and the name santoku means “three virtues”—a reference to the santoku knife uses for cutting, slicing and chopping. Although santokus look similar to chef’s knives, there are some key design differences between the two. The most notable way to distinguish a santoku from a chef’s knife is that a santoku is typically made of high-carbon Japanese steel, whereas chef’s knives are often made of stainless steel. Santoku knives typically have a slightly smaller blade that curves toward the tip. These slight differences mean that santokus are better for up-and-down chopping, while chef’s knives are best used with a classic rocking motion on a cutting board.