Santoku vs. Chefs knife

[Jaycee]

Whats the biggest difference? DH is going to take me to Sur la Table to buy a really nice knife and I'm on the fence about which to get.

Which do you have, and if you use both which do you like better and why?

[Bloomwood]

I have both. I just got a santoku a couple of weeks ago. I bought it thinking I was just selling into the hype, but honestly, I love it. For me, the santoku is easier to chop with because of the way the blade is a little flatter/straight. The chef's knife you have to tilt forward more naturally out of the way it is made, but the santoku glides more easily.

Also, FWIW, both of the knives are the Pro S series by Henkels, so they are both same high quality (for comparison control!)

[moderngal]

We have both (Wusthof). Both DH and I prefer the chef's knife because of the curved blade- it makes chopping more efficient, and using the curve for chopping is how we were taught in cooking class. Plus I took a huge chunk out of my finger with the santoku and I hold a grudge.

[bookworm]

I thought I wanted/needed/had to have a Santoku until I used a friend's a couple of weeks ago--it's a good one (Wusthof), but I still prefer the heavier blade of my chef's knife (Cutco). I still haven't ruled out a Santoku, but it's no longer at the top of my list.

[Scooter]

We've got both (chef's is Henckels & santoku is Wusthof). We went with a smaller santoku blade, so they're really knives for different things. I prefer the santoku for most slicing & I guess you'd say more intricate type of cutting--like handling a tomato or a hot pepper--or else for cutting where some serration is useful, like cutting the tops off of an artichoke.

The chef's knife has a lot more weight to it so it works for less intricate things & bigger or more coarse chopping jobs. That's just a personal preference, I don't like the weight of the chef's knife for the smaller kind of vegetable chopping I usually do, but then I'm a vegetarian & I'm sure if we were having a lot of chicken & beef dishes the chef's knife would come in handier for that. HTH. :)

[lawyerlee]

I have both, and I almost always use my Santoku. I find the Chef's knife a bit more unwieldy than the Santoku.

[thedoorchick]

I have both, but prefer the Santoku.

[ee_chick]

I have both and I like them for different things. I do most of my chopping with the chef's knife, because I really like to rock the blade. I use the Santoku for things like dicing potatoes or butterflying chicken breasts. If I had to choose I'd probably go with the Santoku because when I do use it I really prefer it for the job.

[mamax2]

I have both and the Santoku is my go-to knife. I have 5" and 7" Santokus and like the larger one best.

[KK812]

I love my santoku :)

[gayle]

I am a chef's knife person (Shun), but mostly because it is what I am used to. Tha Santoku shape feels very awkward to me, so call me a creature of habit!

[Kingdono]

We have both I don't have a preference but in general I like the smaller knifes. My husband loves our large 12" chef knives and I gravite to the 8" ones.

[PrincessTommi]

I find the Chef's knife a bit more unwieldy than the Santoku.This is me, too.

We just got a Santuko last week, but I'm in love with it already.