Why this santoku knive earns its place
The Santoku shape is Japanese—it translates as "three virtues"—because it handles three jobs: vegetables, fish, and meat, all cleanly in one knife. The Dick Superior 17.8 cm blade brings that efficiency to European kitchens with a stamped stainless steel construction that trades the weight of a forged blade for speed and precision. At 172 g, it's light enough for the rapid knife work that vegetable prep demands, but rigid enough that the blade doesn't flex under the pressure of rocking through a pile of herbs. The flat edge means no rocking motion; straight down, straight pull, and the work is done.
Stamped blades hold their edge longer than softer forged blades, and they're easier to sharpen when needed. For kitchens running high-volume vegetable prep—whether it's a busy restaurant kitchen, a catering operation, or a hotel preparing 200+ covers—the Santoku's combination of speed and edge retention removes a bottleneck. The riveted handle is designed for balance, so 3–4 hours of prep doesn't exhaust your hand. And the narrow blade doesn't crush delicate vegetables the way a heavyweight chef's knife can.
Hand-wash only, immediately after use. Dry the blade before storing to prevent staining. The stamped construction means it won't rust, but sitting wet will discolour it, and a dishwasher will dull the blade and loosen the handle far faster than daily use ever will.
