Have you been looking for new recipes to try out? Aside from searching for recipes online, you may have most likely watched America's Test Kitchen. The show features test cooks in a test kitchen where they try different recipes and see how they hold up. The cast includes seasoned chefs, equipment experts, and tasting experts.
Since its first episode in the early 2000s, America's Test Kitchen has become a reliable and entertaining source of information about everything in the kitchen. Besides their show, they also have a website to share cooking recipes and kitchen product reviews. To review the best Japanese kitchen knives, they put ten different Japanese knives to the test.
Continue reading and see which of these America's Test Kitchen Japanese knives made the cut!
If you want a knife that you can use for most food preparation and cooking tasks in the kitchen, a Santoku knife can be your best friend. Santoku knives are general-purpose knives that you can use for mincing, chopping, dicing, slicing, and other common kitchen tasks. Any cooking enthusiast or seasoned chef would appreciate having this Japanese knife at their disposal.
Santoku knives differ slightly from other general-purpose knives like a chef's knife. These knives have a wide blade that ends in a curve towards the tip. In addition, they usually don't come with a bolster, unlike other knives. Finally, they can vary in size, ranging from 5 to 7.9 inches. This section tackles three Japanese kitchen knives that America's Test Kitchen reviewed.
Maintaining proper control of the knife as you use it in your food prep tasks is crucial to your safety. Aside from preventing injuries, a properly balanced knife can give you the confidence you need to slice, mince, and chop fruits and vegetables quickly and accurately. In addition, it can also reduce the hand fatigue you may feel after hours of working in the kitchen.
With the Global 7-inch Santoku Knife, you can say goodbye to hand fatigue and uncomfortable knife handles. Instead, this knife features a hollow handle filled with sand. In doing so, the Global Santoku knife provides the perfect amount of weight to maintain a proper weight distribution from the tip to the butt of this Japanese knife.
Can you consider this as America's Test Kitchen best chef's knife? While the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, this kitchen knife disappoints some customers who spotted stains and rust after a few months of regular use. In addition, you may have to resharpen it sooner.
When Santoku knives first gained popularity in the United States in the early 2000s, Mac was one of the first ones to release their Santoku knives to the market. Since then, the Mac Superior Santoku Knife (6 ½ Inches) has remained relatively unchanged. You can even spot some cheap knock-offs in the grocery aisles.
The Mac Santoku knife only weighs 5.5 ounces or 155.2 grams, making it a lightweight kitchen knife that you can use comfortably for long periods. In addition, the design is well-rounded, providing you with great performance and a pleasurable experience. As a result, the Mac Santoku knife remains a top recommendation for anyone looking for their first Santoku knife.
This America's Test Kitchen chef knife bears a superior quality compared to most knives on the market but fails in one thing: customer service. Some customers report receiving poor after-sales service when they needed assistance regarding the product.
Multiple critics and reviewers agree: The Misono UX10 7-inch Santoku Knife has one of the sharpest blades on the market. Generally, Santoku knives are used for all sorts of food prep tasks, including chopping and slicing. As a result, their blades are continuously put under stress, leading to them turning dull and losing their sharp edge over time.
The Misono Santoku knife never fails to impress kitchen enthusiasts and even professional chefs with its sharp blade. High-grade stain-resistant steel from Sweden makes this out-of-this-world sharpness possible. As a result, the Misono UX10 earned a 59-60 rating on the Rockwell hardness scale.
The Misono UX10 joins the America Test Kitchen Victorinox chef knife as one of the show's favorites. Unfortunately, some customers report having bent tips after using them for a couple of months. You should consider this issue before spending 189 dollars on this knife.
Quality comes with a price. If you are willing to splurge your money on expensive sharp knives, you will never go wrong with any of the knives we shared in this round-up. However, whichever America's Test Kitchen chef knife you buy, it would surely be expensive.
For more affordable alternatives, head over to our kitchen knives section!
