Wow. That's a nice knife. Would be interested to know how this one holds up.

I have the Premier santoku. Love, love that knife. Use it every day, multiple times a day. Great choice!

Wow!! That's a manly knife. Happy Father's Day, and Happy Birthday, too!

To quote Crocodile Dundee: "THET's a knoife."

Thanks Pllog and Anna! It really is a very unique-looking blade for someone raised on regular Western knives like Henckels and Wustof. DW's reaction on seeing it was, "Wow, I've never seen a knife that beautiful!". Now I'm trying to decide what to cook for dinner that will get me some nice chop-time :D

c9pilot - the knock on the Shun and Japanese blades in general seems to be chipping. The steel is significantly harder but also more brittle than Western knives. This lets them take a longer-lasting, sharper edge, but makes them prone to chipping when used by people used to their Western knives. It seems that dragging the knife laterally across a chopping board, or pivoting/rotating while rock chopping is the prime cause of chipping. I don't think I commonly use those techniques (I usually push slice) so hopefully it will be a good fit for me. The Shun Elite line might be more resistant to chipping (it has a better steel) than the regular and Premier lines, so I'm on the fence about swapping this beauty for the less gorgeous (but still pretty) Elite. This is the kitchen forum after all, where sometimes we give up a touch of practicality for looks.

Breezy - I've never been quite clear on the advantages of a santoku over a regular chef's. What are the benefits for you?

I wish you were my husband -oh to have a man that gets excited about a chef's knife....swoon! :0)
Happy fathers day.

What Anna said.

What's the first thing you are going to make with that baby?

Happy Father's Day!

Thanks Celineike!

CeltinNE - I'm not sure... to the menu board! Just so I'm not too off topic for the kitchen forum a photo of a kitchen element is in order:

LOL, looking at the stuff on my board in that photo I just realized how diverse and eclectic my tastes are. The new items squeezed into the corners and edges are dishes I've picked up in the last year or two.

Oh, that's a beauty!! I have a Shun Elite Santoku and it's a delight to use.

Happy Birthday and enjoy your new toy!!

Cj

Love that board. How fun!
OK, I'll have the salmon with apple balsamic sauce.

OT - can you post a recipe here or is that a no, no?

Two days now since I read this post, and I can't get that knife out of my head! I'm thinking I might buy one as a "kitchen-warming" gift to myself. ;-)

Vickie, the pictures really don't do it justice. It looks awesome in person.

CeltinNE - the smoked salmon is pretty straightforward. I brine overnight in a mixture of water, salt, sugar, molasses, oregano, and tarragon. I warm-smoke it for about 4 hours at around 200F. Although to be honest it's been a while since I've done it, so I forget the exact temperature.

The sauce is a simple balsamic reduction. I use maybe 1/2 cup of balsamic, add brown sugar and apples (sometimes figs when they're in season), and reduce by about 66%. Sometimes I'll add a bit of butter at the end. Sometimes I'll also brush the finished salmon with truffle oil if I'm in the mood. Oddly enough I find farmed atlantic salmon to be better for this than wild salmon, as the texture holds up a bit better. Try both and see which you prefer.

This is a good accompaniment. I oven-toast the bread, brush with truffle oil, sprinkle a touch of sea salt, and add balsamic cream.

Hmmm, I double-checked some smoking sites and it looks like 160-170F is a more reasonable temperature.

Oh and thank you Cj!

You asked me why I like a santoku better than a chef's knife. I used to use a chef's knife until 8 years ago when DH brought me a lighter and shorter santoku from work (restaurant supply co) and told me I'd love it. It took me a couple of months, but he was right. I had to get used to not using my normal rocking motion to chop. Since then I've gotten the Shun and am really in love. I like santokus better for me for a few reasons.

The size. I don't own huge hands or biceps. Santoku feels better and is easier to maneuver than my old, big chef's.

My grip. I finger the top of the blade with my grip. I like the way the blade exits the handle better for that.

What I cook. I don't break down a chicken myself. I don't need to cut through a steak bone. My knife has never chipped cutting boneless meats and veg. I chop A LOT.

And the dang thing stays sharp! I still own a chef's knife, but never use it.

Yum and ouch all around. Happy Fathers Day!

Look what I started! Just two days ago I was in either Marshalls or HOmeGoods... can't remember which store I bought which in... but I found a 5" santoku Henckels hidden behind some stuff for under $30 so I bought it AND there was a package with 3 Wusthof (paring, boning, and missing tomato ) which because there was a knife missing I was able to buy for $10. Still waaaayyyyy better then any knife I've ever had and was worth a try. I'm glad I precipated such a great gift for you chiefneil.

Yum! Thanks chiefneil. That sounds great!!

remodel - what a steal (I mean deal) :)

Mmmmm.....I'm hungry.....