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For some time now I have been wanting to write an article looking at the Victorinox Santoku knife, and I have explored several different methods of doing it. I have purchased some other, similar size/type knives to compare it to, I have filmed some cutting tests and I have spoken to some professional chefs to get their opinions on it. All of that sounded pretty dry, so I decided to go a different way and share one of my favorite breakfasts with everyone, and illustrate how useful and effective the Santoku knife is for the average person, cranking out a nice breakfast sandwich rather than some exotic or fancy dish.

It's a simple recipe that calls for two eggs, a bagel (I like sesame seed bagels, but you can use whatever you like), bacon, some cheese slices (I usually use cheddar, provalone or my favorite, jalapeño Monterey Jack!), an some simple garnishes like black pepper and hot sauce- Franks's Red Hot or Tabasco is what I stick to.

First off, I use the Santoku to cut three or four strips of bacon into about 1/4” strips. The Vic slices through the bacon easily, which is something not many knives can do because bacon is pretty stringy and resistant to cutting. As you can see from the pics, the Victorinox Santoku slices quickly and cleanly through the bacon. Once the bacon is cut up, I toss it in a frying pan and move on to the eggs.

The spine of the Santoku is extremely thin for a knife this size and is perfect for cracking an eggshell cleanly, which is important to me as I hate crunching bits of shell! I put both eggs in a bowl, grind in some fresh pepper (fresh ground is much better- if you don't have a pepper mill, get one!) and a few shots of your favorite hot sauce- as much as you like. Beat the eggs like they owe you money to blend everything together, and mix in the bacon bits when they are ready. Once it's all put together, it goes into the microwave for about to minutes- microwave ovens vary, so you may want to experiment some.

Slicing bagels is usually something I do with a serrated blade, but the thin, razor edge of the Santoku makes short work of bagels and other breads, so I use it to slice the bagel in half, then toss it in the toaster. Time it right and everything is ready within a few seconds of each other.

Dig the egg out with a fork and deposit it on the heel (bottom) of the bagel, put the slice of cheese on the eggs, then top it off with the crown of the bagel, then slice it in half with the Santoku and breakfast is served in less than ten minutes, start to finish!

Could all this be done with just about any knife? Yes. Does the Victorinox Santoku perform better than all the others in my kitchen? Yes. I have many kitchen knives, many styles, brands, types and sizes, including other Santoku knives, an I have to admit, there is a measurable difference between it and other knives. While I probably wouldn't go out of my way to replace other knives, I would likely replace them with Victorinox (no longer Forschner) kitchen knives when they reach the end of their lifespan. If I cooked more often, or if I were a professional cook, I would insist on Victorinox- if I notice the difference a few hours a week I am in the kitchen, and that would only be magnified if I spent my hole day there!