Comments for Where To Buy A Wusthof Knife Set

Comment on what is a slicer knife used for, i just ordered the wusthof grand prix 2 8 piece set and this knife? by smokey

smokey — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:59:55 +0000

it is made for slicing bread.

Comment on I have a question about knife width? by Liz

Liz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:10:42 +0000

It looks too wide to me. You should email the store or go to a store in person to check

Comment on I have a question about knife width? by Visor

Visor — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:10:42 +0000

Sorry but no. I've borrowed it for the review, so I have it at hand.
Width at the heel(widest part of the blade close to handle) is 45.13mm and the slot is - 1.5" or 38.1mm, so few millimeters wider.

I'd skip that santoku, less versatile than chef's knife and less specialized for veggies than Nakiri.
Pretty much identical to Henckel's 7" santoku reviewed here - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/misc/hensntkgrt.shtml

Same drawbacks. Although, if you really like it that's all that matters.

Comment on I just bought a wusthof 8 piece knife set, i got some knives i have never used, and dont know there purpose.? by Visor

Visor — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:15:57 +0000

Sadly, now you know first hand why you should never buy a set. It always has one or more useless or interchangeable knife.
If you can return it then do it. If not well, try to make the best of it.

As for your questions:

1) 6" Sandwich knife is sold in many other sets as 6" utility knife. No mater how you call it it is one of the most useless knives in the kitchen. Yes you can find some uses for it, but the point is to have efficient and convenient knives, not just something that can cut. All knives do that.
6" narrow blade of that knife is useless for veggie chopping where Chef's knife is far better, plus it has knuckle clearance which sandwich knife does not.
6" knife is much less convenient for delicate works such as paring/peeling where 3-4" paring knives excel.
So, yes, you're pretty much stuck with cutting sandwiches in half and may be opening plastic packaging. Although, I am sure chef's knife can cut the same sandwich just as good and in case of bigger sandwiches much better than 6".

2) 4" utility is pretty much the same as your paring knife. 100% interchangeable unless blade geometry is way too weird on it, which I doubt. I have paring knives in both, 3" and 4" version. It's just another way for the maker or dealer to sell you same type of knife.

As for paring knives, you can use them for all small/delicate tasks. Peeling fruits, cutting ends of onions and such. Removing "eyes" on potatoes, destemming strawberries, peeling/cutting avocados and whatever else of that sort.

In most of the households kitchen knives set would be 3-4" paring knife, 6-12" chef's knife, that entirely d3epends on your preferences and a serrated bread knife, which also can be used as a slicer. That covers 99% of cutting needs for average home kitchen. If you work a lot with bony mean then add boning knife to that set and you're done.

More on kitchen knives and better price/performer brands and other knife myths here - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/index.shtml

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

Professional chefs hone their well used knifves every day and sharpen them once a week. Honing never hurts the knife, it just straightens any nicks that the blade might have picked up. You can do it every day if you like, but no more infrequently than once a week.

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by Master of My Own Remote Control!

Master of My Own Remote Control! — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

Depends upon the usage, as well as your preference. I like working with very sharp blades, and to the best of my recollection maybe three times a year.

Excellent choice by the way ~ my set has not disappointed, and I've had them several years.

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by Chef William

Chef William — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

It isn't a "time" thing at all. It is a "how often do you use it" & "what are you cutting" thing.
Keeping a knife sharp is the trick. Most all Professional Chefs have a Sharpening Steel at hand and use it for just a couple of licks after almost every cutting job.
Honing should be a last ditch effort to sharpen a blade that has been neglected or abused.

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by travis l

travis l — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

Depends on how well you keep your knives, and how much you use them. Some like to sharpen them after/before each use. I personally do about once a week with light to regular home use. When I used them for work, it was at least daily. And I would suggest a professional sharpening about once a year.

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by zeldar

zeldar — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

I bought a Wusthof fillet knife last year used it all year and only had to hone three times. Thats just me.

Comment on how often should i hone my knife, i just bought a wusthof grand prix ll set and have barely used it? by Visor

Visor — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:15:58 +0000

Just clarify thew terminology, because often people use terms interchangeably.
Honing is sharpening, i.e. removing the metal to sharpen the edge.
Stropping (or steeling) is aligning deformed the edge.

Now, sharpening has to be done as needed. Check your knife edge, it if feels dull, do it. The duller the edge gets, the faster it dulls further and the more metal you have to remove to restore the sharp edge.
There are no rules, except the "don't let your knives get dull". Depending on cutting medium, frequency of cutting and your knife quality you might need to sharpen daily, weekly or once a month.
Pro chefs in top Japanese restaurants are happy with the knife if it can go through one shift (8 hours or so) without sharpening. Western knives are softer, (hardness for western knives is 56-58HRC vs 62-67HRC for Japanese), so sharpening is more frequent.

Steeling is very important, and can save your edge and extend its "sharp lifetime" considerably, therefore knife lifespan. It's a simple procedure of straightening the deformations on the edge. Here's a photo of stropping in action -
http://zknives.com/knives/knimgtmpl.shtml?/images/knives/macro/sestudy/wtnbnkstrop100×01.jpg

In short, ideally you steel or strop the blade every time before using it. That's the best. More important point is to strop before using it, not after. Metal has so called "relaxation effect" and aligned edge tends to return to its deformed state over time, even if not used. Which is why you need to strop or steel before using the knife.

The only thing is, forget that grooved butchers steel that pretty much every mainstream knife maker sells. It is too rough and instead of realigning the deformed edge rips chunks of deformed metal from the edge. More damage than good.
Either get the smooth steel,or glass rod or very fine ceramic rod. Alternatively use plain leather strop if your conditions permit. I assume at home that's pretty easy.

More on kitchen knives maintenance here - http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kitknmntc.shtml

And lots of info on knife sharpening equipment here - http://www.zknives.com/knives/sharpening/index.shtml