 Great for chopping chilies |
| Review Date: March 8, 2003 |
| Reviewer: fast_matt, Dallas, TX USA |
| I love stir fries, Mexican, and spicy food in general, so after reading the Amazon reviews of this knife and the Wusthof Grand Prix Asian chef's knife (same knife, different handle) I was dying to get my hands on one. A local store that deals in Wusthof FINALLY got a hollow-edge Classic santoku in, and I tried it out, along with a Grand Prix chef's knife with the same handle. My conclusion - while the Grand Prix handle DOES fit perfectly and firmly in the hand, the Classic handle encourages placing the thumb, extended, on top of the flat handle, producing a slight forward "roll" conducive to chopping and dicing. Thus, after much deliberation, I purchased the Classic santoku knife. When I tried this knife at home, I was not disappointed; the santoku knife chops and dices quickly and cleanly, and cleaves serrano and Fresno peppers neatly in two. The knife is light and well-balanced, and while not quite as all-around versatile, is much better suited to chopping operations than the chef's knife. The hollow edge seems to help it to cut cleanly, and reduces but does not eliminate food sticking to the knife when chopped. It's too late - I can no longer pick a favorite knife. Right now it's a tie between my Wusthof Classic santoku knife and my Henckels four-star 6" chef's. This knife is definitely a keeper. |
Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
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| Review Date: April 15, 2003 |
| Reviewer: H. Row, Arvada, CO United States |
One trend that has eventually made it's way to home chef's is that it's OK TO MIX KNIVES! German , French, Japanese STYLE all have they're champions and advantages for various cutting and chopping jobs. Despite what you see on TV shows, you'll actually find very few professionals who have all German or all Oriental style knives. And don't tell the kitchen snobs, but it's OK to mix BRANDS too! Buy what feels good, what costs right and how often you'll use it.
The Wusthof Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife combines several ideas that combined, make slicing vegetables into precise pieces. This looks nice, but also lets the food all cook at a quick and similar amount of time. Be aware that a Santoku knife is NOT MADE TO CHOP THROUGH BONES or frozen foods! Despite a small similarity, that is best left to a Cleaver.
The high "wall" of the knife blade makes for quick slicing and chopping. The identations or "kullens" reduce friction and suction, preventing food from sticking to the side of the blade.
The Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife is just slightly bowed to facilitate the rocking motion needed for what this knife is made to do.
Also realize that with the intermingling of knife designs one Santoku is not EXACTLY like another. Compare any knife design before purchase! And don't feel bad if you end up with a few from the Big Boys, and even a few left over from your grandmother!
I enjoy knives. I know alot about em. BUT especially enjoy USING knives. I do that mostly in the kitchen like everyone else.
This is a purchase I'm happy with!
John Row |
Great knife that will be your favorite!
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| Review Date: June 3, 2002 |
| Reviewer: FrankW, Central Florida |
| I have been using the Wusthof Santoku Knife for several months. It has a good balance and feel. You are able to slice and dice like a Pro. The blade is thin but still ridgid enough to cut and slice straight, allowing very thin slices. It cuts meat very well and is very, very sharp. The edge is ground to a very narrow angle. Looks to be about 7 to 10 degrees. The shallow edge angle is what allows it to be so sharp. Due to the very thin edge of the blade, it should not be used for chooping or heavy duty cutting. The steel used is excellent and holds its edge forever. I touch it up ocassionaly with a ceramic sharpener. It only takes a couple of swipes with the cerramic. I think it is as sharp now as the day I received it. The dropped point is a great design. I use the back of the point to scrape garbage off of the cutting board. |
Thumbs up...but watch those thumbs!
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| Review Date: March 17, 2004 |
| Reviewer: bunnyfricassee, New York, NY United States |
Unlike many other reviewers, I know bupkis about knives. So this review is for those who want to class up their kitchen equipment while not quite knowing what they're doing. Seriously, I once picked up a set from Ikea for a tenner, thinking I got the best deal of my life. I even wrestled a couple of scallions down to a respectable julienne with them and still thought I was doing good.
Then, one day, I ran into my roommate's knife with...how you say, a full "tang," do you call it? And it was hefty. And it was dull, but then I sharpened it, and it sliced through many a food product with nary any effort but aim (its weight and gravity did most of the work). Alas, even if I don't look slight and frail apparently I have the muscular constitution of someone who is, and so during long cook-a-thons this leviathan would fatigue me.
So, one day, I was feeling a little rich and ambitious and I bought this Wusthof off of Amazon as my workhorse knife. The reviews were good and I saw it on TV--that was good enough for me! I don't regret it, it has all the advantages of my roommate's knife without the fat. The shape of the blade actually helps those with limited experience, as it provides more stability than a classically edged knife. It has heft enough but not so much that it doesn't feel like an extension of my own hand. Which brings me to the point about your opposable digits: you have so much confidence with this knife that you may be in danger of feeling like your knife skills are better than they are! And thus you may get a little careless. This knife is sharp; I know, I razed off a little sliver of my thumb nail. (I fished it out before it got incorporated into the stir fry, thanks for your concern).
Point being, be careful. Second point being, that even someone who doesn't know anything about knives can appreciate the workmanship of this one. Having said that, I wouldn't recommend buying it sight unseen, necessarily. That was just a whim on my part, that's not to say it's smart. You should probably go out to the stores, play with a few, then come back here and buy it if the price is right. If time is short and economics aren't an issue, however, you can't go wrong with this one. |
There need only be one...
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| Review Date: August 1, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Justin Ratcliff, S.Pasadena, Ca. |
I only own two real knives. One is my Tramontina paring knife, and the other is my Wusthof (Voo-stoff) Santoku. I've had both for almost four years now, and when I was browsing this section I realized, 'hey, I don't need anything from here, I've got it covered.' I once heard the most indispensable kitchen tools were a good chef's knife, a squeeze bottle, and a gas stove. Well, with the Santoku, you're already 1/3 of the way there, because you'll likely never need to buy another knife. At least I can't foresee having to buy another.
The thing is, when this knife's nice and sharpened up it seriously flies through anything you throw at it, though I don't suggest knife fighting with it. If you've ever found cutting poultry a pain in the ass, well this knife goes through uncooked chicken like you were cutting jell-o; it's a pretty amazing feeling. You simply draw the knife toward you, and through whatever you're cutting, and repeat.
In the hand, the santoku feels maybe a little dainty, compared to say a nine-inch chef's knife, which is like wielding a claymore. Perhaps that's what gives the santoku its almost surgical feel. It's light, it's awesomely balanced, and the shape of the blade allows you to accomplish multiple tasks, from slicing chicken breasts, to chopping rosemary, to dicing garlic.
This is a piece of Wusthof steel mind you, which means you might be passing it on to the kids, granted you follow some simple rules. First, don't ever put a knife like this in the dishwasher; it's bad for it. Two, don't use the blade to scrape together whatever you're chopping. I once saw Rachael Ray doing this on her 30-minute meals show, and it was the equivalent of fingernails on chalkboard to me. Instead, turn the knife over, and use the spine, this maintains your edge longer. Lastly, you need to buy a sharpener, because nothing is more useless, frustrating, or dangerous in cooking than using a dull knife. I use a simple Chef's Choice Manual Diamond Hone, which cost me a cool Jackson. It's a 2 step apparatus that's ugly as sin, but yields an edge that makes tomatoes as easy to cut as anything else. You should know however that while the hollowing of the blade, those oval shaped grind marks, was a brilliant idea; it still needs some tinkering because everything gets stuck to my blade. Oh well, this is an awesome piece of steel that's helped me cook many mediocre meals for outstanding people, and there's no reason not to expect the same. |
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