Wusthof Culinar 5-Inch Tomato Knife

A good chef's knife is fine for cutting a tomato in half, or for cutting those halves into wedges. It's also possible to slice a tomato with a sharp chef's knife but one has to be careful when starting each cut, as the curve of the tomato requires a slightly different angle for starting each slice. That means slicing a tomato with a chef's knife will be a lot slower than slicing, say, a cucumber.

Enter the tomato knife. The serrations initiate the cut where the edge is placed whatever the angle between blade and skin; the legendary sharpness of the Wusthof blade then completes the slice with ease. A meal's worth of tomatoes can be reduced to slices in a jiffy provided you're right handed, since the serrations are on the right side of the blade.

This isn't just any tomato knife, though. This tomato knife is from Wusthof's premium Culinar line. In addition to having Wusthof's high carbon stainless blade with a full length tang, it also has the Culinar line's ergonomic 18/10 stainless steel handle. When one picks up the knife, the handle feels like it molds itself to one's hand, making it a joy to use. Before I got this knife, I always served tomatoes in wedges; now I look for excuses to slice them.

The price does match the premium quality, though. Whether this knife is worth that price depends on how many tomatoes you slice but if you do buy it, you may find your tomato consumption going way up!

This knife and the Wusthof 5" Santoku Hollow Edge have been the workhorses

of my kitchen for about 8 years since I bought them. We have a lot of

knives, but have never used better knives than Wusthof. This tomato

knife is irreplaceable! We use it not only for tomatoes, but also for

deli and slicing a myriad of other foods. We have been giving them

as gifts for years and each recipient praises them constantly. The

blade holds an edge for a long time, and they are easy to sharpen. This

knife has perfect weight and balance and feels comfortable in the hand.

I suggest hand-washing them, as does Wusthof. The dishwasher dulls any

knife's edge.

Buy Wusthof Culinar 5-Inch Tomato Knife Now

There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Culinar line is an all stainless steel look, rather than a black handle. Although the picture and some descriptions want you to think this is a single piece knife, be advised that the hand is a separate piece of stainless steel molded onto the tang. I personally prefer the handle of the Grand Prix and Classic, because the grip is surer for me, but this is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. This series "looks" more professional to some (like a Viking stove).

This particular model is the 5 inch tomato knife. Most cooks believe the tomato is the most difficult food to slice cleanly (thus its appearance in Ginsu commercials). I think this knife is overkill for most cooks. I happen to think the 4 ½ inch utility knife will do the trick for the mainstream cook. This knife, while a good knife, is used so rarely in my kitchen it is usually relegated to a storage location, rather than the countertop.

If you slice a lot of tomatoes, be my guest and buy this knife, it is very high quality. But, for most cooks, this knife is overkill.

Read Best Reviews of Wusthof Culinar 5-Inch Tomato Knife Here