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.
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.
Buy Wusthof Classic Hollow-Ground Santoku Now
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
Read Best Reviews of Wusthof Classic Hollow-Ground Santoku Here
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.
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Over time, I've discovered buying the right quality items once is far better than buying sub-standard junk 4 or 5 times. Hence, my search for the right "general use" knife for my kitchen.
I cook alot of stir fry sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. This means a fair amount of cutting, dicing and chopping of many different items from hard and soft vegetables to beef, pork or chicken. For many years, I struggled with cheap knives I had either received as a wedding present or bought from a large department store. In the end, I was sawing the food rather than cutting it; it was a chore rather than a pleasureable part of the cooking process. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the last knife I would need.
During my search, I discovered a few things you may find helpful:
understand what you do in the kitchen and only buy what you need. It's easy to get sucked into buying a full set of 8, 10 or 12 knives. You don't have to think about it and voila! everything's there. Granted, you will save money, but I contend you'll end up with knives you don't need. I strongly recommend buying knives separately as you discover you just can't do without that XYZ knife. Ex: I bought the 7" Classic Hollow Santoku and a small classic paring knife as a set. I found a I need a smaller utility knife for cutting sandwiches, etc... and purchased a Classic 5" knife. I can accomplish 99% of my cutting tasks with these 3 knives.
Your first knife should be either a Santoku or Chef's knife. These knives are the workhorses of the kitchen and will be used for a majority of your cutting tasks. Once purchased and used for awhile, you can better determine what will make your life easier and go after that.
"Handle" the knives. Unlike pot/pan handles, a knife will be in your hand for a fair amount of time, so it needs to be comfortable and well balanced. Believe me, these things matter. An unbalanced knife that doesn't feel right will tire you out and turn this part of cooking into a chore. I checked out 7" Santoku knives from Wusthof, Henckel and Global. The Wusthof had a more solid feel and felt better balanced in MY hand. All 3 manufacturers make excellent knives, but your connection with the knife is very personal and it must feel right to YOU.
Now, on to the Wusthof. First, it's very well balanced. Put your index finger against the bolster and under the handle; the knife will balance without effort. Second, it has a little more weight to it than the other 2 knives I've mentioned above. That's not to say it's heavy; rather it felt more solid to me. Third, the hollow design ("dimples" on the side of the blade) help prevent food from sticking. The hollow design won't totally prevent food from sticking to the blade (slices of "wet" vegetables like onions or tomatoes still stick), but it definitely helps.
Please, please, please take care of good knives. Never put them in the dishwasher. The detergent can damage them over time but, most importantly, they will bang around against other utensils and get knicked or damaged. Always wash and dry them immediately after use. Store them in a block or on a magnetic knife strip; never in a draw where they can, again, get banged around.
I sharpen my knives about once a month using a sharpening stone. There's tons of info on the net about how to do this and it is a daunting task at first. My advice is to take a cheaper knife and practice with the stone. Once you get comfortable, try it with your new knife. A sharp knife should cut a piece of paper, holding the paper in one hand and slicing from the top.
If you buy this knife and follow the tips above, you'll be rewarded with "the last knife you'll ever need". Enjoy!
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MY husband's employer held an auction for the annual charity drive. I filled a cotton tote bag with a bread knife, this cutting board, honey and gave the winner a choice of home-baked breads, which were delivered a few days later. The item earned a nice bid. The fabric is nice and would have been great for an iron-on logo, which I'll do next year! The board is sturdy and sustainable.
