East Meets West Set Classic

The first Wusthof knife I used was my grandmother's 100 year old Wusthof butcher knife, while helping butcher and process a steer. That knife started out with a blade of around 2 1/2 inches wide, but with over 150 years of sharpining, it know resembles a 1/2" wide boning knife. The handles on that knife are made of wood and there is some play around the rivets. That knife spoiled me from the "get go" and has been the benchmark for which I judge all other knives. These two knives in this set are better for 2 reasons. One, they are slightly sharper and two, the synthetic handles. I love the look and feel of wood handled knives, but wood can warp, crack, splinter, shrink, fade and harbor germs. Not the best attributes for a kitchen knife. I wasn't real sure about Wusthofs new PEtec (Precision-Edge Technology), but it does in fact create a slightly sharper knife. Sharp knives are a good thing. Over the years I've injured myself way more often using other peoples dull knives trying to saw/hack through something, than I have by using super sharp knives.

A grandson who spends a lot of time at my house, informed his mother awhile back that Grandpa's guns are always loaded and his knives are always sharp. I have tried to teach him that both are dangerous instruments and need to be treated with respect. Wusthof knives are NOT the sharpest knives in the world. There are some Japanese knives that probably hold that title. But, for the most part, to get a sharper knife you have to go for a harder steel or a narrower cutting angle, and then you have a knife that is more suseptible to nicks. Again, not a good thing in a kitchen knife. For my money, Wusthof has achieved the ideal compromise in their knives, with the Classic and Classic Ikon seris. I went with the Classic seris because it fits my hand better overall.

Now, onto the 2 specific knives listed here: The Nakiri is a vegetable chopping knife. If you need to do up a ton of veggies for a stir-fry, that's what it designed for. Chop a bunch, scoop em up and toss into a wok, and chop some more. Unlike a general purpose knife like the Chef's knife or the Santoku knife, which is pretty good at several things, the Nakiri is damn good at what it was designed for. This little 6" hollow ground Chefs knife is one of those all purpose knives that is pretty good at numerous things. If I wanted to make a a sandwhich for just myself, I may grab it and spread some mayo on the bread, slice off a piece of meat, then some cheese and add a couple slices of tomato. Hunger pangs are averted and only one knife to wash up. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the hollow ground on this Chefs knife."Granton-edge" or hollow ground knives have oval scallops carved into both sides of the blade. While it's touted for its nonstick quality, which I've found usually only applies to cutting soft cheese, I do like the design because it allows for a thinner cutting edge without sacrificing the heft carried by the top of the blade. It also helps to preserve some beneficial rigidity in the blade.

I've rambled, but do hope its helped.