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A lucky mistake
I spent weeks of research before deciding on what to buy as my new 10-inch chef knife. I wanted something big and heavy for crushing through melons, pineapple, big blocks of cheese, or whatever other food that might normally give me a hard time with my smaller and lighter 8 inch Global. I was also looking for a bigger knife that I could lift higher off the board without removing the tip from its place while rocking out julienned vegetables. I finally selected Wüsthof, only to discover to my horror when the "package sent" notification appeared, that when I placed the order I overlooked one vital detail. I had ordered this 12 inch monster. I was very nervous about using it because I felt that I'd have much less control over the tip that resides a whole foot away, and that it would be too easy to accidentally lift the blade too high off the board while cutting, either way resulting in a few less fingers on my guiding hand. But I decided to give it a try, and here's a truly amazing fact that I discovered. The point of leverage in which this knife rocks on is the exact same distance from your hand as an 8 inch blade. THE EXACT SAME. I then grabbed my buddy's 10-inch chefs knife (he apparently paid attention to what size he was buying) to see just as I thought. All knives, or at least all good ones, are designed so that the point of leverage is about 7 inches from your hand regardless of the length of the blade. That makes this knife a whole lot less scary. With the fear of extreme length behind me, I then proceeded to test my new "sword" on everything in my extremely large banquet kitchen. I found that it works great at breaking down large fruits such as pineapple and all sorts of melon. Large blocks of cheese that are too big for shorter knives proved to be no match for this beast. Even slicing turkey was a breeze as I used the entire length of the blade to make each slice smoothly and very thin. Lastly, I tried cutting batonets of carrots for a veggie platter, and oddly enough, the length of my knife was still not a hindrance. The cuts came out perfect. I love this knife. As for home use, you might not find it necessary for such a giant unless you often find yourself cutting a lot of the larger items listed above, or you just have a bunch of 12 inch pizzas on hand that need slicing. As for professional use, I highly recommend this as a great addition to your knife kit. You'll find yourself reaching for it much more than you ever could imagine. Regardless, just know that due to its length, a warped cutting board becomes a whole lot more noticeable. And in the industry, you find them quite a bit. Wusthof Classic 8" Knife This product arrived before the due date. It was packaged perfectly. The knife is a great knife and yet has a light feel to it. It fits perfectly in my hand and has a nice sharp blade. I love it. great knife, my favorite in the kitchen I have several different kitchen knives which I love, and this is the one for which I reach the most. It is heavy and sits well in my hand. The blade is seriously sharp and strong. My second favorite is an 8" santoku from Caphalon with an ergonomic handle. My third is a Wustof 6" boning knife. They all are extrememly comfortable and help to do the work for me. Bad knives are not just ugly, they are dangerous. One often uses extra strength to cut with a bad knife, and this can cause them to be much harder to control--I know, having had the tips of 2 fingers almost severed by a dull, weak knife! A good knife is well worth the exta cost, and I think this Wustof is one of the best in the kitchen. There is nothing like a good knife-I have about 200 in my display collection (not for kitchen use!) and about 18 in my kitchen. Get them in Europe. This is the best cooks knife bar none. Precision german engineering, shaped perfectly for safe, fast and easy chopping. It is sharp and stays sharp. It hefts a good weight to take the labour out of chopping. If you happen to be in Europe and would like to treat your cooking friends, you can't bring back a better present. The price of these knives in Europe is much better than in the USA. Just remember not to carry it in your hand luggage! Wusthof 8-in.cook's knife This is an excellant knife. It cuts through food like it was cutting butter. The knife is known for keeping it's edge. This is the finest knife you'll ever use! | |
