Getting a Quality Knife Set for the Ages
by Moses Harun
With a history covering almost two centuries, Wusthof keeps providing the world with well-made kitchen knives and shears, pocket knives, and other accessories. Based in Solingen, Germany, Wusthof remains run by the same family and presently employs in excess of 350 employees, each of whom, you could presume are committed to creating each Wusthof knife set as sharp as its reputation.
Product Lines
The Wusthof knives are produced by two methods – forging for the more expensive line and stamping for their more affordable line. Consequently, depending on your income, you might become the happy owner of some legendary Wusthof knives but possibly having assorted levels of sharpness.
The forged knives are available in the Classic, Ikon, Classic Ikon, Le Cordon Bleu, Culinar, Grand Prix, and Grand Prix II lines but the stamped knives are used for the Gourmet, Emeril, and Silverpoint lines. There is a pointed difference between forged and stamped knives in any high-end knife collection, with professional chefs preferring forged knives most of the time for their chef’s knives. Stamped knives are usually only preferred for steak and paring knives.
Whatever Wusthof knives set you purchase, though, every one of their knives are an amalgam of 15 percent chromium, 0.5 percent carbon, and a small amount of molybdenum. Adding this to the company logo – a trident in a circle against a red background – these cutlery pieces are distinctive from thier competitors’ knives.
Advantages
While we’re trying to avoid sounding like a spokesperson for Wusthof, those knives have been proven over and over to be among the highest quality blades available. Substantiation of this statement is Wusthof knives are the preferred blade of celebrated chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and James Martin, while also being annually voted as one of the best performing knives by Consumer Reports and Cook’s Illustrated.
For amateur chefs, the non-slip traditional handle conforms comfortably to different hand sizes and therefore helps many guests or spouses to feel competent using the knives in the set. Naturally, these knife blades are extremely sharp and just about never rust, stain or require sharpening. More than anything else, high-quality manufacturing processes and materials are the primary traits of a quality knife.
Disadvantages
The main thing that can dissuade the hobby chef from buying a Wusthof knife set will be Wusthof’s expensive price. With the most affordable set of low-end Gourmet paring knives is priced at $35, you will probably find different knife brands offering more knives at comparable prices. For the the more expensive collections, $300 is peanuts.
Also, Wusthof makes products that have thinner-than-usual handles including the Wusthof Classic. Obviously, men are more affected with this problem thanks to their larger hands. And of course, certain cooks do not prefer a stainless steel handle, and would rather use the polypropylene type.
For the most part, Wusthof knife sets will give substantial quality for the cost. It performs very nicely and efficiently the way that all high-quality knives ought to, performs for generations as the company has done, and looks very professional while it rests on your countertop. With a knife set as good as this, you probably will decide to invest in another set as a gift for newlyweds. – 19259
Moses Harun is involved with a project that helps visitors make smart decision when shopping for knives. One of the highest rated knives reviewed on his site is the (http://www.topknifesets.com) Wusthof knife sets.