Wusthof Classic Santoku Knife Set

Bamboo Cutting Board | Kitchen Cutlery 1550 7 Inch

Wusthof Classic Santoku Knife Set The Wusthof 1550 7" Santoku is a western approach to a very old Asian design. With the Solingen steel and solid construction of Wusthof's line of forged cutlery, this Classic Chef's knife still offers the improvements of the Asian approach--and with this set you get a bamboo cutting board.

Forging has been kept to a minimum here, the bolster of the knife small and out of the way yet still offering extra strength where it's most effective--at the junction of blade and handle. Unlike other Wusthof knives, the bolster doesn't extend to the cutting edge where it can actually get in the way of the work.

For the slicing tasks the Santoku is designed to do, extra strength isn't needed. If you want to chop bones or separate joints, get a cleaver or a stout butcher's blade. The Santoku is a general prep knife for making fast work of vegetables. For chopping vegetables and herbs, dicing, and mincing, it's one of the most efficient tools.

The thin edge of the Santoku, easily honed to a razor edge with a sharpening steel, is definitely an advantage--the multiple hollow grinds of the graton back are reported to be an advantage, letting slices of food fall away from the blade rather than sticking to it, but are not infallible. The acute grind angle of the edge and the narrow blade itself are the features you'll really notice. You shouldn't run this knife through a cheap hand grinder--use a stone when the edge needs major restoration, and work the edge at a low angle.