At the beginning of every cooking class I teach at my cooking studio, The Village Cooks, I discuss the importance of working with quality equipment in the kitchen. I emphasize that cooking becomes more of a challenge without excellent kitchenware and that the enjoyment of cooking & baking dissolves, which in turn can dishearten even the most enthused cook.
At the top of my “must have in the kitchen” list is a proficient chefs or cooks knife. By proficient, I mean, an excellent blade with shape & sharpness, comfortable weight, handles well to hold, and cuts perfectly every time.
In my household, with two chefs (my husband, Ben was trained as a classical French cuisine chef and worked in the industry for over 20 years, and I as a pastry chef and eager Italian cook), we value our knives, in particular our chef/cook knives which we use without fail every day. They truly make our life in the kitchen easier and more pleasurable!
Over many years we had sampled and tested countless knives, yet we had unanimously agreed upon employing the wonderful Japanese knives known as Shun. They have been very loyal and reliable servants, however, there has been a new contender on the market; Wusthof Epicure Cooks Knife 20cm from Germany. I was a little apprehensive at first to put down my Shun and try this new Wusthof, but what a beautiful knife it is! Both Ben and I used it, so now let me share with you how we got on working with the Wusthof.
- Both Ben and I found the knife to be very comfortable to hold. We both found the handle to be wide enough to grip easily and felt it contoured to our hands.
- Due to the comfortable grip, we found it very easy to use and its sharpness was second to none. The shape of the blade (unique curve) allowed efficient and quick gliding in chopping a variety of vegetables. It felt very natural.
- It was a good weight – not too light, not too heavy – it was just right. In addition, this made it very comfortable again to use.
- Due to the shape and comfortability of this knife, we both felt our speed increased, making for efficiency in time to chop up a lot of vegetables for dinner.
With a new fondness, I decided to do a little more research on the Wusthof. I discovered a few things I wish to add that fortify my affections for this new knife;
- The knife is a single unit consisting of blade, bolster and shank made of one piece of high alloy. The excellent qualities of the steel make a significant contribution to the sharpness and long service life.
- A special feature of the Wusthof Epicure series is the material used for the grip – made of natural fibers and resin. It offers the pleasing feel of wood and is as sturdy and hygienic as synthetic alternatives.
- Wusthof is a family-owned company founded in 1814 and is now led by the seventh generation. Call me sentimental, but this makes this knife a little bit more special to me. I love when a family takes something like knives and carries this passion for quality over many generations.
Overall, this knife is worth every penny and would be a welcome addition to any kitchen family. Overtime, your knife skills will definitely improve as you will have a quality knife that will aid in leading the way. Its handle, weight, shape, sharpness, will assist in a comfortable knife to work with and will become your trusty right- hand man!
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