Wüsthof Classic 3-Piece Gourmet Knife Set
Wüsthof Classic 3-Piece Gourmet Knife Set
The 8-inch cook’s knife, an essential kitchen tool, is the centerpiece of this useful collection. It performs a wide variety of cutting tasks, from fine chopping to dicing and slicing. The relatively small size and sharp point of the set’s paring knife make it ideal for handheld and other small or intricate cutting chores, such as vegetable peeling or mincing small quantities of herbs. The thin, narrow blade of the 6-inch sandwich knife plus its flared tip make it best for slicing sandwiches, meat, and fruit. A knife collection in itself, the set also makes a fine start for the cutlery collector.
Part of the Classic series, these knives represents two centuries of unexcelled Wüsthof craftsmanship. Like other cutlery in the series, they’re hand-forged from a single piece of stainless steel for maximum strength; the hand-polished blades are exactingly calibrated to be hard enough to resist dulling yet soft enough to take a keen edge when they’re honed or sharpened. Dishwasher-safe and with traditionally shaped, ergonomically designed handles that are triple-riveted for durability, this set bring a guaranteed lifetime of low-maintenance cutting to its owners
Wüsthof Classic 3-Piece Gourmet Knife Set Review
Wusthof makes the best knife blades in the business, and in my opinion the best quality knives. Cheaper knives generally dull more quickly, and some never get truly sharp at all. Wusthof knives, in contrast, get clean, exact cuts every time, and are a joy to use.
The “Wusthof Classic” style of this set, with the three rivets attaching the black composite handle pieces to the full length tang of the blade, used to be the only style of handle Wusthof made. Wusthof now makes several other styles, including the slightly less expensive “Grand Prix” line with a molded handle, and the much more expensive “Culinar” line with stainless steel handles. If you have money to burn, you might want to look at the Culinar line, but for most people, the Wusthof Classic knives are likely the best tradeoff between money and quality.
The three knives in this set are the ideal knives for a brand new cook with no existing kitchen equipment. The chef’s knife and the paring knife are needed in any well equipped kitchen; the “sandwich knife” is a compromise that can substitute, albeit imperfectly, for any of three or four other special purpose knives.
Amazon currently lists the Wusthof classic chef’s knife in six different sizes; the 8″ blade size is one of the sizes I own, and it works well for almost any cutting task in the kitchen. There are times when it feels like a larger size might work even better, such as when dealing with a large roast or turkey, but the 8″ always seems to be sufficient in the end; there really aren’t any times when I want a smaller chef’s knife for general purpose use.
Paring - for example, peeling potatoes - is more of a special purpose task, for which a specialized knife is really superior. The 3.5″ blade length in this set may seem short, but it’s short for a reason. Often while one is using the paring knife in one hand, one is holding the object being cut in the other. The short blade length makes it easier to avoid stabbing oneself while maneuvering both the knife and the object.
The 6″ knife is a little different. Unlike the other two knives in this set, the 6″ knife is really only perfect for a very limited set of tasks. Its strength is that it can substitute, if a bit imperfectly, for a variety of other knives that may be missing from the kitchen of a brand new cook. For example, it can be used for utility tasks that require more than the 3.5″ blade length of the paring knife - which is to say, most utility tasks - if the cook doesn’t already have a 4″ or 4.5″ utility knife. It can also be used, in a pinch, when what the cook really wants is a second chef’s knife - for example, to cut fresh vegetables for a salad when it wouldn’t be hygienic to reuse the big chef’s knife that was just used on raw meat. The 6″ knife won’t be perfect for these tasks, but it will work, and will be much better than no knife at all.
As the new cook collects more knives, the 6″ knife will likely be used less and less. It won’t ever become completely unused - I just used mine this evening, despite having half a dozen other Wusthof knives to choose from, because the 6″ length is perfect for slicing a tenderloin roast - but eventually it will become one of the lesser used pieces in the set.
That may make the 6″ knife less than cost effective for a cook that already has an established set of kitchen tools. For such a cook, one of the other sets might be better - perhaps the two piece “starter” set with the chef’s knife and the paring knife, along with perhaps a Wusthof sharpening steel. For a brand new cook with no kitchen equipment, though, this three piece set is close to perfect, and it is the set I started my Wusthof collection with, 20 years ago.