
Why the Wusthof Classic Chef's Knife is my last chef's knife
A cookbook author has been slicing and dicing with this essential chef's knife for nearly 15 years. Here's why this top-rated knife is worth the investment.




IN THIS ARTICLE Wusthof Chef’s Knife: The Specs | How to care for and maintain your kitchen knife | Other knives to consider
The Wusthof Classic 8-inch chef’s knife is often praised for its durability. Nearly 1,000 reviewers on Amazon have left it a 4.8 average rating.
A good knife is an investment of your money and time — with a little bit of care it can last you for years, if not decades. For starters:
If you’re storing the kitchen knife in a drawer, spring for a blade guard. The inexpensive plastic sheaths help protect the edge of the blade. A blade guard also makes me feel better when I ask my kids to take a knife out of the drawer or bring a knife with me for prep before a party at someone else’s house.
A key part of using knives is making sure they are — and remain — sharp. You can tell a knife is dull when it begins to smash tomatoes rather than cut cleanly through the skin. You can also feel (carefully) the edge to see if it feels rounded or dull. A ceramic rod knife sharpener will help you hone your knife, smoothing out the small dings or notches that can occur when you’re using it a lot. When it comes time to sharpen your knife, search for a local culinary center or knife sharpening shop where you live. If you want to sharpen your own knives, opt for an electric knife sharpener.
While you can do everything with a chef’s knife, it doesn’t mean you have to do everything with a chef’s knife. A solid serrated knife is good for slicing bread and citrus because of the teeth along the knife’s edge. The smaller paring knife is great for mincing garlic (or potentially plucking garlic cloves out of a bulb) or trimming vegetables. Adding a serrated knife and paring knife to a chef’s knife could round out the starter set for your kitchen.
Pastry chef Megan Garrelts, co-author of “Made In America,” calls this her “favorite pastry knife,” and uses it to chop chocolate and frozen cookie dough.
A bit heavier than other paring knives with a slightly longer wooden handle, the heft and sharpness of the Mac Knife makes it a sturdy utilitarian knife.
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