Why Every Kitchen Needs a Chef's Knife
What is a Chef's Knife?
A chef’s knife can handle many tasks in the kitchen such as chopping, slicing, mincing and dicing. They often have a broad blade that can tackle most ingredients with a distinctive curved edge designed for chopping ease.
In the words of WÜSTHOF, the chef’s knife is the ‘hero of your kitchen,’ for its versatility in food preparation and kitchen tasks – it will be the most used tool for any chef or home cook. WÜSTHOF offer a range of chef’s knives from their Classic series, varying in length to suit the precision of your cooking and type of prep work you carry out most frequently in your kitchen.
Why Choose a Chef's Knife From WÜSTHOF?
Every kitchen should have a chef's knife, even if it is the only knife in your collection. As WÜSTHOF highlight, it truly is a hero tool that ensures high performance cooking and high-quality results. So much so that WÜSTHOF knives are the chosen tools for our cookery school and feature in our Knife Skill classes. Chelsea from our cookery school says, "When kitting out the cookery school we knew that the knives we chose would play such an intrinsic and important role in the quality of the classes and the experience of our students. Known for their durability, heritage and premium quality, we find with good care, even with daily use, the knives are reliable and perform to an excellent standard.”
WÜSTHOF are a German knife brand that forge their knives from 100% German steel. German knives are renowned for their high-carbon content making them durable and corrosion-resistant. Their ergonomic designs have balanced handles, ensuring they fit perfectly in your hand. Each WÜSTHOF blade is tempered to a 58 Rockwell hardness which ensures strength and durability. You will get a lifetime out of your knife when cared for properly, ensuring you handwash your blade and keep it sharpened.
Components of a Chef's Knife
A chef’s knife should be your go-to tool in the kitchen. Its three main components are what make it such a trusted and versatile piece of equipment. At our cookery school, we use the WÜSTHOF Chef’s Knife across all classes, as it is a knife that both beginners and experienced cooks can use with confidence and ease.
The Blade:
The blade’s broad surface provides both depth and versatility, allowing you to comfortably rest your knuckles against it for greater control while slicing and dicing. Its wider face also makes practical tasks effortless, from scooping prepared ingredients from one surface to another or to crush garlic cloves. It is an indispensable time-saver in any kitchen.
Regardless of the blade size, a chef's knife is designed to be your sous chef in the kitchen, and a fantastic multitasker, perfect for everything from chopping herbs finely to cutting into a squash or jointing a chicken. Chelsea advises that, “Confident cooks may want to opt for the 20cm or 23cm blade, while we find that beginners and those starting out with knife skills tend to choose the 18cm blade as it’s a little less intimidating, and fits nicely into smaller hands.”
The Edge:
The edge of the WÜSTHOF chef’s knife is what truly sets it apart from others on the market. At the base of the blade lies the cutting edge which showcases WÜSTHOF innovative Precision Edge Technology (PTEC). Using computer-controlled robotics, each knife is ground to an exact 14.5 degrees on each side, resulting in flawless symmetry and exceptional sharpness. The outcome is an effortlessly smooth, precise cut every time. To preserve this level of performance, it’s essential to maintain the blade by sharpening it correctly and regularly.
The Spine and Handle:
The final element that makes WÜSTHOF knives exceptionally reliable—and an indispensable tool in the kitchen—is the thoughtful construction of the spine. The bolster, the thick section of steel between the handle and the blade, adds essential weight and balance, allowing the knife to feel like a natural extension of your hand.
Running through the spine is a solid piece of steel known as the full tang, which delivers outstanding strength and long-term stability. The handle of the knife is secured with 3 rivets and made from a durable POM, crafted for lasting comfort. Additionally, at the back of the handle, a hand guard provides protection that helps prevent slipping, meaning the user has confidence with every cut.
Our Recommended WÜSTHOF Chef's Knives:
WÜSTHOF Classic 20cm Chef’s Knife
WÜSTHOF Classic 18cm Chef’s Knife
WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon 20cm Chef’s Knife
WÜSTHOF Classic 20cm Granton-Edged Chef’s Knife
Or alternatively, book in at one of our knife skill classes to become more kitchen confident: Knife Skills Masterclass