Hey everyone David C Andersen here
coming at you from the KnifeCenter
kitchen and today we're taking a look
at the Wusthof Epicure line of
kitchen knives. Let's check them out.
So by now you're probably used to seeing
Wusthof knives with classic black
riveted handles but these knives are
definitely a step above. The handles are
still a full tang riveted design but
instead of black plastic these are
actually made from recycled wood
material. In fact this is the same
material that Epicurean uses for their
cutting boards. What that means for you
is that there's a definite upgrade not
just in the feel but the performance as
well. Because this material is very
similar to paper micarta it feels very
natural in the hand and when it gets wet
it actually starts to feel a little bit
grippier even than when it's dry. But
Wisthof didn't just slap on these
scales and call it a day. They've
actually completely redesigned the way
their handles function. In terms of a
production kitchen knife the handles are
among the best I've ever felt extremely
comfortable and very well balanced. What
sets these handles apart from the flat
black contemporaries is the way they've
contoured it. For one thing there's a
nice swell from the top view and it
curves over very nicely over the bottom
like most German cooking knives out
there. This is a full tang design with an
integrated bolster but the handle
material actually wraps around the front
of the tang
making it a completely uninterrupted
surface here that feels nice and smooth
and very comfortable. I also like the way
they've radiused around this area in the
bolster here. Creates a very nice area to
choke up and do your pinch grips and
even when you're bearing down on a cut
there's nothing sticking out to catch
your finger or cause any kind of
hotspots. That's a detail you just
don't usually see on the less expensive
kitchen knives. Moving on to the blade
you can see this is a very classic
chef's knife pattern but you can also
get this in all your other kitchen
staples including paring and bread
knives, utility knives, steak knives and
more. Where these knives differ from a
lot of their German contemporaries and
actually take a little bit of
inspiration from the Asian counterparts
is with the edge bevel itself. The edges
are actually sharpen to a fourteen
degree bevel which is a little bit
steeper than the traditional German
knives making these cut even better
furthermore Wisthoff has actually
treated these with a clear ceramic
coating on the blades as well. This is
going to do a couple of things
even though this is a stainless steel
that is gonna help boost its corrosion
resistance a little bit more it's also
going to help protect it from scratches
as well as making food glide off it even
easier. while you can certainly buy these
knives individually you can also get a
very nice block set that comes with
everything you need right out of the box
and they've actually gone a step further
with the materials on this block by
upgrading it to acacia wood which has a
much warmer feel than your traditional
blonde colored block. It actually
complements the handles of these knives
very well. The block even comes with a
few extra slots so you can put some of
your existing knives in there as well as
some steak knife slots which comes in
handy because there is nice set of
Epicure steak knives in this series.
Moving on to one of the smaller knives
this is the paring knife that you can
get and none of that magic in the
handle has been lost in the transition
to the smaller size. This is extremely
comfortable, it indexes very well in the
hand and no matter what position you
hold this in it is extremely comfortable.
So overall these Epicure knives from
Wustof are really a nice upgrade in
their lineup and one thing you may want
to keep in mind is there actually
eco-conscious in a way some of their
other knives aren't. Acacia is actually a
very fast growing hardwood so their use
of that wood in the block is a great
choice and that eco-friendly material
they use in the handles is sustainable
in a way that the black plastic ones
simply can't be. If you want to get your
hands on any of these knives click the
link in the description below to head
over to knifecenter.com.
