Toys

Sweeeeeeet! Based on Anthonly Bourdain's praise of it in his book, Kitchen Confidential I went to the store to pick up a new toy. They didn't have any veg for test cutting but they have a cutting board and you can get a feel for the thing. At first glance it seems like little more than a short bread knife and the balance is a bit odd with more weight than I'd expect in the handle. On second glance, too. I was wondering if I was about to shell out €50 (after professional discount) for something I didn't need; Wüsthof calls it a "deli knife" and their own description only describes bread and sandwiches.

Here's what Bourdain had to say about it:

A genuinely useful blade, however, and one that is increasingly popular with my cronies in the field, is what's called an offset serrated knife. It's basically a serrated knife set into an ergonomic handle; it looks like a 'Z' that's been pulled out and elongated. This is a truly cool item which, once used, becomes indispensable. As the handle is not flush with the blade, but raised away from the cutting surface, you can use it not only for your traditional serrated blade needs-like slicing bread, thick-skinned tomatoes and so on-but on your full line of vegetables, spuds, meat and even fish. My sous-chef uses his for just about everything.

Wicked sharp with a scalloped blade it's certainly most excellent for tomatoes. I'm not sure how I feel about it for potatoes which I normally cut with a santoku. I'll give it a couple weeks and see how things go.

With a serrated edge this thing can't be sharpened at home. It cost me €7.50 to get a new edge put on my santoku after someone dumped it into a drawer full of unsecured steel things. Actually it cost me €15 because the store double-charged me and I couldn#t find the original receipt -- they're out of business now. I don't know whether this blade can be sharpened even by a pro but with care it should last a few years, after which I'll wrap it up and send it to Solingen with a pretty-please letter on restaurant letterhead. It's worth a shot.

Oddly, on the cardboard sheath is printed standard instructions for sharpening the balde which would be applicable to a normal flat blade but which are impossible for a rounded, scalloped blade, both steeling it and sharpening it against a stone: After extended use the blade may be easily resharpened on a WÜSTHOF steel. Simply hold the blade at a 20 degree angle and draw down and across each side of the steel.

Umm... no.