Wusthof Epicure Knife Reviews

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Wusthof is undoubtedly one of the best knife-making companies in the world. Its history is dating back to the 19th century when it was founded in Germany. Its headquarter is in Solingen, Germany, the “City of Blades” which is often considered the capital of the knife-making world. Zwilling J.A. Henckels has its headquarter there as well.

The Wusthof Epicure line of knives is one of the company’s premium lines with single knives often costing more than 100 dollars. The philosophy behind the line is supposed to combine the effectivity and lightness of Japanese knives, and the German quality and safety.

All knives in this line are forged from a single piece of X50CrMoV15 steel and hardened to 58 HRC. The whole manufacturing process involves more than 40 different steps.

The knives can be bought either as single pieces or as knife sets.

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Features of the Epicure Line

There are several characteristics that are common for all the knives of the line.

  • Full tang construction – All knives in the line are full tang, meaning they are made of a single piece of steel from the tip of the blade all the way to the back of the handle.
  • Wider blades – The blades are slightly wider than other knives by Wusthof. This provides extra knuckle clearance and in turn, makes the knives a nice choice for people with larger hands.
  • Pronounced curve at the tip – The tip is not as pointy as on other knives, which may be a pro or a con depending on what you prefer.
  • Composite handles – The two-rivet handles are made of resin-impregnated recycled wood.
  • Ceramic coating – All knives have ceramic-coated blades. The coating increases the hardness and protects the steel, and it is translucent – no funky colors here ????
  • Full or half-bolster depending on model

Let’s have a look at the Wusthof Epicure knife reviews now.

Wusthof Epicure Knife Set Reviews

Wusthof Epicure Seven Piece Block Set

Wusthof Epicure Seven Piece Block Set, One Size, Brown, Stainless
  • Translucent ceramic coating on blade surface to increase hardness
  • Handle made of same wood composite found in epicurean cutting boards
  • Precision forged

If you’d love to get an all-in-one solution, getting a knife set with block to hold the knives is a good idea. This way, you are usually also saving some money compared to getting the knives individually. And this applies to the Wusthof Epicure knife sets as well.

This 7-piece set encompasses 4 different knives, kitchen shears, honing steel, and, of course, the wooden block.

Let’s start with the block. The wooden block is made of Acacia wood and it’s pretty much the same block as those that come with other Wusthof knife sets. It has 15 slots. Yet, you are only getting 6 items with the set. This leaves you with 9 free slots, which you can use for other knives.

As mentioned, there 4 Epicure knives included in the set:

  • 8-inch chef’s knife – this is the most important knife of any set
  • 9-inch bread knife – this is a double serrated knife that’s designed specifically for easy bread slicing
  • 5-inch paring knife – this is an all-purpose knife that will help you greatly with smaller kitchen work – such as peeling fruits or vegetables
  • 5-inch serrated knife – this is a utility knife that’s great for example for slicing tomatoes

While the selection of knives is not bad, I would personally add a boning knife and a slicing knife to the set. Unfortunately, there’s no boning knife in the Epicure line.

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Wusthof Epicure Twelve Piece Block Set

Wusthof Epicure Twelve Piece Block Set, One Size, Brown, Stainless
  • Translucent ceramic coating on blade surface to increase hardness
  • Handle made of same wood composite found in epicurean cutting boards
  • Precision forged

If the 7-piece set wasn’t good enough for you, consider looking at the 12-piece set. The set comes with the exact same knives and tools as the 7-piece set. The wooden block is the same as well.

Compared to the smaller set, Wusthof added 5 knives, but only of two types. You will get one 9-inch slicing knife, which I think is an essential knife, and you will also get 4 steak knives. I hear you saying that’s not much for such a huge price increase. And it might be true especially if you are not a fan of steaks. What’s the point of having steak knives when you are vegetarian, right?

On the other hand, if you really would like to have the steak knives, this set still might be a great choice as the 4-piece steak knife set is about 400 bucks alone.

To sum up, with this set, you are getting:

  • 8-inch cook’s knife – the most important knife of any set
  • 9-inch double serrated bread knife – a knife designed primarily for slicing bread
  • 5-inch paring knife – an all-purpose kitchen knife
  • 5-inch serrated knife – a knife that will take care of the pesky tomatoes
  • 9-inch slicing knife – a perfect choice for slicing ham or meat
  • Four steak knives – a set of knives for steak lovers
  • Stainless honing steel – used for the regular knife edge maintenance (not for sharpening)
  • Stainless steel shears – your all-purpose kitchen shears, that can be taken apart for easy cleaning

If you are a fan of Japanese knives, you may consider adding the Epicure Santoku knife to the set. It should still fit into the block as it has 15 slots, which leaves you with four free slots and two of them are the bigger ones.

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Wusthof Epicure Two Piece Prep Set

Wusthof Epicure Two Piece Prep Set, One Size, Brown, Stainless
  • Translucent ceramic coating on blade surface to increase hardness
  • Handle made of same wood composite found in epicurean cutting boards
  • Precision forged

This is a nice starter set of Wusthof Epicure knives that comprises a 6-inch chef’s knife and a 3.5-inch paring knife. These two types of knives are the most used knives in any cook’s kitchen.

As mentioned, the chef’s knife has a 6-inch blade coated with translucent ceramic material. The size might not be ideal for someone preferring longer blades. On the other hand, it may be a great choice for women.

The paring’s knife size is I would say perfect. There’s no need for it to be bigger.

There’s a full bolster on both knives.

Both knives sport the same wood-resin handles which are incredibly smooth. Contrary to what you may think, they do not tend to slip from your hand.

All-in-all, a perfect choice for all the chefs out there. However, the price may well scare someone away.

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Best Wusthof Epicure Knives

Wusthof 3982-7/20 Epicure Cook’s Knife, 8 Inch

Wusthof Epicure Cook's Knife, 8 Inch
  • Translucent ceramic coating on blade surface to incease hardness
  • Handle made of same wood composite found in Epicurean cutting boards
  • Precision forged

Every chef needs a good trusty chef knife. The Wusthof Epicure 8-inch chef’s knife is an excellent choice for those looking for a bigger chef’s knife. If you’d like to buy all the Epicure knives but don’t want to dish out so much money at once, the chef’s or the Santoku knife is the best first knife to get.

With its smooth resin-impregnated wooden handle, the knife feels very well in one’s hand.

If you feel the 8-inch blade is way too long for you, don’t worry. There’s also a 6-inch version of this knife available. And it is a bit cheaper as well.

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Wusthof Epicure Santoku, Hollow Edge

Wusthof Epicure Santoku, Hollow Edge, One Size, Brown, Stainless
  • Translucent ceramic coating on blade surface to incease hardness
  • Handle made of same wood composite found in Epicurean cutting boards
  • Precision forged

The Epicure Santoku has pretty much all you need from a good Santoku knife. It is a knife designed mainly for chopping vegetables, fruits, and herbs. However, it can also be used as a general-purpose chef’s knife. Just forget about chopping bones, otherwise, you are risking damage to the fin 10-degree edge.

The blade of this Santoku is 7 inches long which is I would say the optimal size. It has the same translucent ceramic coating as the other Epicure line knives and there’s only a half bolster. Also, it has a hollow edge, which prevents food from sticking to the blade as much as on the traditional western chef’s knife.

The handle features two rivets and is made of cellulose fibers impregnated with resin. It feels nice in hand and looks pretty good as well.

All-in-all, this is a fresh take on the traditional Santoku, which works very well as proven by the positive response from the customers.

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Conclusion

Consequently, this is the end of our article dedicated to Wusthof Epicure knife reviews. If you feel the knives are too expensive for you, consider checking out the other Wusthof lines such as the Wusthof Classic or the Wusthof Gourmet. On the other end of the scale, the Wusthof Ikon Blackwood line may be of interest to you.

Last update on 2023-12-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API