www.gunterwilhelm.com

Phone: (201) 569-6866
Email:  sales@gunterwilhelm.com

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For the past several months, I have been exclusively using Gunter Wilhelm cutlery for all of my culinary tasks - chopping herbs, mincing garlic, slicing cooked meats, de-boning a leg of lamb and whole chickens - just to name a few tasks that require excellent knives that perform the tasks with ease.

A 10-inch slicing knife with "dimples" carved into it is yet another example of a larger blade in Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery sets to do the task of making thin or thick slices of roasted turkey breast, roast beef, pot roast etc.  There is also a carving fork to hold the food securely on the cutting board while you are slicing it.

The set also includes a 9-inch offset serrated bread knife which is excellent when cutting baguettes or slicing a large boule (BOOL - French for ball) bread or delicate pastries. 

I will admit I was a little shy about using a 10-inch chef's knife as I have always preferred an 8-inch chef's knife.  I am now a convert -  I now use the 10-inch chef's knife most of the time for chopping, mincing and cutting larger fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe and large heads of cabbage into manageable pieces. Gunter Wilhelm blade widths are wider than most other knives on the market - a wider blade gives increased knuckle clearance between you and the sharp blade and your knuckles won't hit the cutting board when chopping.

When I first took out the boning knife I was amazed!  I have never seen a 10-inch blade on a boning/fillet knife as part of a knife set - the other high-end cutlery sets available have a shorter boning knife in the mix - usually a 7-inch blade.  I first used the long boning knife blade to de-bone a whole chicken and found that the additional length of the boning blade made the process much easier.  I found the same to be true when de-boning a leg of lamb. I also found the task of cutting fillets from a large boneless chicken breast and boneless leg of veal for veal cutlets much easier to do with the 10-inch blade.

There are two cleavers included in the set:  a standard meat cleaver heavy enough to cut through bone and an Asian cleaver with a curved blade edge with "dimples" carved into the blade.  I've only used the meat cleaver a few times to cut up bones for making stock and it works extremely well.  The Asian cleaver is also good to use for chopping, mincing and both can be used as tools to flatten boneless chicken breasts or other meat cutlets into paillard (PI-yahrd)  thin slices of meat that are quickly grilled or sautéed. Be sure to put the meat in between sheets of plastic wrap which will protect the meat from being damaged by being flattened with a heavy object such as a cleaver.

The set that I have been using also includes a 7-inch Santoku knife - straight edge blade - with "dimples" carved into both sides of the blade which helps in the release of foods when slicing.  I find myself using both chef's knives with excellent results.

The 3.5-inch paring knife is also an excellent knife - I only wish there were two paring knives in the set- but I can always buy an additional one.  A 4-inch paring knife blade to compliment the 3.5-inch blade would also be on my wish list.  Holding a paring knife in your hands as if the knife were an extension of your hand with the handle in the palm of your hand  and griping the paring knife with thumb and forefinger while peeling fruits and vegetables requires that the knife handle is comfortable to hold.  Gunter Wilhelm handles are extremely comfortable to hold in hand and are made of pakkawood.  Click here for a full explanation about pakkawood.

And there is more....

Gunter Wilhelm cutlery also includes two sharpeners - a traditional "steel" as well as a  Diamond Steel.  There is a DVD included with the set "Knife Skills 101" which will show you the "how-to" of proper knife use, maintenance, and sharpening.

Lastly, the set comes with six steak knives.  All I can say is they are the best steak knives I've ever used.  Not just for steaks, but these knives are great for grilled veal and pork chops too!

Here are a few more reasons in addition to my comments above that should make you want a quality knife set such as this particular knife block set #251:

*Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery is sold directly to the consumer - no retailers.  This allows Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery to provide the highest quality knives at the lowest price without having to pay the "middleman" !  GW knifes are about 50% lower when comparing knife to knife.

*The top edge of the blade is called the spine.  When you hold the knife properly, your index finger contacts the spine during all cutting operations.  Most other knives have a sharp spine and Chefs actually develop calluses in this area as a result.  Gunter Wilhelm smoothes out the corners on the spine so that you don't need a chefs callus to slice and dice comfortably.

*The triple tang (inside the handles) runs through the middle, left and right sides of the handle.  A triple tang gives these knives extremely secure balance since the handle weight equals the blade weight.  The increased steel in the handle also makes the knives more durable.

*Gunter Wilhelm has a lifetime warranty. Forever. Even if it's your fault, it will be replaced for free.  No other knife company offers this kind of warranty.

*The knife block for the steak knives is separate from the main knife block for the rest of the knives and tools.

If you are looking at purchasing a quality knives for your use in the kitchen and have always wanted great steak knives, this is the set for you.

You may not believe the price for all of the above block set Model 251- $499.99.   There is a current "bonus" offer on their website which includes the following with the purchase of the #251 - 19 piece block set:

Free Bonus Items Included

1. Knife Skills DVD
2. V sharpener  
3. 12 x 18' bamboo cutting board

If you're looking to purchase a gift for a student attending culinary school or a travelling chef, there is the perfect set for them:

Gunter Wilhelm Student Chef Set - Model 304 - $299.00

• 8 inch Chef knife
• Asian Cleaver
• Offset bread knife
• Boning knife
• Paring knife
• Diamond sharpening steel
• Nylon 12 pc pocket carry bag.

You don't have to look any further than the website for Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery to purchase one of their sets or the particular sets featured above.

Go to the Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery website and see all of the products offered (pots and pans and bamboo cutting boards too). 

You'll be glad you did!

Knife Tips:

1.  Wash and dry thoroughly after use.

2.  Don't put quality knives in the dishwasher if you want them to remain quality knives.

3.  Use the sharpening steel after each use to keep the knife blade as sharp as possible. Draw the blade from tip to heel (the point where the knife blade meets the handle) along the sharpening steel as Gunter Wilhelm knives are sharpened up to the heel on all knives.