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(cont. from Page 1) A Conversation with Harald Wüsthof darken over time, forming a patina on the blade. "When you look at a knife, if you don't know what that is, you could be a little scared," says Wüsthof. "But the better people are informed, the more they know what they're doing, and they know a high carbon knife isn't bad at all." A carbon steel blade requires more upkeep to keep the blade in working order. Now, the extra care required for using a carbon steel blade has become a selling point. With the attitude of knives as an investment, consumers are seeing the appeal of a knife that they know how to take care of. WÜSTHOF now uses a specialized alloy of high-carbon stain-f ree steel to reap the benefits of carbon steel while keeping the aesthetics of a stain-f ree blade. "This ties exactly into that people are more informed, and more task oriented, so they know carbon steel or wooden handles should never go into the dishwasher," says Wüsthof. As knife buyers are learning more about the care and feeding of their knives, more of them are sharpening their blades at home as well. "It's like a car without a tire if you buy a knife without a sharpening device," says Wüsthof. "The sharpening tools change. Ten or 15 years ago, it was mostly the sharpening steel. The stones, the ceramics have picked up. Particularly, the stones have gotten a greater market share." Even with a more informed buyer, the retailer's influence is important in making sure the customer buys the right knife for the job. "They might need the push of an informed sales person to clear up any fuzziness, but they are more informed," says Wüsthof. Just as retailers help customers, Wüsthof feels a responsibility to keep things fair for retailers. "If it comes to collaboration and support to the independent and smaller retailers, I get the impression that we have the same DNA in us, that they're family-owned and family-operated," says Wüsthof. An important part of maintaining those relationships is avoiding direct competition with retailers, as well as careful pricing. "We're a hard believer of keeping prices comparable and stable. If you buy the knife at a retailer or online or a chain, if it's the same knife, it should be the same price. It's the same sharpness, the same steel, the same product. And the consumer gets the same quality." Predicting future trends for cutlery can be difficult due to the lifespan of the products. "You also have to consider that knives are not a fast-moving consumer good like a candy bar. How often does someone by a knife? Every 15 years or so, unless they're a chef," says Wusthof. Still, clear trends have been emerging. "I would say in general that more hand-friendly materials will become more popular: woods or other composite. I think in general it's getting a little warmer materials," says Wüsthof. "Blade shapes like santoku and nakiri are becoming more popular. That's something we react to or sometimes are in the driver's seat. In the past, we had one santoku or nakiri: now we have several different sizes. Since we consider ourselves the experts in the knife industry, we feel almost obligated to go that deep. The consumer needs to have a choice." Having a wide variety of blade styles is beneficial to consumers who are now purchasing more knives for specific jobs. "I also see that people are getting more particular. They have their bread knife that they like to bake with, their santoku for precision; they have their own butchering and boning equipment. It's getting more detail- or task-oriented." says Wüsthof. This specialization is even reflected in the knives Wüsthof uses in his home kitchen. "I have five major blade shapes I like to work with, which is the chef 's knife, the santoku, the double serrated bread knife, which I call the crumb-free bread knife. Then I have a little utility knife. I have also four paring knives – that's the one which is always circling," Wüsthof adds. "It's just handier and easier if you have several of the blade shape." KN THE KNIFE RACK www.kitchenwarenews.com n JUNE 2016 n KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW 1 9 PRONTOPRO KNIFE SHARPENER FROM CHEF'SCHOICE Slicing sandwiches and dicing fresh fruit is much easier with a sharp knife. The Chef'sChoice® Pron- toPro™ manual knife sharpener will keep knives in top shape. The Chef'sChoice ProntoPro Model 4643 is the fastest manual sharpener available for sharp- ening both 15 degree and 20 degree knife edges. This highly styled, top of the line, three-stage man- ual sharpener applies both 15 degree edges for Asian style knives and 20 degree edges for European and American style knives. Using precise angle guides, 100 percent diamond abrasive wheels and Chef'sChoice critically ac- claimed CrissCross™ sharpening technology, it pro- vides a super sharp, double bevel, arch shaped edge with lots of 'bite' to grip and cut food effortlessly. The diamond abrasive wheels sharpen simultane- ously into and out of the edge for a superior, burr- free edge. A separate honing stage polishes the edge for superior performance. The ProntoPro(TM) sharp- ens all quality knives, including straight edge house- hold and kitchen knives, Santoku, sport and pocket knives as well as serrated knives. Engineered and assembled in the U.S.A. Edgecraft Corporation 800.342.3255 www.chefschoice.com

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