Wüsthof Classic 4.5-inch Utility Knife

Wüsthof calls this knife a utility knife, and the name fits its job. The Classic 4.5-inch fills the space between a paring knife and a chef’s knife, with a blade long enough to slice a tomato or cut a block of cheese, and narrow enough to trim a pork tenderloin or peel a mango.

Some cooks know this size as a petty knife, the Japanese term for a small all-purpose blade. It is a sensible second knife for a kitchen that already has an 8-inch chef’s knife, since it handles the small jobs that make a big knife feel clumsy. It also trims meat, deveins shrimp, removes small bones from seafood, sections citrus and makes quick work of lunches and snacks. For a cook who wants to keep the collection small, it is a good two-for-one.

Classic is the original Wüsthof line, with the widest variety of shapes and styles. For longer slicing, see the Classic 6-inch utility knife; for a wider blade that also chops herbs and garlic, the Classic 4.5-inch Asian utility knife. The Classic Ikon 4.5-inch utility knife has this length on the contoured Ikon handle. See our Kitchen Knife Shapes guide for more on utility knives.