If you’re lucky enough to have dined at Joy in Fortitude Valley’s Bakery Lane, you may have gawked at chef-owner Sarah Baldwin’s knives.

Made in Japan from a now patinated carbon steel, they’re part tool, part work of art, feather-light and frightfully sharp.

They have sentimental value for Baldwin, too, having been gifted to her by ex-husband and former business partner Tim Scott (the owner of Exhibition in Brisbane’s CBD), who remains a close friend.

“Tim got them from Japan, but not the whole set,” Baldwin says. “We went back to Japan together and finished the set – found the guy who sold Tim the knives in a little fish market. I couldn’t even tell you the brand they are.”

But if Baldwin could have just one knife in her kitchen, it wouldn’t be one of these Japanese numbers, she says – not in her home kitchen, at least.

“When I’m at home, I’m always cooking with people. And people know chefs are precious with knives.

“If somebody wants to help you and you’re like, ‘Oh, here’s this huge Japanese knife that’s really light and sharp,’ it just doesn’t feel comfortable for anyone.”

Instead, she hands them a 16-centimetre Wüsthof Classic Ikon Crème cook’s knife. The Wüsthof is no cheapie, setting you back as much as $329 at retail (although it can be found on special for under $200), but it’s durable and strong, and you can simply pop it back in the top drawer when you’re done cleaning up.

Baldwin first starting using Wüsthof knives as an apprentice in her early 20s after she noticed they were a favourite of Gordon Ramsay.

“When I was a tiny baby chef, that registered,” she says. “Everyone else in the kitchen I was working at had Global knives. And I looked at them and thought, ‘They don’t seem feminine enough. They don’t seem special enough.’

“I liked the weight of German knives when I was younger. They’re heavier than Japanese knives and they’re balanced differently. They’re made from tougher steel but once you have that edge on them, they stay sharp for longer.”

Baldwin says that, as with a lot of kitchen equipment, it’s easy for the home cook to get carried away with knives.

“It’s one of the joys of being a chef or a dedicated home cook,” she says. “If you really get into the world of knives, there are so many out there. And it’s a little treat, saving up all your money for one and buying it. And when you get it into the kitchen and it’s really sharp and new, it feels great.”

Not that the Wüsthof is indestructible, Baldwin says.

That old rule of never putting it in the dishwasher still applies, although a spin or two probably won’t hurt. And she recommends getting it sharpened professionally until you’re comfortable doing it yourself (hot tip: practice on something you don’t mind ruining).

Otherwise, the Wüsthof is a classic cook’s knife that can be used for everything from filleting fish and trimming red meat to chopping root vegetables and slicing leafy greens.

Baldwin’s is 16 centimetres in size with a cream handle, but it’s available in black and she says if it’s to be your one and only, consider scaling up to the 20- or 23-centimetre models.

And as your dexterity improves, sure, you can think about going for a lighter knife.

“[At work] I transitioned to a collaboration knife that matched German and Japanese steel, which was a little bit lighter and felt nice,” Baldwin says. “And then I transitioned to the full Japanese knives, which were lighter again.”

Wüsthof Classic Ikon Crème cook’s knife 16cm, wusthof.com.au

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