Tomato Tea Sandwiches - and Wusthof Classic Serrated Utility Knife Review and Giveaway

Tomato sandwiches are one of the highlights of summer for me. Tomatoes, vine-ripened on an organic farm or backyard garden, on homemade white bread. With nothing but a bit of mayonnaise, salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Yes, I love whole grain bread and sourdough, but their flavors might be too strong for what I call my Purist's Tomato Sandwich. 

But today I was in the mood for tea sandwiches. Let's face it, when am I not in the mood for tea sandwiches! That calls for softened unsalted butter spread lightly on thin white bread, followed by a thin layer of mayonnaise. Whatever else might go into them--in this case, fresh basil and thinly sliced avocado--the tomatoes must be sliced paper thin.

As you know, that can be a bit of a problem. But I have the answer. The WÜSTHOF Classic 5-Inch Serrated Utility Knife - 4110 /14 cm. WÜSTHOF, being a German company, calls it a sausage knife in Germany. And it is perfect for slicing sausages, but since I don't slice a lot of sausages I prefer the other name.

I first heard of utility knives in one of those "pro chef names his five favorite kitchen tools" articles. At first I thought, I don't need one of those since I have great chef knives, paring knife, bread knife. Then I remembered all those times I was doing a cutting job too big for a paring knife and too small for even my smallest chef knife and so just grabbed an entirely inadequate steak knife.

So I was thrilled when WÜSTHOF sent me the serrated utility knife for review. Just in time for Tomato Season. And it is the perfect knife for cutting tea sandwiches. Tea sandwiches must be cut very cleanly; ragged edges are simply not the done thing. A knife this sharp makes quick work of cutting the dozens of sandwiches needed for an afternoon tea party.

Like all WÜSTHOF Classic knives, it has an extremely sharp blade with exceptionally long edge retention. And the handle just feels "right" in my hand. This knife is going to get a lot of use in my kitchen and out--it is my new, best ever, picnic knife! 

And they're going to send one to one of you! See entry details below. Please leave a comment for me about tea sandwiches, knives or whatever this post brought to mind.

Update 05/19/16: The giveaway is now closed; winner announced in comment section.

Update 12/07/16: For how to throw an afternoon tea party and a roundup of afternoon tea recipes, see Afternoon Tea Party Tips.

Tomato Tea Sandwiches 

White bread, thinly sliced
Softened unsalted butter
Mayonnaise
Salt
Coarsely ground pepper
Perfectly ripe tomatoes, very thinly sliced
Optional: Fresh basil leaves, peeled and very thinly sliced avocado, shredded cheese, crumbled crisp bacon

1 Cut tomatoes in half vertically. Unless they are quite small, you might want to cut each half in half vertically again. With a very sharp knife (I use the Wusthof Classic 5-Inch Utility Knife), slice the tomatoes horizontally as thinly as possible. Lay the slices on a layer of paper towels or an impeccably clean kitchen towel to prevent having soggy sandwiches. 

2 Spread a very thin layer of very soft butter (never margarine) on each slice of bread, and then spread on a very thin layer of mayonnaise. Place a single layer of tomato on each of the bottom bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. Trim off crusts and cut each sandwich into fingers or triangles, arranging on a plate in about three layers. 

3 Lay a good-quality white paper towel on top of the sandwiches. Wet and wring out well another paper towel; lay the damp paper towel on top of the dry paper towel. Never place the damp paper towel directly on top of the sandwiches or they will become soggy. Wrap rather snugly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least an hour or up to several hours. This will make your sandwiches “hold together” and keep them from drying out. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.

WÜSTHOF Giveaway

One winner will receive a WÜSTHOF Classic 5-Inch Serrated Utility Knife 4110/14cm from WÜSTHOF. All US residents (Sorry, international friends!) who leave a comment about knives (one entry per person - and please include your email address in the body of your comment) on this post before 11:59 pm Eastern time Wednesday May 18 will be put into a random drawing. Winner will be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday May 26. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by 11:59 am Eastern time Sunday May 29, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline).

Buy It Now WÜSTHOF knives, including the Wusthof Classic 5-Inch Serrated Utility Knife, are available on Amazon.

Disclosure: WÜSTHOF provided a knife for review purposes and for the giveaway. I received no compensation. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!