Corrugated Kitchen Knife Sets: What the Blade Pattern Does

"Corrugated" kitchen knives, sometimes called hollow-ground, granton edge, or dimpled blades, are knives with small indentations or hollows along the blade flat. The pattern is functional, not just decorative, and it affects specific cutting tasks. Understanding what the corrugated edge actually does helps you decide whether it belongs in your knife set.

What "Corrugated" Means on a Knife Blade

The term corrugated isn't standard industry terminology for knives, it's used loosely to describe a few different blade patterns that create indentations in the blade flat:

Granton edge (hollow ground): The most common type. Small oval hollows are ground into the blade flat on one or both sides. These hollows don't reach the cutting edge, the edge itself is a standard straight or slightly convex grind. The hollows are in the flat of the blade above the edge.

Kullenschliff (German hollow ground): A specific style of hollow grinding common in German knives. The term is often used interchangeably with granton edge in commercial knife descriptions.

Dimpled or patterned blades: Some knives have a corrugated or waffle pattern on the blade flat that's pressed or stamped into the metal rather than ground. This is more aesthetic than functional compared to true granton edge.

Scalloped or serrated edges: Different from corrugated, these are at the cutting edge itself, not on the blade flat.

What Corrugated Blades Do

The hollows along the blade flat serve one primary purpose: reducing suction and friction between the blade and food during slicing.

When you slice a soft food, salmon, bread, cooked meat, soft cheese, the flat blade surface creates suction against the cut surface. This can cause the food to stick and tear rather than separating cleanly. The hollows create air pockets that break the suction, allowing the slice to fall away from the blade cleanly.

This effect is most noticeable with: - Smoked salmon and raw fish - Cooked roasts and turkey breast - Soft cheese - Bread and baked goods (less relevant since bread knives are serrated) - Hard-boiled eggs

For tasks like chopping vegetables or mincing herbs, where suction isn't the problem, the hollow edge makes no difference to performance.

Types of Knives That Benefit Most

Slicing/carving knives: The most common application. Long slicing knives for carving roasts and salmon almost universally feature granton-edge hollows in professional and high-quality consumer versions. The long slicing stroke on proteins is exactly the context where suction and sticking occur.

Santoku knives: Many santoku designs include granton edge as a standard feature. The santoku's purpose, general all-around Japanese cutting, includes enough slicing work that the hollow edge provides consistent benefit.

Fillet knives: Flexible fillet knives for fish benefit from reduced sticking during the long flat strokes along fish flesh.

Deli/ham slicers: Specialty slicers for deli meats almost always use granton edge for this reason.

Chef's knives: Less universal than on slicers, but many mid-range and premium chef's knives offer granton edge versions for buyers who do significant protein slicing.

Does the Corrugated Pattern Affect Sharpening?

The hollows on granton edge blades are in the flat of the blade, not at the cutting edge. Standard sharpening, whetstone, pull-through sharpener, electric sharpener, works the cutting edge, not the hollow. The hollows don't need to be resharpened and don't wear out in the same way the edge does.

Whetstones and sharpening devices contact the edge bevel, which is below the hollow region on the blade. The hollows persist as long as the blade has metal remaining (which is decades of normal sharpening).

Corrugated Knife Sets

Several brands offer complete knife sets where multiple pieces feature granton-edge hollows:

Henckels International: Their Premio and Forged lines offer santoku and slicing knives with granton edge. Some full sets include multiple hollow-ground pieces.

Victorinox: Their Fibrox Pro slicing knife features granton edge. Available as individual purchase to complement a set.

Cuisinart: Some Cuisinart set configurations include santoku and slicing knives with hollow grounds. The Cuisinart C77SS-15PK 15-Piece Set includes hollow-edge pieces as part of the full configuration.

Global: The Japanese brand uses hollow-ground edges across much of their range, including their full knife sets.

Wusthof: Their Classic Ikon and Grand Prix II lines offer granton-edge versions of chef's knives, santoku, and slicers. Full sets are available with hollow-ground pieces.

What to Look For in a Corrugated Knife Set

True granton edge vs. Cosmetic pattern: The hollows should be ground into the blade flat, not stamped or printed. Ground hollows have a smooth, slightly reflective interior. Pressed patterns are usually shallower and less effective.

Hollow placement: The hollows should sit above the edge bevel on the blade flat. If the hollow extends to the cutting edge, it can create a serrated-like edge that performs differently from a standard hollow ground.

Steel quality: The hollow edge is a feature; the steel determines performance. A granton edge on poor-quality steel doesn't perform better than a plain edge on quality steel.

Configuration: Not every knife needs hollow ground. Paring knives and bread knives (serrated) don't benefit from the feature. A set where the chef's knife, santoku, and slicing knife have granton edge covers the tasks where it matters.

Maintenance Considerations

For corrugated/hollow-edge knives:

Clean the hollows: Food can get trapped in the hollows during heavy use. A soft brush or sponge clears them during washing.

Avoid abrasive cleaners: Harsh abrasive pads can scratch the interior of the hollows and reduce their effectiveness over time, though this requires aggressive scrubbing to cause damage.

Standard sharpening applies: Sharpen the cutting edge normally. The hollows don't affect the sharpening process.

FAQ

Do corrugated blades cut better than plain blades? For specific tasks, slicing soft proteins and cheese, yes. For general kitchen tasks (chopping, mincing), the difference is negligible.

Do all santoku knives have hollow edges? No, but many do. Check the specific knife listing. Hollow-ground santoku is common but not universal.

Can I sharpen a granton edge knife at home? Yes. Use your standard sharpening method on the cutting edge. The hollows in the blade flat don't require special treatment.

Is granton edge good for cutting vegetables? It helps with vegetables that have high water content and tend to stick, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, but the benefit is modest compared to slicing proteins. For hard vegetables like carrots and butternut squash, it makes minimal difference.

Are corrugated knives more expensive? Sometimes, but not always. Many mid-range and premium knives include granton edge as a standard feature without a significant price premium. Budget knives occasionally include cosmetic patterns rather than functional granton edge.

Conclusion

Corrugated or granton-edge kitchen knives provide a genuine functional benefit for slicing tasks where food sticking is a problem: fish, cooked meats, soft cheese, and similar foods release from hollow-ground blades more cleanly than from plain blades. For a kitchen knife set, having the slicing knife and santoku in granton-edge versions covers the most relevant tasks. The hollow pattern requires no special maintenance beyond standard cleaning, and standard sharpening methods work normally on these knives.