My husband and I have a ritual, and it goes like this: Two or three times a week I need to cut up something rather sturdy while I’m cooking dinner, and I take the biggest knife we have and start slamming it into sweet potatoes (where the knife promptly slices only halfway through and gets stuck) or what have you and complaining (loudly) about how our knives aren’t strong enough or sharp enough. And then he tells me I’m welcome to buy a nice Santoku knife, and I retort that they’re too expensive, and then a couple of days later we do the same thing again.
(He is a lucky, lucky man, I tell you.)
So today I was looking at the Shun steel cutlery collection on Amazon and thinking, huh, the prices seem lower than I remember. I may get my new knife, finally.
Of course, then I’ll have to find something else to complain about, but I think I can manage that.
Having a good knife sharpener makes a difference! I can definitely tell when my trusty Henkels chef’s knife needs to be sharpened, and then after I sharpen it, it can slice through root vegetables and turkey carcasses with ease. I do love the sharpener I’ve got (this one, or similar: http://www.cookware.com/asp/superbrowse.asp?clid=980&caid=&sku=CCE1117&refid=AC75-CCE1117) but it was a wedding present, so I had no idea until now that it cost upwards of $150! On the other hand, I’ve been married almost 10 years, and the thing is still going strong. Is it too late for you to register for one, Mir?
Chances are your local fabric store offers knife and scissors sharpening. You’ll probably have to live without your knife for a week while they send it out but it’s the cheapest option.
Oh you’re already cutting edge, baby.
I had a Pampered Chef party during the month that the host special was 60% of certain knives. I got the 5 inch santoku knife for $20 and its the best knife I own. Always an option…
I have fancy, good knives that I registered for which are sufficient, but I recently heard about ceramic knives and how wonderful they cut (and how unsharp they seem). I took the plunge and bought one (about $30) from Amazon (I think the brand was Kyocera) and it is AMAZING. Seriously, I’d buy 10 of them if they weren’t so expensive. It cuts veggies and meat with ease– and I bought the five inch paring knife! Highly recommend…
Love my ceramic knives, but they are SHARP – be very careful around them. You won’t realize you’ve slashed yourself until it’s waaaaaay too late.
And my santoku? Pink puffy heart love it!
Perhaps about the cost of getting stitched up these days? 🙂 (KIDDING!…I hope.)
We finally broke down and ordered a set of knives from Chicago Cutlery last year. Best investment in cooking we’ve ever made! The knives cut through everything I’ve tried them on so far. And I just love wielding that massive butcher knife! Does that make me psychotic?
I have Shuns. They’re wonderful. Especially if you remember to get them professionally sharpened (and preferably by someone who knows what they’re doing, not the part-timer at Sur la Table or other mall store). Not only do they help me cut sweet potatoes, they also speed up my cooking preparation. Think of it as buying time.
My husband actually got lured into a Ronco infomercial one day and I swear those are the best knives I have ever owned.