My Precious...

Santoku (San-TOE-Koo). noun. A general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. The word santoku loosely translates as 'three good things' or 'three uses', a reference to the knife's multipurpose use with meat, vegetables and seafood. (From Wikipedia)

And it's mine, all mine! My Precioussss...

This was a Christmas gift from my parents. My parents are incredibly cool. Just look at this baby. Look at it:



The sleek, polished dark wood handle. Damascus folded steel. Elegant yet functional blade. And Alton says Shun knives are the sharpest he's ever seen. How can you not fall in love with this knife?

It's not my fault that I tend to covet kitchen gadgets like some girls covet shoes. It all started when I worked at Williams-Sonoma over a summer. They actually teach you a bit about good kitchen equipment, stuff like why 18/10 silverware is a good thing, and why you don't ever want to use knives on glass or porcelain. You've got to believe the hype so you can better sell the product, after all, and a 20% employee discount helped, too.

Yes, My Precious Shun may be somewhat extravagant and unnecessary, but so are Jimmy Choos. And let me tell you from personal experience--I'm talking several knife scars on my left index finger here--a sharp knife makes chopping and slicing easier, and safer. I never really plumbed the depths of my cooking ability until I got my first good knife--a Henckels Professional S--four years ago.

A good knife doesn't have to be an uber-knife like the Shun, but it must keep a sharp edge or you must be willing to have it professionally sharpened at least once a year.

Check archives of Cooks Illustrated or Consumer Reports for recommendations on good buys at a reasonable price.

For the nonce, my lust for elite kitchen gadgets has finally been sated. I started with a Waring Blender, got the Kitchen-Aid stand mixer of my dreams (black with flames painted on the side) and now my precious Shun.

Excuse me. I've got to go chop something.