Spork and Knife

Whether you whip up something homemade every night or every few months, there is one thing that every kitchen needs.  Yes, NEEDS is the key word. 

When I first moved out on my own and began cooking I noticed something.  It took me forever (I’m talking 5-7 minutes) to chop a simple onion and I had one too many close calls with my knife blade and fingertips.  Always the one to get to the bottom of a problem, I figured a new knife (one that was not 10 years old and had the sharpness of a dull butter knife) could solve my woes. 

After reading a few million articles on knives I settled on the notion that with my measly budget (Thank you Washington D.C. and your insanely high cost of living) I could afford one good knife, so I’d have to get one that was all-purpose, or as close to all-purpose as I could get.  This realization narrowed my search to a good Chef’s/Cook’s knife.

Long story short:  I bought a knife at Rodman’s Discount Gourmet for about $40 and happily chopped away for about a month. (The name and make of the knife are irrelevant, and you will soon see why.)  Cut to 10:30pm at night and some friends and I are frantically trying to find a shovel or anything that will dig a hole in the backyard to bury my pet guinea pig (Don’t ask, it was a weak moment in college…but I did love that little guy.  R.I.P. Eisenhower).  Unbenownst to me, a well meaning friend who isn’t into cooking or cooking products grabbed my new knife and began trying to cut a hole into the ground.  Imagine the look on my face as I walked into the back yard.  A pet and knife gone in one night.  

From lemons comes lemonade because my family got such a kick out of the story they bought me a new knife as a Christmas present, a Wusthof 8-inch Classic Cook’s knife.  My other knife couldn’t hold a candle to this new kitchen wonder.  I was now a chopping machine. 

What I learned throughout this whole process is that every kitchen needs one good knife, and if you’re only going to pick one, make it a Chef’s knife (Wusthof calls it a Cook’s knife).  You’ll need an 8-inch, and this will run you between $75-$90.  Don’t go cheap here.  Sometimes you’ve just got to invest.  There are a ton of quality knives out there, and in the end, what matters is how the knife feels in your hands.  Go to a kitchen store that sells knives and test things out for yourself.  (I personally love my Wusthof.)

Storing tips:  Since you’re only buying one knife, the store should give you a metal holder.  Always keep your knife in the holder, and before putting it back make sure it’s dry.  Never, never, never put your knife in the dishwasher.  This is a sin.  It takes a few minutes to hand wash something that could be ruined if you take the easy/dishwasher way out.   

 So whether you cook once a day or once a month, a good knife is a staple that every kitchen should have.  Happy knife shopping, and trust me….you’ll notice a big difference.