My first kitchen was thoughtfully stocked with the cookware found in my hope chest (which I cracked open the moment I moved in to my first apartment) and ingeniously supplemented with garage-sale finds (hmm…no mortar and pestle…that’s okay. I’ll use this ball-peen hammer and a sturdy wooden salad bowl instead). Over the years I’ve been grateful for the excellent gear my hope chest gave up, but I’ve slowly been replacing the worn and makeshift garage-sale finds.
My most recent upgrade is from the steak knife I bought in the pasta aisle of the supermarket 12 years ago, which has cut every yam and tomato in every recipe since then, to my beautiful and elegant new santoku knife. It’s a dream: the blade is sharp and thin, the handle secure and comfortable to hold. Maybe the best thing is that I no longer have to bring whatever I’m cutting the the counter’s edge to avoid rapping my knuckles again and again. Here’s my lovely knife (isn’t it sharp?):
And here’s a short video tutorial on the proper handling of and best uses for a santoku knife:
