An Early Christmas Present…

Remember back in the beginning posts, I mentioned how I have a list of kitchen items I long for and my husband checks off one or two at Christmas?

He just checked off a BIG one. One that I’ve drooled after for 2-3 years now.

Knives.

I’m that person who will rewind any cooking or baking show to look closely at how a knife drops through food smoothly. I’ll pause on that perfect frame showcasing the knife’s brand and type. I’ll stop the show completely and research that type of knife. I wear knife earrings:

I like kitchen knives, is what I’m saying. I like them a lot.

Years ago, when I was first getting into cooking, my husband bought me a nice set of knives. Chicago Cutlery was a nice few steps up to the second hand, cheapo knives I had used prior. They served me well and gave me confidence. They’re a great set for a home cook that has a lot to learn. But I’ve outgrown them. While I’ve never told my husband I wanted to change my knife set, I think my casual obsession over which knife is better and what country my dream knife came from made it a little apparent that, at some point in the future, I’d like a set of professional knives. What can I say? I’m an easy read.

Cue: Black Friday. Marked down prices. Free shipping. Williams-Sonoma luring us in through ads all over our computers.

The end result? This 26 piece beauty.

I toiled over which knife brand I wanted, searching Germany and Japanese lists thoroughly, checking respected chef’s opinions. I had a list of maybe’s for over a year. Wusthof Classic is what won out for me in the end. It checked off all the things I wanted, had none that I didn’t.

And I love it! Each knife, slowly unsheathed, gleamed in the mixture of Christmas lights surrounding us. You could hear how sharp they were as they were taken out of their individual package. It was like holding small (and not so small – that 10-inch cook’s knife is no joke!) swords in my hand. They were a thing of beauty, unlike anything I had seen before.

Welcome, friends!

The only downside was getting a 26 piece block set and having no instructions on where each knife goes. It was a bit of a puzzle, taking each one out and seeing where they belong, as many of the knives are close in size, but some a little thicker or just a little longer.

We tore open the William-Sonoma box around midnight. We savored taking out each knife, admiring it, reading about it, and finding its place in the block. By 1:30 AM, we had finished and moved them into the kitchen. Taking my old knife block away, I reorganized my butcher’s table to fit the extra wide new set of knives, my big Boos cutting board and my large fruit bowl that matches the acacia wood of my block. Once in its place, we got out sandwich supplies to put the knives to a simple test. (Mostly, I couldn’t wait to use that tomato knife! Such perfect timing, when I rediscovered my love of tomatoes just last week with Thomas Keller’s sauce vierge!)

The knife fell through the finished sandwich without any effort. Spreading the sandwich apart, we saw the absolute perfect cut – the sandwich was so perfectly sliced that it didn’t even look real. It was beautiful. I handed the knife to my husband and that sandwich got cut into fourths, gliding through the layers for one gorgeous, perfect cut.

The knives just felt good in my hand as well. They were the perfect size and perfect grip. I’ve struggled for years to hold a knife like a professional. I grabbed one of these knives and it just felt comfortable to do that professional hold. I guess my old knife handles were a bit too bulky and didn’t fit my hand right. These feel like they were made for my hands, which gives me a lot more confidence in my cutting.

To say I’m happy with the purchase/gift is an understatement.
I have found my lifelong knives.