Sharp knife = cooking bliss

I finally bought some "proper" chef's knives over the weekend to replace the el cheapo K-Mart ones I brought from Australia: the Henckels Twin Four Star II set. No, I didn't pay $130 for them; they were on sale at City Kitchens in downtown Seattle for much less than that. But when I saw them, I knew I had to have them!

Really, all you need is one large sharp knife and a smaller one for detail work, and maybe a bread knife. So the 7" Santoku knife that comes in the aforementioned set is now my weapon of choice. It has grantons that help prevent food from sticking to the blade and a nice point on the end while still retaining some of the broadness of say a Chinese cleaver (which my family has always used).

For me, it's just amazing how much of a difference a sharp knife makes to the cooking experience. If you cook often (or even only sometimes), a good quality blade is going to be your best friend.