Hi, my name is Tim. I'm a knife geek.
Blame my grandmother. She gave me my first knife, a tiny little dime store single blade folding knife that wasn’t sharp enough to cut a 6-year-old's fingers – but made me feel far bigger than my britches.
Every man I knew when I was growing up carried a pocket knife – a Case XX toothpick, a well-worn Barlow or a heavy, multi-bladed, horn handled beauty.
I remember my first Scout knife – a Cub Scout pocket knife – worn proudly on a belt clip once I had attained the highly sought after “
Totin' Chip” card. Next, I got a Boy Scout six-inch sheath knife. I still have 'em both and each is as well worn and comfortable as a pair of favorite jeans.
I love Damascus blades – and have a small collection of handmade knives sporting this exotic and complex steel blades. I also love craftsman made knives – and can recall the story behind each in my collection.
But knives are more than things of beauty. They are tools of the trade – whether you're a wood carver or a chef.
In the kitchen, I have usually preferred longish chef's style knives with thick, heavy spines. In that category, oddly enough, I really like one branded by the
Culinary Institute of America – it's a 10-inch working chef's knife made for a full day of heavy use.
And as a collector, erh, knife aficionado, I know there’s always something better just over the next hill.
Meet my new kitchen friend, a
Kikuichi Damascus Santoku with a a Ho wood handle and Water Buffalo horn bolster.
Take a minute to catch your breath.
With more than 700 years of knife-making heritage and the coveted chrysanthemum mark of the emperor, the detail-oriented craftsmen at Kikuichi know something about making a knife. This one is light as a feather in the hand and a razor-honed cutting tool in use.
It slices with one pull through pork and beef. Its micro dices like a machine. No onion is safe near its hammered, exotic blade. Several hours of labor go into each blade – and it shows.
The cool wooden sheath and “keeper” were bonuses that further caressed my knife geek hormones.
Do I, or any home cook, need this kind of cutlery?
No, not really. But when cooking is your hobby – the tools of the trade are your vices. Golfers swoon over feather-light graphite drivers with oversized heads. Fishermen get teary over a tricked out bass boat.
I happen to get light-headed around exceptional cutlery.
What you DO need and deserve is cutlery that comes sharp, is easy to maintain and feels good in your hand. If a knife does not feel good, you won't use it.
I have a friend who won't buy good knives or even keep his sharp: “I'll hurt myself,” he theorizes.
No sir, a dull knife will hurt you – and badly. This dude never got his Totin' Chip card.
How do you know if your knives are sharp enough? Dice an onion. If the blade slides off the onion or won't cleanly slice through without effort – it's not sharp enough.
Learning to properly sharpen is not hard – but if you don't have the inclination, take your knives to a commercial sharpener – or watch for a charity sharpening day event. Both options are available to you from my friends at
KitchenwareOutfitters.
And speaking of KWO, they have the largest selection in the city – and will let you handle each and every one. The staff there know it's important for you to be comfortable with you cutlery – and will take time to show you proper knife use, sharpening and care.
