Functional Cutlery

There are so many ways that home cooks and professional cooks go wrong with cutlery. The knife is the most basic of tools, yet i go to peoples homes all the time where they have all-clad pans but not one good knife. i dont get it, and its a peeve of mine. Thought i would take the chance to talk about my choices both at home and in my knife bag at work. This is a 10" Vorshner chef's knife. I love it for its weight, size, balance, ability to hold an edge, and cost. This one is new today and i picked it up for around $30. I do own a few more expensive knives (global, henckel, f. dick) but none of them do what this knife does, and for less than 1/3 the cost of some. It isnt unusual for me to spend 8 hours a day with this knife in my hand, to do that my hands take a beating. With a bigger heavier knife i definately can tell a difference. This knife also takes a ton of abuse as cooks snag it off the prep table or out of my bag and use and abuse it in my absence, it takes a beating but takes an edge with a few passes on a steel. The 10" chef's knife is the classic knife that i can do almost any task with. Granted i have others but once you become comfortable with this knife it is really all you would ever need. If you have small hands i would say go for a 8" that will be plenty big for anything you would do at home. This knife is at every kitchen supply store i have ever been to. Remember this isnt about pretty, or expensive. If you want to be a better cook at home, start with one good knife and practice with it, find joy in simple cutting task. Your progress you will make will amaze you.