Di gave me a set of tools for Xmas. It wasn’t a collection of sockety things for repairing aperture flywheel gromises (with rotary gaskets), but something better – a matched set of kitchen knives.
Knife sets, like sets of pots & pans, can be dubious purchases. You wind up with a few good pieces and bunch of stuff you never use. I had been getting by for years with a 6″ Sabatier utility knife I bought in 1984, a cheap workhorse Forschner chef’s knife, and few other specialized blades (cleaver, boning knife, parer). My one indulgence had been a Shun santoku, which had become my go-to knife of choice for everything.
I had been making noises about wanting a Shun chef’s knife to match, and look what I was given:
Shun knife set
The original santoku is top left, and a parer I bought on sale is bottom left. The rest are the new set. Notice that 10 degree angle where the handle joins the blade – it provides more clearance for the hand, and adds a bit more force when you rock the blade.
I love these knives. They’re wicked sharp and stay that way, perfectly balanced, and they look prety cool to boot. And the whole set – including a bamboo knife block – was on sale for the price of the chef’s knife alone.