Say Hello to My Little Friend

I have a new friend. His name is Morimoto[i]. No, not the world renown Japanese chef of Iron Chef fame (though that would be seriously cool) but my new knife. Morimoto is a Global vegetable knife, and he is wicked sharp. I also believe he has Jedi skills. I am sitting here writing about my new knife, and I feel a small twinge of pain on my right index finger. I look down and spy a small cut. Now, it looks and feels like a paper cut, but I am typing. On a computer. I am not using paper. I am telling you this knife has mad skills beyond merely chopping celery and carrots.
I decided to buy this knife on sort of a whim. Hannah and I were on a rare trip to the mall, and I just happened to have a Williams & Sonoma gift card still burning a hole in my wallet (thanks Sarah and Chris!). After walking the store and weighing my purchase options, I eventually gravitated back to the knives. Besides the fact that good knives are absolute essential tools for the kitchen, knives are just so cool. I had had my eye on a Global for a while; this particular line of knives is much revered by chefs and was created by the Japanese in the tradition of the Samurai, so wielding this knife would make me cool in the Uma Thurman Kill Bill kind of way (and thankfully not in the Tom Cruise Last Samurai kind of way).
Let me reassure you that I am experiencing absolutely no buyer’s remorse over this purchase. Although I love my Wüstof chef’s knife, it is no match when it comes to chopping vegetables. The Global features a hollow ground blade with indentations which reduce sticking while cutting, and as I mentioned before it is incredibly sharp, which makes proper chopping a breeze. As I chop loads of vegetables on a weekly basis, this particular knife is fast becoming an indispensable member of my food prep team.
Let me close by making a point that I am sure I will harp on again and again in future posts. People: if you are going to pursue any craft, make sure you have the right tools and make sure they are of quality. You may have to make a bit of an investment up front, but chances are you will never have to buy a replacement and your work will be that much easier.

[i] Although I don’t make a practice of naming inanimate objects, every now and then I feel inspired to do so, mostly based on the object’s profound impact on my daily life.