I am apparently difficult to buy presents for and so for my birthday Erin just asks me what I want now to simplify things: a 35 slot Wustof knife block (just the block, so no need to pay a penny). You are supposed to only really need one good kitchen knife (a good chef’s knife – this would be the Fibrox now – best recommendation from America’s Test Kitchen and only $24!), but apparently I have more than that. What is scary is to see all these knives in one place instead of the two knife blocks and bamboo drawer holder they used to live in. Oh, and I do hand wash all of them except for the IKEA steak knives, Erin refuses to wash my knives. 🙂
From the top left, Wustof steel, Victorinox Fibrox chef’s knife, Wustof roast beef slicer from Ed (very long and sharp, I paid a penny), a Caphalon chef’s knife, the other Caphalon chef’s knife I bought for Erin when she was in Amherst and found out that she only used a utility knife and a paring knife to cook, then, my first no-sharpen cheap chef’s knife that I still have. A fantastic Wustof Nakiri, a Victorinox Santoku, a Kyocera Ceramic Santoku, next, a custom Japanese knife from the Tsukiji fish market from George (another penny) for our wedding, an empty slot, J.A. Henkels Carver from Jim and Meg for our wedding (we owe a penny, btw), two red Spyderco 6″ Spyderco kitchen utility knives, new issue, two black original issue, the best cleaver ever from Taichung from my mother (another penny), an empty kitchen shears slot (now holding a lighter), a Jamie Oliver carving fork, three empty slots, a no name but great paring knife I think from Erin’s parent’s house referenced earlier, a Victorinox Fibrox paring knife and Fibrox serrated blunt knife, Spyderco 9″ utility kitchen knife, new issue (now in the slot next to the custom knife) a CKRT fillet knife also from George (another penny), then on the bottom row, six IKEA steak knives, a no name steak knife from my parent’s house in Irvine, and said plain edge utility knife I think from Jim and Brenda‘s house in Marshfield. So all told 28 knives, one steel, one fork, one open shear slot and four open knife slots.
BTW, love the Spyderco 6 inch knives for utility (when they were reissued I rushed to buy more), the no name paring for close work and boning, the Najiki for vegetables (the Santoku is too new) the ceramic for its edge on tomatoes, and now the Fibrox, but that is too new. The Tsujiki custom is beautiful and theoretically the best knife, but I have only used it a handful of times because I had not seen George since he gave it to me almost 10 years before and could only pay him the penny (or dollar?) this past year.; so now it is out of its box ready for use. The carver, slicer, and filet knives are very specialized and I admit to using a Wustof knife sharpener instead of the steel (except to straighten the tines of a serrated knife).
There! More than you ever wanted to know about my cooking knives; now about my many pocket knives…. Just kidding, actually of the many I have, I only use a Spyderco Delica 4. 🙂
Oh and thank you for the present Erin, I love it.
