I cook a lot and a fantastic knife makes a world of difference, as I'd discovered assisting in preparing meals at other peoples' homes; people who had already seen the knife-light (likely glinting off the surface of a beautifully reflective & dangerously sharp utensil).
The knives I'd purchased in the past weren't exactly inexpensive, but were, apparently, of somewhat cheap (& dubious) quality; after a few months of use, despite proper care & sharpening, their dullness was insurmountable.
Insurmountable dullness is insufferable & intolerable, both in knives & at cocktail parties.
Despite rumours to the contrary and despite many questionable, juvenile sartorial choices, I am, in fact, an adult, and I determined that it was simply time for me to own a kick-ass, grown-up knife!
Research led us to the Japanese brand, MAC. We had asked several chefs about their favourite knives and they all indicated that MAC was the best, so...good enough for us! :)
And how do I love my new knife? Oh my. It's truly sublime.
I was, however, somewhat perplexed by some of the "Advice & Cautions" included inside the knife's box...
Most of the suggestions were pretty standard, typical warnings for the new knife owner, from a company interested in preventing knife-related litigation (as well as ensuring that the product is as effective as possible for as long as possible, of course)!
But they still cracked me up.
A few examples (Note: All MAC's pieces of advice are being conveyed precisely as written on the piece of paper that was inserted into the knife-box)...
Never use your MAC knives for a purpose they were not intended for.
Really? Interesting! That never would have occurred to me! (And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what a beautifully structured sentence that is...for.).
Do not use for prying anything open, don't drop the knives, don't throw the knives and don't expose to extreme heat or cold.
OK. Does anyone ever PLAN to drop things? Particularly knives or other sharp things that could render one toeless?? Does this suggestion that I NOT drop it actually lessen the chances that it might occur? Just wondering.
Additionally, were I planning to THROW my knives, I'd probably have an entire set, specifically crafted for that purpose. But I'm just guessing on that one. Really. Honest. I DON'T THROW KNIVES! (on purpose)
Never cut bones, frozen food, hard squash, or other hard items (cleavers and frozen knives excluded).
I'm going to go ahead and assume that when they reference bones, they're speaking to non-vegetarian knife owners and not psychopathic, "Tommy DeVito" (aka Joe Pesci in "GoodFellas") types.
And not cutting FROZEN food makes perfect sense.
But..um...HARD SQUASH? WHAT?
I...don't know what to say about that. I've never encountered a squash so hard that it might actually break a knife! And, if I were a knife-maker and wanted to warn my customers, mentioning, by name, just one--specific--food to avoid, because it might threaten the sanctity of my knife, I am fairly certain that squash wouldn't be my first choice!
I have no idea what the clarifier "cleavers and frozen knives excluded" means, so I won't even speculate.
Anyway, I love my new knife and highly recommend the brand. End of story.
P.S. I do realize this is the second consecutive blog post whose focus is a type of kitchen utensil. Rest assured, this likely won't be a three-parter.
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