Have a Sharp New Year!

Happy New Year everybody!

Long time no post. Things have been very busy for me, I've moved twice since the last time you saw things here. I promise I'll be a lot better about posting in 2010.

There's not a lot going on right now, post Christmas. We have a few specials right now, but the one I would like to direct your attention to is this one.

This Victorinox product, which is made in Switzerland, has been marketed in the U.S. under the R.H. Forschner brand name since 1937. As of 2009, it is now being sold in the U.S. under the Victorinox brand name. That name might be familiar to some of you as one of the two companies that make and sell Swiss Army Knives (the other being Wenger).

So now you know all about the company, but WHAT IS ON SALE? Well, it's Victorinox's 8-inch chef's knife, with a black Fibrox handle. Fibrox is a material that is NSF approved to minimize crevices that would offer hospitality to bacteria. We also have a special on the one with a rosewood handle, which is very attractive and great for home use.

What's so awesome about this knife, you ask?
Well, I ran across this on Lifehacker, who found it on Cool Tools, but it was originally written about in Cooks Illustrated. (Have you ever noticed that the internet is one huge echo chamber of people writing about what other people have written about?)

Here's the main takeaway for all three of those:

A really great chef knife will be insanely sharp, yet retain its edge easily, and be well balanced and welcoming to hold. These days a decent high-grade chef knife can cost between $100-$200. Several cooking publications (including Cook's Illustrated) recently identified a bargain $27 chef knife that in their tests rated just about as good as the $100 plus knives.

In case you've never come across it, Cook's Illustrated is an incredible advertising-free, in-depth, bi-monthly cooking magazine that conducts thorough testing on everything they write about, from the best way to prepare a recipe to the best kitchen equipment, so when they say that the Victorinox knife rated nearly as good as the $100+ chef's knives, that's a solid endorsement.

Sounds pretty great to me! Forchner... Oops, I mean Victorinox, is one of the more affordable lines of knives that we carry at the Cutlery. (The other is Dexter-Russell) They make great gifts because they don't break the bank. You'll notice that I'm always recommending Victorinox's little paring knives for just that reason. Likewise, Victorinox cooking knives are great purchases for people who are just getting into cooking, or for those of us who are having a fun time trying to survive in the present economy. You get a knife that is sharp, functional, and at a good price.