dontfeartheringo wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:11 pm Oh, and I have that same flour sifter, shortening cutter, and sugar container, because Grandma.

one of many reasons I love this man

PASTA wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 7:46 am

dontfeartheringo wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:11 pm Oh, and I have that same flour sifter, shortening cutter, and sugar container, because Grandma.

one of many reasons I love this man

Honestly, man, as we consider relocating to a country that isn't a bloody cauldron of dread and grinding stress, I make these little lists in my head:

things I'll take to another country: flour sifter, shortening cutter, sugar container, 100 year old carbon steel butcher knife, etc. Because, again, Grandma.

I picked up a decent cooking knife while in Japan. For the longest time I'd been using a Victorinox chef's knife (a basic decent starter knife), and while it was ok it went blunt constantly. I have a whetstone and would touch it up regularly but it got annoying fast.

The santoku is nothing fancy, just from some random shop on Kappabashi Street that stocks a bunch of them from various smiths. VG10 steel etc. I think it cost £70.

The difference is dramatic. As well as retaining its edge for longer, my precision in slicing up vegetables has increased an order of magnitude (which has improved the flavour of dishes). I could never do that thing cooks do where they use their knuckles as a barrier to protect their fingers while rapidly chopping. Now, however, it's effortless. (I think with the duller edge on the previous knife I had to keep making weird angles to get the knife to pierce).

I now look forward to chopping things.
Total NC purchase

Getting it through China, however, was another story.