Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide: Day 10
There are certain things that I firmly believe you should buy top-of-the-line and knives are absolutely on that list. Not only do they make food prep so much easier, it also makes the time spent in the kitchen so much more enjoyable.
Since this time of year we all are spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen, I thought this would be the perfect time to profile the knife that completely changed my mind about what top-of-the-line meant. In fact, if you read my post a few weeks back where I declared my love for my knife set my husband and I got when we first moved in together, you will remember how I was singing their praises. Well, I'm sorry to say that the honeymoon is officially over and I am now looking to upgrade.
The knives that have caused this wandering eye are Shun, the handcrafted knives from Japan. If you've been out shopping for knives recently, you will instantly recognize Shun knives with their bold lines and artistry. But, besides being the most artistically designed knives on the market, Shun has made a name for itself with its superior performance in cutlery.
The specific Shun knife that I have recently fallen for is the Shun Edo 8 ½ inch Chef’s Knife from Williams-Sonoma that comes in its own bamboo display stand. Designed in the tradition of Japanese sword-making but made using state-of-the-art technology, the Shun Edo Chef’s Knife has an incredibly dense VG-10 “Super Steel” blade that is tempered for exceptional hardness and edge retention.
This VG-10 blade has a unique hammered finish (called “tsuchime” in Japanese) that does more than offer a gorgeous display piece, it also reduces drag and keeps food from sticking to the blade as you are slicing. Since we do a lot of veggie slicing that has a tendency to stick to other blades, this is a feature I really love and part of why I fell so hard for it.
The 8.5” Shun Edo Chef’s Knife has a contoured resin-infused PakkaWood handle that provides a solid and comfortable grip as well as providing lasting moisture resistance. It also has a tear drop shaped wide and thick bolster as well as an ergonomic grip to reduce tension and fatigue while chopping.
I found that the Edo felt incredibly natural in my hand and my husband remarked the same thing when he picked it up the first time. It is perfectly balanced so that it is light enough for fast chopping but weighted so that everything you slice feels like butter. That sounds like an exaggeration, but it really isn’t.
The Shun 8.5” Chef’s Knife is by far the sharpest blade I have ever cut with. Whether slicing pork loin or chopping hard vegetables or fruit, this knife performs absolutely effortlessly. In a side by side comparison between the Shun and our comparable and newly sharpened chef’s knife from our old set was not even a competition. Since we all know that a sharp knife is a safer knife, I really appreciate this superior sharpness as well as the fact that Shun knives are known for their lasting edge retention.
As a busy mom of two, I’m certainly not one who looks for projects, but with how much I love the Shun Edo, it truly makes chopping and slicing fun. This makes me far more likely to slice up veggies and fruits for lunch for the family or get creative with our meals. Since home cooked meals and fresh ingredients are incredibly important to me, I consider good knives an investment in this endeavor and can easily justify buying a premium knife such as the Shun Edo.
In fact, there are literally two things on my husband’s and my holiday lists this year and one of them is another Shun knife to add to our collection. Our hope is that we can slowly purchase the knives we use the most throughout the year and eventually completely replace our old knives.
If you are like me and the next few weeks are going to be spent fixing a wide variety of meals, dishes, and snacks, you should definitely consider getting yourself a little pre-holiday present of your own. Even though I normally dread those marathon kitchen days, this year I am excited to try the Shun Edo and continue to give it a thorough testing.
If the next few weeks go anything like the first few weeks of testing, there just might be a Shun knife waiting under the tree for us this year (like the Shun Edo Dual-Density 8" Utility Knife… hint, hint).
Shun Edo 8.5" Chef's Knife Features:
• 8” long blade.
• 5" long handle.
• 9.75 oz.
• Includes a bamboo display stand.
• NSF-certified knife meets the high-level hygiene standards of commercial kitchens.
• Handcrafted in Japan.
The Shun Edo 8.5 inch Chef’s Knife is available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma, and can be found on sale right now, as is the entire line of Shun Knives available at Williams-Sonoma. To sweeten the deal even more, if you purchase Shun cutlery worth $500 or more between now and 12/31/2010, you will get a $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card!
You can also check out Shun Knives at Kershawknives.com
One lucky Rave and Review reader will win this awesome Shun Knife to adore like we do! Awesome, right?!?
To Enter: Simply comment below with another Shun Knife you would love to own or give this holiday season.
And, as always, there are extra entries available!
1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)
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5) Comment love. Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!
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7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry, just tell me what rank R&R has)
On December 30th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US Addresses.
A big thank you to Shun Knives for providing the sample for review as well as offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.
