The Importance of Knives

Yesterday, I woke up from a nap and wanted a nibble. I wandered over to the fridge and grabbed an apple and some milk. Still a bit drowsy, I started to cut the apple and slip! Right in the finger! Ow.


My bandaged finger can attest to the importance of sharp knives and paying attention while you're using them. "Dull Is Dangerous." This is a catchphrase slung around food handler's permit courses and plastered on kitchen walls in the US. Sharp knives cut foods like vegetables and breads with ease; my brand new knife from Lau Choy Seng at 23,25 Temple Street made me squeal with joy when it sliced through a red bell pepper with the gentlest press. Dull knives require one to exert more force on the knife to do the work; the surface of the food resists the blunt knife edge and that makes things dangerous. You're pressing harder and are more likely to have your knife glance off the food or to have something slip, leading to blood and horror.


My knife is sharp, I however, was not. Because my knife is sharp, I have a clean, neat cut instead of a ragged, awful mess. This little incident was not a problem of poorly kept kitchen equipment, rather it was because I was still half asleep. Don't use knives, dull or sharp, when not particularly alert. Lesson learned.


If you're in the market to buy an ever-sharp knife, check out Rachael Ray's Sharp Store. I'll admit she terrifies me a bit too, particularly in this segment. Still, her Sharp Store is a pretty brilliant idea. Viewer discretion is advised.






Side note: I went to both Sia Huat Ptd Ltd and Lau Choy Seng again yesterday and bought a zester with two different zesting sizes, the softest pastry brush, sushi rolling mats, and a tall glass pitcher that doubles as a country-home-eclectic-sort-of flower vase. I also popped by another Temple Street store that sells Moderne brand dish ware. I've walked past their giant 20% OFF signs plenty of times, but yesterday, I wandered in and bought a giant round serving dish (perfect for cakes, aside from the slightly raised edges) and two dinner plates. Confession: I've spent more on kitchenware in Singapore than I have on anything else and I just don't give a damn. I just don't.