On the night before my Harvard graduation, my mother and father hosted a celebration dinner at East Coast Grill in Cambridge (my favorite restaurant). In attendance were my mother and father, brother Brian, John and Val Higman, and Karen and Guski. At the time, it was already finalized that I would be going to Karen and Guski's in Bali to learn how to cook in their restaurants ((BGF)). Karen's congratulations card read very simple: "Congratulations, come to Bali with a 10" Chef Knife and a Paring Knife. I will teach you the rest."
After a few weeks of research (and talking to Karen) I went with the Shun Elite Series Professional Chef Knives. According to Karen, they are the best knives in the world and are highly used and respected by almost every professional chef. They were a little pricey, but I figured since I would be using them everyday that they would be well worth the cost in their value. Also, all things considered, these are nice enough to last me my whole life.
When they arrived in the mail I was almost stunned. The knives themselves are absolutely beautiful. Handmade using the Japanese "Kasumi" Method (the same method used for making samurai swords), the process involves taking a long piece of Japanese carbon steel and folding and sharpening it over high heat for a total of 34 times. And at 34 razor sharp layers, these babies can slice. They also boast of cutting edge of 18 degrees making them much sharper than the best German Knives that have blade edges of 22 degrees. When you look at the side of the blade you can see the spiral layers of the metal reflect in the light. The handle is a black PakkaWood that is highly polished and smooth to grip. They feel incredible in the hand. I cannot wait to use them.
