So, I'm on the airplane last night, right? And being uber-cheap, I didn't want to shell out $3 for the WestJet headphones. So I tried watching the Miami Ink marathon on TLC but somehow, without sound, it just didn't work. Never fear, I didn't cave in and buy the headphones. Instead I pulled my trusty Maeve Binchy (doncha just love her?) out of my carry-on bag. And the name of one of the chapters was there, staring me in the face: "Not the Sharpest Knife". It was the charming little story, so perfectly Binchy-esque, of "soft Neddy" who, in the end, prevails because of his innocence and utter decency, despite not actually being the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Of course, being me, thinking of knives in drawers drew my mind to my own kitchen. Despite having two young daughters, we do have a totally accessible knife drawer. In it are a few old paring knives that have become family heirlooms after three generations, two (don't ask) serrated bread knives, and a chef's knife that cost $35 which I got for Christmas a few years ago when I asked for "a good set of knives". Argh. All of these knives are sharp enough to do serious damage to a child, but none ever seems sharp enough to slice a cucumber or tomato cleanly. And the knife drawer has been a source of some ongoing frustration for me. You see, I pride myself on my skills in the kitchen. I'm no professional chef, but I think I can fairly say I'm better than your average schmoe (or schmoette) in the kitchen. I've taken a few cooking courses, a few wine-tasting classes, and I even have a cake decorating certificate. I have a wide array of great kitchen tools (too wide an array, according to my neatnik husband), but I've never had good knives.

Until now. Thanks to the amazing people at Cuisinart, I received the "good set of knives" that I asked for a few years ago at Christmas:

Apart from the obvious benefit of getting the sharp stuff out of the drawer and up high on the shelf where the little ones can't get their hands on them, this set of knives is a revolution in my kitchen! The first thing I noticed was how much more substantial these knives are than my old ones. Just hefting the chef's knife in my hand I could tell we were pitching in a different league. And, of course, it sliced through both tomato and cucumber (and onion, and avocado, etc.) like butter. I also broke in the bread knife, paring knive, steak knives (on grilled chicken breasts) and serrated utility knife. And my husband raved about the scissors.

I've often heard it said that the first and most basic tool needed in any kitchen is a good set of knives. And now that I finally have one, I'd have to agree!