Knife Strife

I don't know anyone who doesn't like good food. But I know a shitload of people who tell me they can't cook... How easy would it be to build a house with just a hammer?... It's not easy, agree? Yes, ofcourse. Thats because it takes the right sort of tools to do the job well. Can you cook a great meal with a crap knife?... Yes, but it's not easy.
A great chef can work wonders with a bent spoon and a stail peice of bread. But for those of us who are not great chefs, a bent spoon wont help us much. What we need are the right tools. By tools I mean Knives...
Knives. Where do I start.... I'll start big. "If you use a quality knife your prep and cooking time will be cut by half, and the finished result will be improved by a factor of three".
When I say quality knife, what I mean is: The best knife you can afford. The best knifes that you can pay for, are a toss up between the lazer etched ceramic knifes produced by NASA. Or hand made Demascus, (folded) high carbon steel blades made by the Samuri sorwd masters of Seki, Japan. However most people don't have the GDP of a small to medium sized country to spend on a knife. If not, I will provide a few hints that should help you avoid buying a knife off E-bay. Don't buy a knife from E-bay. I look all the time. They are allways SHIT!! I have never seen a knife on E-bay that is not a rip-off!!!!
My advice is to spend all of your knife budget on one knife. One good knife will out perform a set of ten knives at the same price. The best choice would be a knife that can be used in mulitple situations. As such you should go for what is known as a "Chefs" knife. A blade length of about 20-25cm should be enough. Don't go to big, more importantly don't go to small. A small knife might be easier to weild, but it will be to fiddly for most jobs. Above all your first knife should fit your hand. The handle should fit nicely, even if it feels just slightly to small, put it down before you chop a finger off. When you grip the knife your fingers should have clearence with the blade edge flat against the board. If not your fingers will take a pounding every time you chop. Importantly the "Tang" should be visible through the length of the handle, this should be bonded to the grip with thick rivets. The "Tang" is an extension of the blade and essential to it's strengh. If you are paying good money for a knife, and these attributes are not visible. Put it down and walk away, you are being ripped off....
As for where to go to buy a kinfe. Stay away from E-bay, Don't go to a department store, (Rip off). Likewise don't vist a chain of shops specializing in knifes. Talk to people who know and love kinves: Chefs. A chef knows what a kife is worth, a chef knows where to get a good knife... Shop where chefs shop and you can't go wrong..... For all of you that have nice knifes allready. Well done..... If you have any questions about blade composition or crystaline structure, just ask. Need know how on sharpining your pride and joy.... Ask.