Ode to cheap knives.

 One of the most popular culinary truths is that a good cook needs a good knife. But, perhaps, you should not blindly follow stereotypes? I work with a knife bought from a Chinese man on the market for only $ 10 and I feel great. Forums with discussions of kitchen utensils entirely consist of fetishists. John of Duluth, for example, can easily explain why he uses only 18/10 stainless steel knives, which he buys from a mysterious hermit German living in the forest. And Marie from Los Angeles is happy to tell you why she can not imagine her life without knives from the Japanese company Korin. Or better yet, just feel sorry for some Daniel from Boston, who dims the lights in the kitchen in the evenings to arrange his carbon steel knife romantic evening with rubbing mineral oil. Of course, there is nothing wrong with spending a lot of money on high-quality and durable equipment. But it hurts my hearing when someone insists that you won't be able to cook a delicious meal without a high-quality knife. Because if you don't have to cut sashimi in large quantities, a ten - dollar knife is what you need. The knife, which I use for most tasks in the kitchen, cost me$ 10 + shipping. And he's totally fine with me. And with the sharpening of this knife, an ordinary sharpener copes. Yes, this sharpness is not durable, but it is not inferior to professional knives. It is such cheap knives used by most chefs in restaurants and it does not affect the cost of food. And if people whose profession is to cook, appreciated these knives, and they are suitable for us. So, the reader might ask, " why spend $ 10 every two years if you can spend $ 200 once on a knife that will be with you for decades?» Consider the pros together: Suitable tool for beginners. Undoubtedly, professional chefs have a need to use a cool knife, but the need to use them for beginners is exaggerated. Instead of equipping a novice cook who has just started to learn the stove, a professional knife, give him something simple and cheap and no one will be upset if such a knife somewhere to play. Universality. Expensive knives require special storage conditions, special methods of cleaning and sharpening. It's great, but sometimes I just need something sharp for the chores. I need a knife that will not be sorry to use for any third-party purposes. Easy maintenance. I'm not a big connoisseur of knives, so complex methods of sharpening do not suit me. Of course, this means that I will have to give up the idea of slicing tomatoes with transparent slices, but if the most important thing is to save time, then the usual knife sharpener is also suitable for sharpening a knife. In the end, we all just choose what we like best. We're not trying to talk you out of anything. After all, in the end, when it comes to quality, expensive knives win unconditionally. However, few of us can use the reserve of professional knives completely. I, for one, do not try to impress anyone by cutting brunoise, I just cook their dinner. I prefer to waste my hard-earned in some other way, for example, buying unreasonably expensive coffee tables.