A good knife is hard to find

Sorry about the lack of posts lately - I've been out of town repeatedly! But I'm back and today, I want to talk to you about the knives you are using. For years I used sub-par knives that never were sharpened properly and I would get so frustrated that I couldn't cut food properly and many times ended up cutting myself. Finally, I decided it was time to get a couple of good knives. Now, I'm not talking Wusthof knives, which are so gorgeous and so fabulous, but so expensive that little old me can't quite afford them just yet, but something that could still provide excellent slicing and dicing and if I was lucky, came with a sharpener that actually works.

As you've probably realized, I'm a Food Network junkie and I always loved Rachel Ray's Furi knives. Costco decided to partner with Rachel and Furi and sold a set of two Furi knives that came with the Furi sharpener for about $45 or so (that's pretty darn cheap for two knives). These are the "east meets west" knives that have a curved blade and a curved handle. I snatched them up right away along with another knife that was similar and was on clearance at Macy's. They cut wonderfully, but the true test was the sharpener and how it would work.

To my delight and surprise, the sharpener came with a DVD that showed the proper way to use the tool and when I used it, it was fantastic! It sharpened my knives quickly and wonderfully and I can go several weeks without having to sharpen again. I've posted a few picks of the Furi sharpener. It opens easily. You put it on a flat surface, place your blade in between the teeth and make a quick pull. Four to five quick pulls, wipe the blade on a towel and you are in business. It's really that easy!! It's almost impossible to screw up! **This sharpener didn't work so well on my traditional knives - it seems to be made primarily for curved knives, like the Furi knives, but it did sharpen by other curved non-Furi knives.

The knives have made cutting, slicing, and carving so much easier. I can finally chop an onion the way they show on TV and wow! what a time saver. If you don't have a good knife or a few of them, spend the money. You'll be shocked and how much easier cooking is and how much fun chopping can be! And try the FURI sharpener.