Dieting Gadgets I love--My Knives

I come from one of those families that always cooked. It wasn't unusual for my entire extended family, men and women, to gather in the kitchen to prepare a meal.

As a consequence, one of the first things I learned was the value of a good knife. Cheap, dull knives were not to be endured. I remember my grandfather would often begin to slice something, deem the knife dull, and pull out a sharpening stone to carefully hone the knife back to a razor sharp state which he would then use to slice prosciutto so thin you could see through it or a tomato into fifty slices.

When I embarked out on my own, one of the first things I did was save my pennies to buy myself a Wusthof Chef's knife and a Sabetier paring knife which I remember costing me around $150.00. That was over 30 years ago. I still own those knives and use them every day. From time to time they've needed professional sharpening, but usually a quick pass through a knife sharpener is all they need for me to effortlessly chop piles of vegetables.

My knife collection through the years has grown somewhat, and all are carefully taken care of. I don't just throw my knives into some drawer to get ruined. My knives are carefully housed in a knife block on my counter, and I never cut anything on a surface that could ruin their edge (such as cutting on granite).

As any of you can tell from reading my blog, I'm a cook. I don't see the point of running out to get take-out because making my own food is just as easy, if not easier, and so much better for both my weight management and my health.

And the reason why it's so easy for me to whip up a salad or slice fruit to go over my morning oatmeal is my knives.

A set of really good knives is the best dieting tool you can ever own. A good sharp, well cared for, knife will get you peeling, chopping, dicing and slicing every kind of fruit or vegetable imaginable.

A couple years ago I was at a friend's house for dinner. This friend was an avowed foe of cooking, and generally ordered in or got take out for dinner every night. I offered to help make the salad and when I asked for a knife. My friend opened a drawer packed filled with cooking utensils and fished out a sorry excuse for a knife.

The operation of assembling the salad, which normally took me a matter of minutes at home with my knives, took me close to 20 minutes to prepare, and I nearly sliced off a finger because the knife kept sliding off the vegetables as opposed to slicing them.

It was no wonder why my friend hating cooking. Who wouldn't when it took ten minutes to peel and slice a cucumber?

Eating so that a majority of your diet is fresh fruits and vegetables is critical if you really want to lose weight, keep it off and be healthy. Getting a good set of knives, that you care for properly, is a good first step to get you on the way.