A Santoku knife is an Asian-style knife that is great for chopping, dicing, and slicing. Also works great with raw meat and fish. Look at this beauty!
It has a nice, short blade, which is nice because you can have more control with it. This Santoku knife is made of forged high carbon steel, so it's durable and tough, but it has an amazing, almost artistic balance to it.
Oh my.
I decided the best way to test it out is to chop some vegetables, such as celery, which is usually a tougher veggie to chop.
I love the big blade...it's got some weight to it so you can kinda control it better than a little knife.
It sliced through the tough celery stalks as if they were made of jello...no resistance whatsoever! Wow.
Let's give it a shot with this giant onion. Wow, the knife was able to basically lop off the top with one fell swoop. Amazing.
Looks like I'm making soup tomorrow, haha.
I am very excited that one of you guys get to win one of these as well! Are you totally jazzed or what? Here's how you can win an Anolon Santoprene Santoku Knife...see the rules below.
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Rules:
1. Only 1 entry is allowed per person.
2. Go to the comments section of this post and answer this question:
What is the most amazing thing you've eaten while on vacation?
3. I will take responses until 11:59pm Pacific Time on Saturday, April 10.
4. On Monday morning, a random winner will be announced! You must have a U.S. or Canadian shipping address.
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Okay, get to work! Tell me about your food experiences away from home...make me drool :) I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!
Hi, Sunny!
ReplyDeleteI think the most amazing thing I have ever eaten on vacation was a Salad Nicoise while I was in Nice, France. It was really cool getting to eat this dish that is popular worldwide in the city of its origination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ni%C3%A7oise_salad
The ingredients were exceptionally fresh, and the combination of the canned tuna with the bitter olives and vinaigrette left an interesting tang in my mouth. Combine that with the cold, crunch of lettuce, and it was the perfect thing to eat while sitting outside at a cafe watching the waves hit the rocky beaches!
Miss you! I hope all is well!
Best,
Steve
Hi Sunny dear,
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to mind is a pumpkin asparagus gnocchi dish that I had in Florence last May. It was so creamy & rich & flavorful. Yum!!! I just might have to try to recreate it sometime! :)
Happy cooking!
Kata
I love blog give-aways! It's so neat that they sent you this knife to try out and one to share with your devoted readers :).
ReplyDeleteThe most amazing thing I've eaten on vacation was a meal of Persian food in Los Angeles (home to a thriving Persian community). The meal included the most succulent beef kabobs - so tender they literally melt in your mouth(koobideh kabob) served with tangy homemade vegetable pickles (torshi), handfuls of fresh herbs (sabzi), and lavash bread pipping hot out of the wood-fired oven. Of course, hot tea and Persian pastries (bahmieh - fried balls of dough coated in a honey and rose water flavored syrup) for dessert! Yummmmmm :)
By the way, I gave a prof in our department your email address - she needs a photographer for her wedding this summer.
Best wishes,
Ashlie
Ok, I have two answers. The most "interesting": Guinea pig when I went to visit Peru. It's a local specialty. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I figured I'd be adventurous and give it a try. It was kind of dry and salty, but definitely one of the more exotic things I've tried. So, it was amazing in the wow-not-sure-what-i-just-ate kind of way.
ReplyDeleteNow the most "amazing": Hard to pick just one, but probably the prosciutto and melon that I had in Italy. The perfectly cured salty prosciutto paired with the sweet, juicy, and tender melon was one of the most unexpected and delicious combinations. I've had it here in the States, but we just don't have the same awesome prosciutto that they have. Anyways, savory + sweet + simple = WIN :)
Love you lots, Amy
I'm going to have to go with fresh salsa from Southern California. I've had a lot of great food while on vacation, but authentic Mexican fresh salsa was such a revelation for me! Up to that point, I always ate cheap grocery store salsa from a jar. So trying this stuff for the first time was like, WOW have I been missing out!!!
ReplyDeleteI had it the first time in January 2005 when I went to Pasadena to watch Michigan play in the Rose Bowl, and fell in LOVE! When I came back to Michigan, I tried every fresh salsa I could find, but nothing even came close. When I went back to California a couple years later on a cross-country road trip, I made a point to buy several large containers to take home with me. We ate it in the car all the way back to Michigan! I was actually really sad when it was gone. :( I guess I'm just gonna have to go back and get some more!
~Carolyn
Ohh... can I have 2 amazing things?
ReplyDeleteThe first is a ham and cheese sandwich in Paris. Nice crispy baguette, butter, cheese, and very thinly sliced ham. So simple, but SO incredibly delicious.
The second is pupusas in Honduras. I have yet to find a place to get pupusas in the states, but I am looking! They are the best!
Hi Sunny,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me but we have some mutual friends and I've been following your blog for a few months now. I really enjoy it!
My first (and only!) vacation was 14 years ago. My family road tripped from Detroit to Maine. I remember eating some duck dish at my uncle's restaurant. It was so long ago that I can't remember the details other than it was delicious. And the sad thing is that I haven't been on another vacation since then, unless you count scientific meetings. haha
Nachos in Costa Rica! It was raining buckets and my husband and I ventured out of our hotel to find somewhere to sit and watch the storm. They made the tortilla chips to order--they were AMAZING. Also I don't know what kind of cheese was on them, but it was no grocery store block of cheddar. So good, and the best part was hearing the staff saying bad things in Spanish about obnoxious customers!
ReplyDeletethe most amazing thing i've ever eaten is haupia pie in maui!! it is a chocolate and coconut lover's dream! my husband surprised me one day and made it for me after we got back home!! it was delicious but not as good as the one in maui...
ReplyDeletethanks for a chance at winning a knife, i totally need one of those!!!
sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com
Ooh, pretty kitchen things! I'll bite :)
ReplyDeleteIn 2000, I went to Europe for the first time, and in this little hole-in-the-wall mom & pop kind of place in beautiful Assissi (which is near the top of my list of non-culinary highlights for that trip, as well), I ordered ravioli di nozzi (um... sorry about the spelling...), and it made me lose faith in The Olive Garden (which was, sadly, probably the fanciest restaurant I'd been to at the time... true story). The ravioli was (were?) stuffed with spinach and a blend of cheeses including but not limited to parmesan, and covered in a creamy non-alfredoish white sauce that I have no idea what to call. This was garnished with toasted pecans and a little parsley, and it rocked my meat-and-potatoes world.
(I also second Kaitlin's Parisian ham and cheese description...)
it's a tie between suckling pig in toledo, spain, and pad thai in bangkok, thailand. the suckling pig was so incredibly tender, juicy, and delicious. the pad thai was at this little hole-in-the-wall that sold nothing but pad thai. it's hard to enjoy pad thai stateside now that i've had the real thing.
ReplyDeleteThe most amazing thing I've eaten while on vacation... Hmm... this may take me a while.
ReplyDelete(INSERT FIVE MINUTES OF HARD-CORE THINKING.)
K I got it. Poutine. When I went to Montreal (Canada). Real french fries (skin on and freshly fried in grease of course) with melted mozarella cheese curds and piping hot gravy.
What are you studying in grad school?
The most amazing thing I ever ate on vacation was some shrimp scampi. Okay, it wouldn't be amazing now, but I was about nine and had never had shrimp before. A love affair began...
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound silly but the most amazing thing I've eaten on vacation is pizza in Nova Scotia. We are from there originally and we can't find pizza that is even similar anywhere else we've ever been. We eat it everyday when we go home on vacation and when anyone comes out to visit us in Alberta, we make them take some out to us.
ReplyDeletedftrew(at)gmail(dot)com
Ooh, definitely the chicken mole in Oaxaca, Mexico!
ReplyDeleteurchiken at gmail dot com
Hi Sunny,
ReplyDeleteIt's really exciting that you get to do a give-away!
My favorite vacation food is probably falafel from some little stand in Israel. They make it with awesomely fresh falafel, pita, salad and tahini. But the best part is they throw some french fries in there too. Delicious!
-Tammy-
The best food I ever ate on vacation would probably grilled king mackerel in Florida a few years back. We had gone deep sea fishing earlier in the day and caught about six of them. The dock processed them right there for us, so all we had to do was throw them on the grill and enjoy. I haven't had such fresh seafood since then...and it was great!
ReplyDelete-Brendan
The best food I've ever eaten (and not just while on vacation) was when I went to Las Vegas this past December. While there, I had the opportunity to dine at RM Seafood. While my student budget could only afford me a very tiny portion, it was the best scallops and cauliflower I could have ever even imagined. I even took pictures of the meal before I ate it! See my facebook photo albums for the digital proof.
ReplyDeletehmmm toss up between...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 10 I went to korea during the summer. We went out to the country to an outdoors restaurant for my grandpa's birthday and they sat us right off a stream that was so clear you could drink out of it. We had spicy dak jjigae/guk which was really really good. This trip was particularly memorable because a lady was killing chickens right out in the open and preparing them fresh.
OR
3 years ago I went with the church to Mexico, in a village somewhere in Oaxaca. The local food we had there wasn't bad but since we were being fed by either nuns/local villiagers/our own supply the food there was not anything spectacular. Plus I felt sick and couldnt eat much anyways. When we were driving back to Mexico City to go home I wasn't feeling as sick anymore and I ate a Whopper Jr...it was awesome
-Judy
Hi Sunny,
ReplyDeleteI'm a law school friend of Steve's, and I read your blog all the time. I love it!
The best thing I ever ate on vacation, though I can't remember exactly what it was, was some kind of dessert "en flambe" at this darling French place on a tiny street in Paris. My brothers and I went to visit my Dad, who was working there, and the last night we were in town, he took us to his favorite French place. I just remember how impressed we were with the whole meal! :)
Thanks for the great recipes!!
Meggie
Hi Sunny!
ReplyDeleteThe most delicious thing I've eaten while traveling was in India - batata bhaji with puri. I just couldn't stop eating it! The great thing about traveling though is the amount of walking you tend to do should burn off any and all dietary indiscretions. :)
I'm haunted by cravings for two divine dishes.
ReplyDeleteThe first is a fresh halibut burger from Fisherman's Wharf in Juneau, Alaska.
The other is a tomato chicken dish from a little dive restaurant in Honolulu.
I've never found anything close to either of these. I wish I could teleport.
Hey Sunny... I love your site... the pictures are amazing... ever think about making a cook book? You should release it every year, pick your top recipes print it off... make it into a calendar even... send it out PDF style... sell it for a dollar... I'd buy and print it and post it on my fridge :)
ReplyDeleteHm. Most amazing thing I've ever eaten while on vacation... I cant seem to pick one thing; however, if I must to win a prize, the blood oranges I had every morning while studying in Florence make my mouth water to this day.
Yes, my answer in BLOOD ORANGES via FLORENCE, ITALY.
Food is such an amazing thing...That being said, the first thing that came to my mind, after a few minutes of thinking this is hard/blanking on my culinary experiences would have to be a burger I had in Lexington, Kentucky at Buddy's Bar and Grill. I never would have guessed I would have found this gem.
ReplyDeleteThey serve this cranberry and pecan hamburger that is amazing. There description of it is cranberry-pecan crusted burger on grilled focaccia with lettuce, red onion, warm brie, and honey-cranberry mayonnaises.
I just had to let its description stand on its own. I loved it. It has a hint of sweetness and the cranberries play off of the flavor and texture of the burger. I love brie and that was just an added bonus. While/after eating this burger, it just makes you feel good and warm and cozy. For me personally, the cranberries and richness of the brie remind me of the fall/cooler weather and the comfort that good food brings to that season; however, I'm looking forward to having it again someday - no matter what season it is!
http://www.buddysbarandgrill.com/menu.html
My favorite dish is tagliatelle-al-salmone from Osteria Dell'Oca Giuliva in Milan, Italy. It's basically a pasta topped with a creme sauce and salmon. One of the best meals ever! :) Photo: http://www.celiachiamo.com/alimenti-senza-glutine/1225450409.jpg/570/400/1/Tagliatelle-al-Salmone.jpg
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, a giveaway!! I want to play :)
ReplyDeleteThe ski resort that my family visits in Hokkaido serves some of the most amazing meals. There's nothing like coming back from an exhilarating day on the slopes, soaking up the glory that is the hot springs, and then sitting down with your friends and family to an authentic, gourmet Japanese feast while the snow blankets the outside world. Amazing!
PS - I love Christopher's comment about making a calendar!
I had a macaron near Versailles last summer- I was on a mission for them when I was in France..This one took the cake too. Earlier, I'd picked up some mediocre ones from the McCafe near the Versailles train station (seemed like a good idea at the time?) but after we toured the palace, my boyfriend and I went to find a bakery to get a baguette and I spotted some SERIOUS hand-sized macarons in the display case and splurged with the 3,50 euros. SERIOUSLY the best $5 I've ever spent it my life. It was crunchy, soft, tart, sweet, and out-of-this-world. One day, hopefully while we're living that "happily ever after part", my boyfriend and I will be able to go back there and get another one =)
ReplyDeleteOh my, I have to choose only one? I had some amazing seafood when I was down in Galveston, TX for my honeymoon. Miller's Landing had a delicious, yet simple Cajun shrimp dinner, but I think my vote there goes to Fish Tales' pasta dish. I don't remember what it was called, but it had bacon-wrapped shrimp topped with BBQ sauce, and then the linguine was tossed with a spicy sauce with lots of peppers in it. It was such a strange combination, but it was SO good.
ReplyDeleteIn South Beach, FL, I had more good food than I'd ever had in my life. I don't even know if I can pick a winner there. If I really had to, I think I'd pick Pinky's Hollywood Breakfast from Big Pink. It was polenta fries, topped with wilted spinach, bacon, poached eggs, and a really rich cheese sauce. I wonder if I could recreate that at home..... :)
This looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteLola Re
btw-- love your ring in that picture ;)
ReplyDelete