To create a great meal, you do not just need quality ingredients and a solid recipe.

You just need a really great knife.

I am not a chef and I'm not working in the best kitchens in the country, but I have learned through my love of food and cooking, training in cooking classes and my work as a food writer, chef profiler and restaurant critic, that having a knife that you can count on is of the utmost importance.

That's why every single day I reach for my knife from the Damastahl Collection.

When a chef gets a job in a kitchen, they are fully expected to bring their knives. This is because they will have become used to them and hopefully, very good and efficient at wielding them.

If I were to travel anywhere, I would bring my Scanpan 7" Santoku Knife.

First of all. because it is fully forged from one piece of VG-10 Japanese Damascus steel. Secondly, this puppy is made of 33 layers of Damascus steel, which means it will stand up to the needs of my busy kitchen, 3 meals a day for 2, plus all the meals and dishes I make for entertaining every week or two.

The ergonomically designed tri-lobal handle provides a secure grip, even when wet, which means whether I'm trimming a steak of fat, slicing oranges or chopping slick cucumbers, I am sure to cut beautifully while also being really safe.

I like the weight of the knife too. It's not too heavy like many chef's knives I've held (one of the many bonuses of doing chef interviews is getting a personal tour of the kitchen...), but it has a little heft that gives me a lot of control.

As you can see, Scanpan has a ton of great knives, each one for specific purposes. Just look at all the possibilites!

Perhaps one day I will expand upon my collection, but right now I am living and breathing through my Scanpan 7" Santoku Knife.

Which one do you want?