There are times in your life when you are grateful for things that are dependable.  

I was thinking about this the other day when I opened the knife drawer in the process of fixing my go-to comfort food: cheese.  

As I set up the cheese block, I knew I needed an old friend to help with my food prep.

I pulled out the Cutco knife.

The knife came to Michelle and I early in our marriage. We were renting a little white house. As most young marrieds, we watched our money pretty closely.

Back in the day, many of our friends of that age were beginning careers, starting lives, working extra jobs, etc. It wasn’t uncommon for our friends to invite Michelle to Pampered Chef, jewelry, makeup, food, or any sort of money-making endeavors.

One day, after I had come home from my summer painting job, Michelle informed me that  a friend was coming over to demonstrate some Cutco knives.  Having painted outside that day, I was a filthy mess and just wanted to soak in the tub.  

The knife presentation started before I was finished cleaning up, and so I was trapped in the bathroom for a lot longer than usual. I could hear the entire demonstration, going on just a few rooms away, and I started picturing the whole thing in my mind as I listened to the spiel.  

The demonstrator expounded on the wonders of Cutco knives, talking about how indestructible they were, yet how they were able to cut through just about anything. During the demonstration, Michelle was asked to bring out several slices of bread that the demonstrator compared to angel food cake. 

Angel food cake was, in fact, mentioned several times during the demonstration. I guess cutting angel food cake is a big deal. I didn’t know.  I guess angel food cake isn’t super easy to cut with just any knife. The ease at which the knives sliced through delicate things like pseudo-angel food cake was amazing.  

I remember thinking how grateful I was to be stuck in the bathroom.  You see, Michelle is not as big a pushover as I am. I’m certain I would have tried to be nice to the presenter and would have probably bought an entire set of the knives on credit that would have taken me years to pay for. I listened to more of the spiel from the safety of my bathroom sanctuary, and I heard my wife sounding like she was caving as she saw the knives perform one miracle after another.

Then, I heard how stinkin’ expensive they all were. I couldn’t believe knives cost that much! Surely my money-conscious wife would ask the presenter to come back some other time.  Surely she wouldn’t decide to buy one.

She only caved a little.

In the end, we were the owners of a beautiful, expensive, white-handled knife that resembled a mini-hacksaw.  One knife was all we could afford. When I finally got out of the bathroom, I sat down at the kitchen table in my bathrobe and we both stared at this marvelous knife.  

It really was a thing of wonder.

The knife could cut through plastic, thin pieces of wood, and all types of things.  I often grabbed it to do household fix-it chores.  It was amazing how versatile it was and I couldn’t believe how you could easily transition from super-tough tasks to cutting hot bread fresh out of the oven.

The knife has been something we can depend on. In the midst of uncertainty or busy weeks full of craziness, the 25-year-old knife hangs around in our knife drawer waiting to be depended on. It still cuts just about anything, from roast beef to pieces of twine. 

It’s our go-to knife, because we know it will never let us down. Even after all these years.

And every time I tell this story, I have a hankering for angel food cake.