Ken

Not long after watching the smash hit movie Kung Fu Panda, I got to thinking... Why can't I write a blockbuster like that? After all, I watched a ton of Kung Fu movies as a kid, and they all seemed pretty much the same to me.

But then I realized that I was way too ...

Bart Simpson's Worst Nightmare:Sideshow Bob Carved From Mexican Turnip

Though it's hard to believe that The Simpsons has been on the air for nearly twenty years, my devotion to the show has not waned. I've been a fan for all of those years, following the ups and downs of this simple yellow family and their community.

And yet, there was one character that always seemed a bit underrated to me. One man who could change the tone of an entire episode with a wink, a nod, and a witty retort.

Gorgeous Gourmands Who Work Miracles With a Chef's Knife

Is it just me, or have the cooking shows gotten a bit sexier lately? Maybe I've been living under a rock, but when I start to see celebrity chefs posing half-naked on the ...

A side dish from the Dark Side:Sculpt Jar Jar Binks out of a root vegetable.

Like just about every other kid growing up in the late twentieth century, I could never get enough of Star Wars. So it's no surprise that a grown-up Jedi-wannabe with a knack for the culinary arts would turn to Star Wars food carvings for entertainment.

I admit it, I've got a thing for babes with blades. Something about stunning beauty coupled with impending peril really sharpens my blade.

With that in mind, I've compiled the ultimate list of hot sword fighting movie actresses.

On this list, you'll see......

Choosing knives is one of the most important decisions an avid cook can make. Knives are among the most used tools in the kitchen, but can also be some of the most mysterious for buyers. One problem is that price doesn't always correlate with quality. Another is that a knife's performance "out of the box" may deteriorate rapidly upon frequent use. Add in unsubstantiated marketing claims, shady salespeople peddling hard-to-recognize brand names, and buying a knife can end up resembling buying a used car.

The good news is that a short list of expert tips can help you get educated in a hurry. Following those tips will ensure that you get the most appropriate knives for your budget. These tips can certainly save you a bundle of money but, more importantly, will help you walk away with great knives. If you've never wielded a light, razor-sharp Japanese Chef's knife, you're in for a real treat.

After I've laid out these tips, I'll apply them to a set of price ranges and make specific knife recommendations. Of course, choosing knives is a personal decision. You'll want to consider your style of cooking, how often you cook and the tasks you frequently perform. But the recommendations should serve as a good starting point -- they're all great knives and are priced appropriately.

In the market for a new set of kitchen knives? If you've read our advice to only buy essential knives, you may find yourself wondering why you need a knife set at all. What about just buying a few good knives and filling in the rest as you need them?

For years, the only name in Kitchen knives were Wusthof and Henckels. Consumers were told that the best knife was one that could withstand the rigors of the kitchen. It had to be heavy, had to have a thick bar in the middle of it to protect the cook's fingers, and it had to be dishwasher safe. And since they were the only game in town, nobody thought twice about it.

This went on for quite some time. These German knife makers produced a quality product that consumers liked, so there was no real reason to change things.

So when an upstart Japanese knife maker named Yoshinkin came along offering their quirky Global knives, the Germans paid them no mind. But there was one small problem -- people LOVED Global Knives. They were razor-sharp, light and had no bulky bolster in the middle of the knife to get in the way of cutting and re-sharpening.

It's natural to assume that the bigger a set of knives is, the "better" it is. And additional pieces are often discounted when added to a set. "Why get the small set when you can get the large one for just a few bucks more?" the thinking goes.

There are a few problems with this logic. First and foremost, most hobbyist chefs do not need all of the knives included in a large set. Having four different paring knives might be useful if you're a professional cook and need to have the perfect tool for every task but, for the rest of us, it's overkill.

The other problem with buying a set loaded up with extra pieces is that those extra pieces are often just "filler". Adding 7 steak knives to a set is a popular way to bulk it up, as is adding a kitchen shears, sharpening steel and knife block.

You may want some of those items but, if you're trying to get the best bang for the buck, focus on getting the best "essential" blades. You can always add those extra pieces later. Those extra pieces are likely to be quite inexpensive when not purchased as part of a set.

Many hobbyist cooks underestimate the value of a knife's sharpness. When they first bring a new knife home, they're thrilled with how well it feels and how well it cuts.

Six months later, their knives are now dull as a doornail. The cook wonders why they didn't hold up so well and goes off in search of newer, better knives.

But wait just a minute there! A little maintenance can go a long way toward preserving sharpness. Do it right and you can extend the life of your knives indefinitely. Learn about maintenance before you buy knives and you can save yourself a ton of money.

If you want great performance from your knives, look for knives that are sharp and will remain sharp with proper maintenance instead of ones that are "maintenance free."

Don't know how to maintain knives? Read on....

Ever make cookies? Then you know how any single recipe can produce a markedly different result. Kitchen blades' primary component -- steel -- can be created with any number of different recipes, each resulting in a blade with unique properties.
Hardness
Depending on the recipe used, a steel will have a varying degree of "hardness". Hardness in kitchen knives is a good thing -- the harder a blade, the sharper an edge it can tolerate. Just like with cookies, though, too much of a good thing can be overkill. Blades that are too hard can be brittle and prone to breaking or even shattering. Ceramic blades have become less popular in recent years due to their brittleness. Drop a ceramic knife on the floor and you're out your $300.

Hardness is measured on the Rockwell Hardness Scale (HRC). Measurements are typically in the 55-60 range. Some of the sharpest Japanese knives are hardened to an HRC of more than 60, while Wusthof and Henckels knives are typically closer to 55. It might not sound like much, but a few points on the Rockwell scale can make a big difference.

Blade hardness is probably the biggest difference between Japanese and German knives. Japanese knives are hard, sharp surgical instruments. They are razor-sharp but require careful handling. German knives are duller but require less maintenance. See The Rise and Fall of The Great Knife-Makers for more on this distinction.