Life has been something of a whirlwind lately. I made it through the Seattle leg of my book tour and now I’m now in Portland, hanging out with the family, teaching canning and getting ready to be on TV in the morning (I’ll be doing a pickle demo on AM Northwest at 9 am tomorrow morning).
Soon, I hope to do a bit more of a Seattle round-up, as well as post a recipe (this is still a food blog, after all) and remind you Portlanders that I’ll be at the Hawthorne Powell’s on Saturday at 2 pm. However, there’s a giveaway that I’ve been promising for weeks and I have to get it up before another day goes by.
Back in April, the folks from Wüsthof got in touch to tell me about their Defining the Edge campaign and asked if I’d be interested in helping spread the word about the campaign and also do a giveaway of their new 7-inch Chai Dao knife. After losing a good half-hour watching the chef-focused videos and how-to segments they’d produced for the campaign, I said yes.
I love good, creative video that features people doing interesting stuff in food and think that the segments they produced were worth sharing. They managed to select three people who deserve the spotlight, including San Francisco’s Richie Nakano (I knew him originally from his blog Line Cook and he wrote a really interesting and honest essay about participating in the campaign).
I’m also always willing to check out a new knife. I love cutlery and I’m constantly on the look-out for a new favorite tool. Before I left Philly for this tour, I was really enjoying having this curved-blade, easy to rock knife as part of my kitchen workforce. I think it will come in very handy this summer as I head into the season of chopping, mincing and breaking down massive piles of produce (the wide blade is awesome for smashing garlic).
If you’re interested in winning yourself 7-inch Chai Dao, here’s what you need to do.
- Leave a comment on this post and share what motivates you in the kitchen. Good produce? Music? Delicious chocolate?
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Thursday, June 21, 2012
- Giveaway is open to U.S. readers only. My apologies to those in Canada and beyond.
- One entry/comment per person, please.
If you’re interested in watching some of the videos that Wüsthof produced, I’ve included them after the jump.
Disclosure: Wüsthof sent me a Chai Bao knife so that I could try it out and take pictures of it for this post. I received no other compensation for this post. My opinions are all my own and have not been influenced by the receipt of the knife.
For more information and the occasional giveaway, make sure to follow the Wüsthof Facebook page.
Having the opportunity to try a new recipe or cook with a new ingredient is what motivates me. It keeps things interesting and the end product more times than not is worth the reward.
Hope I win! My favorite kitchen knife is a Wusthof.
Joining a CSA box program is a super motivator, but also the delight of my family when they hear I’ll be making something.
Exciting local unique produce and some Rev. Horton Heat. 🙂
I am motivated by the social aspect of cooking: sharing my food with the people I love, talking to my parents about the new things I’ve tried, and learning from the people around me.
The sharing of the results with family & friends motivates me in the kitchen. Also, having the perfect tool(s) to do the job gets me excited to get started.
There’s lots of motivation, but big events where people I love gather generally inspire me to overwhelming kitchen feats – 3 wedding cakes in 22 hours! it’s thanksgiving, let’s make 10 pies! – etc.
Spending time with hubby and crafting something tasty is what motivates me in the kitchen.
I am motivated by rhythm of the prep. I love good knives and I love prepping ingredients. That is what motivates me.
I have worked in produce retail shops for over thirty years and have loved to cook even longer. I live on the Mississipi gulf coast. So, the bounty of fresh seafood is there for the taking, and I try to do my fair share of harvesting as often as possibe. Fishing is right after cooking on my “to-do list.” Fresh seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables inspire my culinary tastes for the cajun cuisine, and wielding fine cutlery is essential to preparing sexy meals.
What motivates me is the delicious results! My motto is that life is too short to eat bad food.
Baroque classical music and a sweet black lab sleeping in front of the sink. “`scuse me, Buddy, I need some water. Thanks.”
My CSA share delivery awaiting my arrival on Friday evening after a long work week motivates me. A new, nice knife would be terrific accompaniment to the share.
Food is my art and my soul. I started gardening, and now farming, so I can have the very best and most fresh food. A new tool in the kitchen would be a much needed addition. You can never have enough knives, especially when the harvest has to be preserved.
My children motivate me. I want them eating great tasting and healthy meals.
Fruits and veggies from my CSA – the colors and flavors are unbeatable!
I am an artist, a painter by trade. In my kitchen as in my work I love both to try new methods, styles, and ingredients. In the end the real reward is my work bringing my loved ones, friends, and friends-to-be together to share something special. I love it when my food can make someone smile.