CharlieD
Chef Extraordinaire
When it comes to the kitchen, I don't do much of anything my mother does. She keeps her cheap knives in a crock next to the stove, so they can knock against each other, dulling and damaging the blades. She was too impatient to teach me much about cooking, so I've learned on my own, plus taking several classes, plus two months in culinary school (I had to withdraw for medical reasons, but I was there long enough to keep the knife kit! ).
A good chef's knife is a great tool that makes cooking much easier. Just like quality cookware. YMMV, of course
I could have written that myself. To the T