Other bloggers get offered protein bars and cutesy products; companies ask me if I want to play with sharp things and write about it. Somehow, this makes perfect sense.

I’ve often felt out of synch with others in my age group when it comes to certain things. For example, in my early twenties, while all my friends were single and out dating, I was making dinner for two and learning how to fight about money. Now that “all my rowdy friends have settled down,” I find myself fielding their questions about how anybody meets anybody anymore and what The Dating Scene is like (hah). Or we just talk about things like fiber and fertility.

As a Sagittarius (aka the Bachelor Sign) and an introvert, I love my independence and need adequate me-time. That said, there are also wonderful things about relationships. Lovey-dovey stuff aside, one material bonus of being in a couple is sharing kitchen stuff. When my last long-term relationship ended, I think I missed the cutlery more than I missed the company. I guess that says a lot about whether the relationship was really over. Anyway, I remember being particularly bummed about the loss of this one knife I used to love slicing garlic and cubing potatoes with, but I learned to adapt to life without it.

However, this spring, I started to get a little twitchy and decided to buy myself a new chef’s knife and eventually got some new cutting boards. That satisfied me for a while, but then when I was contacted recently* about reviewing a few of the new Zyliss products, I jumped at the chance to try out the coated Santoku Knife, since I’d never really used one like it.

Long story short—I loved it! The blade is nice and sharp and cuts through all different types of foods, which is perfect for when you’re making a dish with lots of ingredients (aka therapeutic soup-making). The handle was also super-comfortable and didn’t slip or leave a blister. The purple color is great too! All in all, it was fun to use and instantly became a favorite. This would make a great holiday gift for a favorite foodie. 

The Easi-Can electric can-opener they also sent scared the hell out of me at first.

Looks a bit like a nesting doll, no?

It took me forever to figure out how to get it on the can the right way (yes, I read the directions), and then once I’d cut the lid off, I couldn’t get the damn thing to turn off! I just kept watching the metal spin as my mind raced through various best- and worst-case scenarios. I think I’m a bit too excitable to handle an electric can-opener. That said, I appreciated that it did not leave jagged edges. It’s also nice that it’s battery-operated. Once I figured it out, though, I liked it a lot. Can’t say for sure whether it will become an everyday item, but nice to have options, right?

*Disclaimer: products for this review were contributed by GigaSavvy