I got my first “knife kit” in culinary school.  It was a big, heavy, black suitcase meant to hold all of our culinary equipment – peelers, spoons, knives, pastry brushes, thermometers, whisks, etc.  It was utilitarian, and ugly as sin. I crammed so much stuff into that kit, it’s a miracle that I managed to drag it around New York City for over a year without back strain.

After graduation, my kit became a storage container for all the tools that wouldn’t fit into my small Queens kitchen.  As time went on (and as I moved into larger digs), the tools inside the kit found their way into my kitchen drawers, and now it sits, dusty, in the basement of my Danbury home, with very few items left inside (plastic pastry bags, mostly). 

These days, if I am working a catering gig and need to bring my knives and tools with me (always a good idea so you have a sharp knife to work with), I use a much lighter knife roll instead of an entire kit.  This super cool one from Messermeister always gets a comment or two from my fellow caterers, and it makes me smile to think of how far I’ve come.