It used to be frowned upon as a symbol of bad luck, but today good knives are one of the most coveted wedding gifts for couples who love to cook.

At Knife, you’ll find a stunning selection of Japanese knives (most are handmade) plus water stones to keep them breathtakingly sharp. Owner Eugene (a one-time chef) is on hand to talk you through the various types, and will also sharpen blades, if you bring them in.

Never a dull moment!

Knife, 658 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-996-8609, www.knifetoronto.com

Sharpening, cross-chopping, slicing, julienning—there’s more than one way to cut a carrot. We put our knife skills to the test with a three-hour class at Calphalon.

Our fruit salad turned out peachy, minus the mushy mango and uneven apple matchsticks. We gobbled that up and moved on to preparing our mise-en-place for a stir-fry.

Our instructor Susie and her assistant Estelle were superb, talking us through techniques (for basil chiffonade place leaves in a little pile, roll up like a cigar and roll-slice) while throwing in bits of trivia along the way (never put good knives in the dishwasher or they will blunt). A huge, handy mirror helped us mimic the instructions.

With shrimp stir-fry for six, and all ten fingers intact, we headed for home.

$130/3-hour class, Calphalon, 425 King St. W., Toronto, 416-847-2212, www.calphalonculinarycenter.com

Dicing an onion with a dull blade is like climbing a mountain in roller skates. It'll surely end in tears.

Keeping knives in good condition is simple yet important. If a knife is polished smooth, it can only add shine to the finished dish.

Sharpen your Henckels at Word of Mouth in Forest Hill Village. Within two days your blades ($6 small, $8 large) will be as good as new and you'll be slicing with the finesse of a sashimi chef.

Word of Mouth, 398A Spadina Rd., Toronto, 416-488-6155.