Henckel's Cheese Plane Cheese in France falls mainly from the plane Contributed By Lynn Hazan

Voulez-vous gouter? Would you like to taste? These words automatically return me to a state of reverie- the remembrance of endless hours of standing behind a small table in front of a Montreal gourmet shop, enticing passing customers to stop for a taste of cheese. There I stood, an eager high school student, working Thursday and Friday night and all day Saturday, slicing my way in English and French, in my voulez vous gouter mantra through endless pounds of cheese. In Montreal, everything was bilingual!

I was the equivalent of a “puller” from the pushcart days, transformed to a mall. Pull the customers into the store, encourage them to linger by the sample table and sell some packages of cheese and cheese slicers.

How I wish I had known of Henkels cheese planes. In those days, my cheese slicers were rather unsophisticated and tended to fall apart. The wooden handle would fall off, thus rendering the utensil totally useless.

In using my Henkels cheese plane, I am now in slicing heaven. Its handle is smooth to the touch and indented, providing a firm grip for the thumb and forefinger. The black handle is elegant in its simplicity. A hole at the end enables it to be hung on a rack, always accessible. A stainless steel plane makes cleaning a snap. Of course, it is dishwasher friendly and will probably last a lifetime.

The plane seems much at home adorning a cheese platter as it does in the hands of a child, preparing a ham and cheese sandwich.

Forget the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. It’s the Henckels’s plane that brings a perfect slice and grace to the dining experience. Take out some wine and cheese and enjoy Audrey & Rex in "My Fair Lady"!