Yeah, I've got one 100mm carbon knife (kind of a petty) and when it's honed up it's the sharpest thing in the arsenal, hands down. It's not a knife I have others use as the few times I have, it gets forgotten with water on it and I have to grind off the rust.
The Forschners are a good value, that's for sure! Sounds like you've got a good kit.
The Forschners are a good value, that's for sure! Sounds like you've got a good kit.
That's fine for whittlin' around a campfire but not much good in the kitchen if your knuckles bottom out before the blade does. Great in the bush though.
This is the one I carry on my person at all times. I've never been asked more than once to donate to the street thugs.
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If it gets rusty, and you dont mind some stains, soak it in really strong vinegar for a while. Sort of hardens the rust and stops it dead, dry it out for a few days after you sharpen it, then use a paper towel with regular food oil. Takes much more to start rusting again. Works for me.
I likewise enjoy this when I get some spare time. But I also enjoy polishing shoes.
I was close to making a leather strop out of an old belt then sliced half a fingernail off not taking care and decided the knife was sharp enough. It does need redoing now. Plain old sheffield steel for me.
As an art teacher said real kolinsky sable brushes won't improve your paintings.
I find Sheffield knives to be very reasonably priced, certainly cheaper than Wüsthof if a bit limited in choice.
steak knives and kitchen knives Page 1
steak knives and kitchen knives Page 1
certainly better than my cooking skills. Wife does hate taking me to cook shops as I drool over the expensive knives even if I know I will never buy one.
Same here, except it doesn't matter which shop it is as long as it's not shoes, makeup or clothes.
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of folding knives, a few of them have failed me. Much prefer a regular one, even a cheap classic Mora knife (which are great in most cases, and they can take a beating).
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Derfy,
You need to take a good look at the edge of the blade after grinding, stroping or using a steel. There are differences not just from the method but also from the type of steel in the blade.
I wouldn't consider a stainless steel alloy to be in contention for a top grade blade. The Damascus style steels are of course the exception. One of my future projects may be to make some knife steel. It will have a core of a very hard but brittle alloy extremely thin. This will be clad with a slightly softer steel and then clad again in a protective alloy.
Kind of a project I can do locally but probably practical in only three or four other regions.
As to hand sharpening, I learned long ago the secret to doing it right. When done wrong there is a curve to the blade's edge.
I do have a bit of kit to sharpen tools. In grinders I go from about 80 grit wheels down to polishing wet stones (both flat and vertical) all the way to not just a leather stroping wheel but even a cloth one. It is needed to keep my tools sharp, but even so there are still some I have to send out. Yes I can even sharpen drill bits. (I keep from 1/32" to 5/8" stepping by 1/64" in stock, reordering most sizes by 12 pieces when running low.). ((Also quite a few metric and number size drill bits.))
Still haven't found a use for drill bits in cooking! But we did get off on sharpening and drill bits can be difficult requiring not just balanced edges but also proper angles depending on the material to be drilled.
You need to take a good look at the edge of the blade after grinding, stroping or using a steel. There are differences not just from the method but also from the type of steel in the blade.
I wouldn't consider a stainless steel alloy to be in contention for a top grade blade. The Damascus style steels are of course the exception. One of my future projects may be to make some knife steel. It will have a core of a very hard but brittle alloy extremely thin. This will be clad with a slightly softer steel and then clad again in a protective alloy.
Kind of a project I can do locally but probably practical in only three or four other regions.
As to hand sharpening, I learned long ago the secret to doing it right. When done wrong there is a curve to the blade's edge.
I do have a bit of kit to sharpen tools. In grinders I go from about 80 grit wheels down to polishing wet stones (both flat and vertical) all the way to not just a leather stroping wheel but even a cloth one. It is needed to keep my tools sharp, but even so there are still some I have to send out. Yes I can even sharpen drill bits. (I keep from 1/32" to 5/8" stepping by 1/64" in stock, reordering most sizes by 12 pieces when running low.). ((Also quite a few metric and number size drill bits.))
Still haven't found a use for drill bits in cooking!
But we did get off on sharpening and drill bits can be difficult requiring not just balanced edges but also proper angles depending on the material to be drilled.
Still haven't found a use for drill bits in cooking!
... Except as an easier, faster way to get to the coconut juice?
Cal, some form of Sami knife would still be my choice if I could have only 1 knife for the rest of my life. Not the best for any 1 particular task, but you can use it for shaving, for chopping off branches, for cooking, for skinning and parting, and just about anything else you need a knife for.
Here's a long one for you to scare off those whelps with:
https://www.marttiini.fi/epages/Mar...jectPath=/Shops/MarttiiniShop/Products/280015
For a while I carried a Kershaw of some sort at all times, but they aren't the most comfortable things in the world unless you go expensive. Nowadays I carry an Opinel no.8 Carbone with me everywhere, and it's honestly my favorite folding knife to use for most tasks. If I need something more rough use I use a Leatherman multi-tool.
I bought my big carbon steel knife back when I was in college, 40 years ago or so. It's stained but has never rusted. My go to tool for any heavy work in the kitchen, like splitting a butternut squash or slicing a watermelon. Could probably double as a short sword for a Hobbit.
We were given one small Cutco serrated knife as a wedding present. Biased as I am against serrated blades for general use, I have to say that thing slices a tomato as thin as I could ask with no trouble and needs no sharpening.
We were given one small Cutco serrated knife as a wedding present. Biased as I am against serrated blades for general use, I have to say that thing slices a tomato as thin as I could ask with no trouble and needs no sharpening.
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From a bigpack of minced meat I prepared kotletki (russian for minced meat beefs) for a week and still had a few one with some mashed potatis joined by a sad carrot and cheese. Had no lighter beer in the fridge but the coffe stout is light enough, especially joined by a genever.
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A "Friend" dropped off a bag of ghost peppers. For those unfamiliar with it, the first pepper found to exceed 1,000,000 scovill units of heat. There are today about half a dozen hotter.
Drying them they give off a wonderful sweet smell. However the wise wear gloves to handle them.
I find a single seed is about the right amount to put a bowl of chilli above most folk's tolerance.
Drying them they give off a wonderful sweet smell. However the wise wear gloves to handle them.
I find a single seed is about the right amount to put a bowl of chilli above most folk's tolerance.
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I brought a bottle of Ghost Pepper sauce to the catered Indian Food lunch at Burning Amp 2019, two weekends ago. Attendees seemed to like it very much, and several of them thanked me for the spicy goodness.
The one I brought is made in Austin Texas and sold on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX4R3GX/
The one I brought is made in Austin Texas and sold on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX4R3GX/
Why not go all the way crystal cap 16Meg Scovills. Crystalline Capsaicin Powder - Pure and Natural - Multiple Sizes
Because in addition to heat they have flavor. I can leave the seeds out for less heat and keep some flavor.
I plan to plant the seeds in my tulip bed to see if that will discourage the deer from eating the tulips.
I'd never claim sheffield make the best chefs knives but they are certainly better than my cooking skills
I bought this at a little Chinese place downtown today, dirt cheap:
And this to make it work:
Also a wok, but it's in the oven seasoning. The place I'm staying in (for one more week) has a couple of nice knives but dull as dishwater. They are reasonably sharp now.
Oh, the cleaver is "Kiwi Brand", made in Thailand. The working part of the blade is 7.5 inches.
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Interesting a common stone in Japan would be 1000/6000 grit. My father's bottle of 3 micron diamond powder got tossed by my mother after he passed away. One of his jobs was to prep and examine samples of iron/steel before massive castings like the generators at Niagra Falls were made.