Getting the Edge...

As any aspiring wanna be chef or home cook knows, probably the most important tool (aside from talent) in the array of kitchen gadgets and paraphernalia is a good set of knives.   I should say a good set of sharp knives.  Here is the array available to the Feeder and MFO.  And with a couple of exceptions most are used a lot

Here's a quick tour with notes (right to left)

Offset serrated blade “Bread knife”.  We find lots of uses for this one (seldom used for bread)  quite useful

“French” style Chef’s knife (Flat blade near handle for dicing and mincing).  This is my favorite knife and was the first “real” knife I acquired when my interest in cooking got serious.  So I would guess that that blade is upper thirties years old.  It is a Sabatier, a long time French maker of cutlery

Newer style chef’s knife, a bit stouter than above so use for heavier work (Henckel)

Filet or Boning knife, kind of a flexible blade

Small Chef Knife for more delicate work

Paring knife

Smaller knife.  A note here, this knife came from a box of camping equipment that my parents had for years.  That would place it maybe in the seventy year old range.   MFO likes it because with her slightly arthritic hands it is easier to manage.

Slicing and Carving knives, serrated round end and non serrated pointy end.  These only get used at thanksgiving for turkeys and larger cuts like standing rib roasts.

And underlying all, the trusty steel for honing the edge before almost every use.  NOT used for sharpening..

All the blades are stored in the drawer under the counter, along with other good things like the Oxy peeler, a microplane, the very useful “Lamson Sharp” spatula for delicate things like fish.  Fairly flexible; and the brutal cleaver.

And until I actually looked at this picture, I forgot I had that sharpening stone back there..

And just to complete the counter-top tour (Isn’t this riveting reading?) we got all sorts of other tools.   I am more and more gravitating toward the wooden implements.

And before we got involved in touring he feeder's knife drawer, we mentioned that having sharp knives is crucial to good kitchen technique.  All of the cutlery above was gathered over a number of years, and keeping them all sharp is a daunting task.  Old traditional me, for years I used what is lovingly called a Norton Tri – Stone

Inside is a triangular set of stones of varying grit from coarse to fine

So you get some honing oil, (usually) start with the coarse one (showing above) and stroke your blade to even it, then gradually get to the finer ones to produce a sharp edge.  Controlling the angle takes quite a bit of skill and it is a long process.   So finally the Feeder caved in and purchased an electric model, a Chef’s Choice 1520 diamond wheel model

It is built to handle both “European/American” traditional knives with a twenty degree bevel (each side) and also slots for the newer, very trendy, and EXPENSIVE “Japanese” or Asian blades which have a slightly skinnier fifteen degree bevel.  

The slots make it easy to maintain the correct angle.  The third set of slots to the right are to “hone” the blade as it seems stroking it through the grinding slots produces a “burr” so you run it through the last set a few times when you’re done to remove it, which it does quite nicely.

I’m still learning but it seems like a serviceable device.  One more gadget in the kitchen..

All that glitters…Olympic ramblings

No, I’m not going to give the medal standings…nor am I going to comment on Ryan Lochte’s amazing situation..

What I will comment on (verging on Rants) are a few things I observed watching the games, which for the most part (see, I can be positive) have been enjoyable to see. 

Commercials:   I continue to be amused at Chevy claiming that their ads are populated by “Real People, Not Actors”, although I do share the opinion that (some) actors are actually not “real”. 

And an interesting comment on American culture  is that there is a commercial (Samsung?) showing groups of people clustered around a TV, or kids peering into glowing devices, while the musical background vocal proclaims “everything is better on a screen”.  Life is better when you don’t have to interact with actual human beings (I guess real people).

And the “sideline ladies” keep topping themselves.   Was watching the semi-final of the women’s volleyball (a great sport for both genders) and the US lost the tense match to the Ukraine team.  The teams split the four sets and then went to the (15 point by two) tie breaker which the Americans lost 15 – 13. It was a thrilling match with great plays on both sides, but in the end the Ukraine was victorious by the narrowest possible margin.   So here’s what’s her name announcer sticking the microphone in Karch Kiraly’s face, a class guy whom I am sure felt like he had just had his heart kind ripped, out and actually said:  “Coach you lost that tie breaker!  What went wrong?”; thereby (IMHO) displaying a complete lack of understanding of sports and the typical position that the USA is entitled to win every game, and so when they don’t, something is “wrong”.  I have to admire coach Kiraly’s response in: a) not shoving the microphone down her throat; and b) calmly making a very classy answer pointing out that the Ukraine was a very good team, both teams played their guts out, and they just made some plays that the USA didn’t.  He gets it.  He’s been there.   The USA team went on to win the Bronze medal. 

Well, tomorrow is the end of the 2016 Olympics, and I guess it didn’t turn out as bad as the pre-event dire predictions made it out to be.  I enjoyed soccer (without the Hope Solo antics), the golf (I’ll bet Rory, Jordan, Dustin, etc., regret their decision now), and like most, the “off beat” sports like white water canoeing, race walking, and some of the equestrian events.   Badminton and table tennis are not sports I am familiar with.  And as I wrap this up, they are broadcasting women’s mountain biking.  Wow…  (I tuned away from the women’s gold medal BBall game, figuring Auriemma’s ladies could pull out the game when leading Spain by 30 in the third quarter)

I would not be devastated if NBC did not get the next contract but probably have or will.  I hope their ratings plummet.

Wonder if there are culinary categories?  If not, I’ll be content to

DFD