Eiron's Profile
What would you call the shape of this knife?
I'd call it a santoku, but others may know of a more accurate name for it. Look for Shun's older line of "Alton's Angle" knives. The handles all come off the blades at the angle of your Cadie. But be prepared for sticker-shock!
:-D
steel knives - can i season them like a wok?
"Be results driven, not status."
Jeez, you're gonna take all the fun right out of it, aren't you?
;-)
Store Japanese Water Stones in Water?
I don't think it's an issue of "boring" so much as "untried" here on CH. I remember the question being discussed over on Knife Forums a while back & the answers were pretty much the same as Chem's response: each brand (& maybe models within brands?) responds differently to prolonged soaking. Some tolerate it fairly well, but others don't hold up. You might have luck searching for King soak results over there. Or maybe emailing King?
Otherwise, I think the general recommendation on KF was also "try it & see."
I have 1 Ohishi & 2 Suehiro stones, but my knives need sharpening so infrequently that I have no need to continually soak them. I drop them in water first, & then set up my other stuff, & if they need more time I can make an espresso. :-)
Do I need these knives?
From the brief sound of things, I'd say get your santoku sharp first & see if you feel you need something bigger. I love both my 7" santoku & 8.3" gyuto. The santoku is more maneuverable since it's shorter, & the longer gyuto lets me slice better. But I keep both knives very sharp (my wife says too sharp), so working with either one is a pleasure.
I enjoy my serrated knife for bread, so I can recommend one for you too. :-) No, it's not necessary (my gyuto slices bread just as easily & more cleanly), but if you cut crusty breads then a serrated knife will work more easily than my gyuto. And if your santoku is properly sharp then you shouldn't need a serrated to cleanly slice thru tomatos.
Help me with my Henckel knife - Re: Sharpening
I wouldn't gauge your paper test by what you see in the video. He's putting a narrower/steeper (& sharper) edge on that knife than what you'll get from your machine. Just strive for a consistent cutting ability along the entire edge.
Edit:
I don't know about the Henckels santoku, but the Wusthof santoku is actually ground to a narrower/steeper edge than their Euro models. Of course, your Presto motorized sharpener will put a standard Euro edge on your knife regardless of what it had before.
Beston 220 grit stone - my first experience
"I've been curious for a while about taking a thicker, German style knife and ..."
Interesting that you should mention this. I was thinking along the same lines. :-) I just picked up a 10" Mercer Genesis chef knife that I'm going to reprofile into the shape of an 8" Shun chef knife. My suspicion is that the steel won't accommodate too much thinning, but I guess I'll find out.
I finally figured out how to get Teflon clean
NO!! You should MIX the water & detergent together & THEN wash with the sun to your left!! NEVER wash your Teflon at night!!!!
The Nippon knife vs Teutonic knife arguments pale in comparison! Sacrificial preparations mean nothing if the receptacle for your offerings is not cleansed in a worthy manner!!
I finally figured out how to get Teflon clean
You should know by now that EVERYTHING is an emotional topic here!
:-D
Recommend Japanese waterstones f/ a beginner
Yeah, I went a year before buying a flattener. It's not an immediate need.
I finally figured out how to get Teflon clean
I like the way green Scotch-Brite makes my Teflon soft & fluffy...
Care and feeding of copper pans
"... Next step: milk cow and butter churn?"
LOL! - For you or your wife?? Or is it your evil plan to take this course with *all* of the conveniences of modern life?
Step 1: Replace modern convenience with obsolete technology
Step 2: Perform obsolete method poorly
Step 3: Encourage wife's Mad Skilz at producing superior Olde Tyme results
Step 4: Repeat steps 1 thru 3
Step 5: Rest in hammock
:-D
Care and feeding of copper pans
I think that's because of the bleach in Comet, not the grit size.
But (as always) I could be wrong...
Knife Sharpening: How Much is Too Much?
Your "hone" may be okay as long as you use almost zero pressure on the blade. Otherwise, you're probably better off with something like the Lansky "crock stick" setup that Kaleo mentioned:
http://lansky.com/index.php/products/2-rod-turn-box/
It sounds like your sharpening guy is putting a little steeper-than-normal edge on your Wusthofs, which would explain why the edges go noticeably dull so quickly. The linked ceramic rod setup offers two different angles for you to use. You just hold the knife vertically & let it "fall" along the rod as you pull back.
Edit: Oh, BTW, what's your "suitable cutting surface"?
Knife Sharpening: How Much is Too Much?
... says the man with OCKSD ...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687069
Care and feeding of copper pans
Hey Kaleo! It wouldn't matter if RW said NOT to dishwasher them, 'cuz there's no way we would've hand washed 'em for all these years! LOL. I mostly posted the observation 'cuz I found the occurance interesting. We got these pans as wedding presents many years ago, & at that time we were young & foolish & easily impressed by marketing. Now we're just older... ;-) But you won't find my Baumalu or AC-CC pans in the dishwasher.
The handles & knobs are just as dried & ghostly looking as you'd expect. Maybe a little better than you'd expect, but not much. With the new ceramic top stove, my wife has finally taken an interest in *real* copper pans, but the prospect of hand washing is a huge deterrent to her. So I've started looking for a couple of nicer AC pots & pans to replace the RW stuff. CC if I can find the right pieces, but the regular tri-ply stuff is okay too. Unfortunately, both of the closest TJM & Marshalls stores seem to have stopped carrying AC in favor of more, uh, "economic" offerings.
Masahiro guidance.
Jim, looking at the handle, I'd say this is similar to their curent MV series & intended for customers wanting a western style gyuto. The 220 would indicate original blade length (8-3/4"), so if it's been shortened to 7" it's either seen a lot of sharpening or (more likely?) the tip's been broken off once or twice.
I don't have a Masahiro, but judging by your pictures I'd give it nice 16°-18° bevel on each side & see how it holds up.
Nice find! Others may have more/better info for you. :-)
Care and feeding of copper pans
"I have a copper bottomed steel top frying pan."
We have a few older Revere Ware copper-bottom (exterior plated) pots & sauce pans. We've never polished the outsides and so the copper quickly became brown and mottled in appearance.
About 9 mos ago we got a new Kitchen Aid dishwasher. This dishwasher came with a free starter supply of Finish Powerball detergent "tabs" (little compressed bricks of detergent that you drop into the dispenser cup). My wife liked the convenience so much that we started buying them regularly.
A few months ago I noticed that the copper plating on some of our Revere Ware pans were gleaming as brightly as if they'd just come off the manufacturing line. I asked my wife if she'd been polishing the copper bottoms of these pans, and she looked at me like I'd just asked her to change the oil in the cars. (Uh, that would be a resounding "Are you out of your freakin' mind?!?")
That's when I realized that the only pans that were polished were the ones that regularly see the dishwasher. These pans have always gone in the dishwasher, but have never looked like this before. Besides the Finish Powerball tabs, the KA also has a "high temp wash" cycle that we regularly use. It could be just the detergent, or it could be a combination of the tabs & the hotter wash. Either way, it's removing the oxidation from the surface of the copper with no mechanical scrubbing from us.
Just an observation...
Looking for suggestions for a knife as a weding present for vegetarians
LOL - so you WANT to be known as "crazy Uncle Mikie"?
Sounds like something I'd do. Along with a note that says, "I was going to make a unique gift for a unique couple, but was tiold you preferred cash." And include a picture of one of your show-stopping boards & an ink-pattern J-knife with the wad of Euros. ;-)
Cheap but decent knives for single, irresponsible guy
Chem, how would you rate it for value? I mean, for $5, it sounds like it would be an excellent knife for college kids who might not keep track of their stuff.
Not that THAT ever happens to college kids...
Looking for great coffee maker
mcf, thanks, I'll give it a try. Do you use it by itself or should I mix it with my normal amount of liquid dishwashing soap?
Looking for great coffee maker
Cindy, it appears as though the "dishwashing booster" is a "rinse aid" product (similar to Jet-Dry?). But I could be wrong (I've never used a rinse aid until about 6 mos ago when we got our new KA dishwasher, & it came with Jet-Dry). I already use the powder for laundry, so I'm going to give that a try the next time I soak the pot.
Choosing a wine refrigerator
Hmmm, the reviews on Avanti aren't very promising, are they? I think I'd be more comfortable spending an extra $100 on this Frigidaire:
http://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-FFWC38F6LS-Bottle-Two-Zone-Cooler/dp/B004353PIM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_la_5
Considering they're an established refrigerator brand, I would think you'd get the performance of the boutique brands without paying for the label.
Choosing a wine refrigerator
Yikes! Makes me glad I've got a basement! :-)
If you're just storing for short-term, frequent use, then why "invest" in a high-end wine fridge at all? Wouldn't a regular dual-climate bar fridge provide the exact same service? I understand the desire for a nice-looking box (w/glass doors), but it seems like anything labeled "wine fridge" automatically bumps the prices 4x to 10x!
If it were me (which it's not), I'd consider something like this:
http://www.bar-fridges-australia.com.au/product/550/Wine_and_Beer_Fridge_64Litre__Wine_and_Beer
Of course, that's Australian market.
Here in the States I'd be looking at something like two of these (stacked, maybe?):
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6771982502P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM5886579609
Looking for great coffee maker
Yes, I agree, the soapy water soak & scrub is not *really* effective. With my hook-shaped brush I can get the sides & curved top clean, but not the bottom 1/3 (due to the bump in the middle).
I've been thinking of switching from white vinegar to citric acid for descaling. (I just need to remember to look for it when I'm running errands; *remembering* being the hardest part!) So I'm wondering if this descaling solution might also aid in removing the stains from the pot?
Looking for great coffee maker
Hi Cindy,
I use a hot-water-&-dish-soap soak once a month, & this brush:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/plastic-bristle-bowl-brush-10-5-inch-hook.html
But I have the smaller (one liter) KBTS unit & the carafe is shorter than the 741 carafes. For the taller 741 thermal carafe I'd buy one of those long-handled "coffee urn" nylon bristle brushes.
It doesn't work perfectly on the KBTS, mostly because the bottom of the short thermal carafe has a raised center that interferes with even surface contact by the brush. But I try not to worry too much about it. (Some days I'm more successful at not worrying than others!) Since the boiling chamber is copper, I don't like running any more acidic cleaners thru the machine than I have to (to avoid them reacting with the copper). But that's just my preference. Right now I descale only about twice a year with 50/50 white vinegar & water.
The other point to keep in mind is that I usually only use my drip brewer on the weekends, when I have time to relax & enjoy it. (Weekday coffee is either espresso before I leave the house or French Press at work.) So if I was brewing every day I'd probably use the brush on it once every week or two.
How many different knives do you use daily ?
:-)
(you know I'm joking with you, right?)
And I talk to "unbalanced" people all of the time!
(that pretty much covers everyone I work with...)
:-D
How many different knives do you use daily ?
"So it really is a question 'Do we *need* Eiron writes to us or is that a luxury?'"
:'(
How many different knives do you use daily ?
Ah, see? I don't peel my apples; I eat the peel. Kiwis, though...
Then I guess the next question is, "Do we 'need' to balance our knives?"
Or is this, as iliria says, a luxury? :-)
