How do you normally cut? I tend to use a rocking cut, but apparently Japanese knives are thinner than western blades and that type of cut puts stress on the blade and can cause chipping. I've got one on the way so I've been looking into it lately. I think Miyabi's are on the thicker side but you might want to check it out. I definitely wouldn't cut through bones or lobsters with it though. Save that tough work for the thicker western blades.
Question on the knife - do you all use it primarily for slicing or chopping? Is it meant to be used one way or the other (or another)?
Cliffy's knife would be categorized as a Chef's knife. (right, Cliffy?) A Chef's knife is your all purpose knife which can handle just about any task. If you're going with one knife in your arsenal, defo get a Chef's knife. If you're doing a lot of butchering or making a lot of sashimi, you'd probably want to look into more task oriented knives.
Looking forward to seeing what you have on the way. If your food is any indication, it will be pretty impressive! That's good to know. Yes, it's a chef's knife (8 inches). It is definitely not tooo thin, but thinner than my everyday guy, a Henckels that I love and is much thicker. Will definitely continue to use that for everyday use and only break out the new one for certain things.
I am a rocking cut guy too, so that's good to know
Since we are talking knives, here is my favorite. It is a Henckel 8 inch chef knife. I love it. I had only had cheap knives in the past. This has definitely made a difference. I think it will be need to be sharpened soon. Do you all sharpen your own, or take it somewhere?
Since we are talking knives, here is my favorite. It is a Henckel 8 inch chef knife. I love it. I had only had cheap knives in the past. This has definitely made a difference. I think it will be need to be sharpened soon. Do you all sharpen your own, or take it somewhere?
Henckel's are great knives. I've had one for years. I'm no expert, and I'm only beginning to sharpen at home. I usually take my Henckel's to my local butcher who sharpens it for me. Here's the thing- most stainless steel types are difficult to sharpen on a whetstone, especially VG-10 steel which I think most Henckel's are. There are a lot of knife forums online that will give you better answers. If you look closely at the writing on the blade it will probably say what type of steel it is.
Knives. Tricky thing. Where I live there are no commercial sharpeners or they are just a pain to get to. I have been gifted serious Japanese knives that require constant care and honestly I am not sure its worth the effort unless you cook multiple meals every day. Plus my wife has a tendency to drop them, resulting in bent tips. We have a Henkels set that is 20 plus years old and they are great. For every day use, its a wooden handled Victorinox that I probably replace every five years or whenever my wife drops it. Works great and holds an edge with just a basic manual sharpener. If you want to see how crazy people get with their knives check out this site https://www.korin.com/ A lot of other cool stuff in there as well such as the Japanese grills and the binchotan charcoal. Do not gasp when you see the prices for Japanese charcoal.
Since we are talking knives, here is my favorite. It is a Henckel 8 inch chef knife. I love it. I had only had cheap knives in the past. This has definitely made a difference. I think it will be need to be sharpened soon. Do you all sharpen your own, or take it somewhere?
Henckel's are great knives. I've had one for years. I'm no expert, and I'm only beginning to sharpen at home. I usually take my Henckel's to my local butcher who sharpens it for me. Here's the thing- most stainless steel types are difficult to sharpen on a whetstone, especially VG-10 steel which I think most Henckel's are. There are a lot of knife forums online that will give you better answers. If you look closely at the writing on the blade it will probably say what type of steel it is.
Thanks for the advice. There is a place in my neighborhood that offers knife sharpening services. Maybe when things open up again, I will check it out. I know there are those sharpeners you can buy where you slide the knife through. But I don’t know how good they are and I don’t want to ruin my knife.
I have one of those cheap sharpeners with the V notches, where you just slide the knife toward you a few times. I love it! I use it at least once a week. It won't ruin your good knives, it's sort of the equivalent to buying a purebred dog for a few thousand dollars and then feeding it Old Dad dog food... but guess what, your fancy schmancy whatever dog will live just fine on Old Dad lol You will not get a razor sharp edge, you will only get a good edge. I've found that I would rather have a constantly good edge on my knives than a great edge that fades to dull before I get the pain in the ass, but very capable Lansky sharpening kit out to spend an hour sharpening.
As I mentioned though, it doesn't sharpen the Vanadium knives at all. It does the Cutco surgical stainless steel very well, and my cheap-o knives just fine. Honestly, a cheap-ass plastic handled Pampered Chef knife kept sharp at all times is better than a Henckel that's dull most of the time, IMO. Around here, most people use expensive, but very, very dull Weather's knives. They offer sharpening, and they are local, but most people can't be bothered to take their knives to the next town over to get them sharpened. Weather's started with the World's Master Carver, Earnest "Mooney" Warther. They talk about themselves as a world famous and contender for world's best knife, but I doubt either is all that true lol
I have one of those cheap sharpeners with the V notches, where you just slide the knife toward you a few times. I love it! I use it at least once a week. It won't ruin your good knives, it's sort of the equivalent to buying a purebred dog for a few thousand dollars and then feeding it Old Dad dog food... but guess what, your fancy schmancy whatever dog will live just fine on Old Dad lol You will not get a razor sharp edge, you will only get a good edge. I've found that I would rather have a constantly good edge on my knives than a great edge that fades to dull before I get the pain in the ass, but very capable Lansky sharpening kit out to spend an hour sharpening.
As I mentioned though, it doesn't sharpen the Vanadium knives at all. It does the Cutco surgical stainless steel very well, and my cheap-o knives just fine. Honestly, a cheap-ass plastic handled Pampered Chef knife kept sharp at all times is better than a Henckel that's dull most of the time, IMO. Around here, most people use expensive, but very, very dull Weather's knives. They offer sharpening, and they are local, but most people can't be bothered to take their knives to the next town over to get them sharpened. Weather's started with the World's Master Carver, Earnest "Mooney" Warther. They talk about themselves as a world famous and contender for world's best knife, but I doubt either is all that true lol
Thanks for the input. I have seen the V notch sharpeners and had considered getting one. I will look more into that. The place that sharpens knives is walking distance to my apartment, so when that opens back up I may check them out as well. Who know when that will be though. In NYC we are only supposed to hit phase one of reopening this Monday. Maybe I will get the V notch as sharpening maintenance, and then get it done professionally here and there.
Lemon herb chicken with vegetables in the crock-pot. It is supposed to be a stormy afternoon, so I wanted to get something cooking now.
That looks delicious. You are a whiz with the crock-pot. I have only used mine a few times with less than stellar results. I have a Cuisinart one so I know it is a good brand. Must be me
Lemon herb chicken with vegetables in the crock-pot. It is supposed to be a stormy afternoon, so I wanted to get something cooking now.
That looks delicious. You are a whiz with the crock-pot. I have only used mine a few times with less than stellar results. I have a Cuisinart one so I know it is a good brand. Must be me
We should talk.
Crock-pots are not for everything. I was raised with a mother who used the crock-pot or pressure cooker nearly every day. Since I have been home, I have used it less since I can tend whatever I have on the stove. Spaghetti sauce is a good example. I still make the turkey tenderloin in the crock-pot though. I have also used it to cook down apples for applesauce to can. I have made baked potatoes, corn on the cob, butternut squash...
Today I will make the lemon herb chicken in the crock-pot, but I will finish it in the cast iron skillet and make a sauce with the juiciness at the bottom of the pot.
It's a thing. Not friendly to every food but once you know how to use it, it's a nice thing to have.
A few weeks or so ago, there was the air fryer discussion somewhere here. We ordered cat litter from Walmart online and received one box of litter and a $100 air fryer. Living with the combo of feeling super guilty and karma will bite me in the ass, I went through the process to finally figure out to return the damned thing. (My husband was chanting, "WE SHOULD KEEP IT!" My daughter was on his side.) So...back it goes. But for a moment, I owned one.
Chicken and cheese quesadillas with salsa and sour cream. I cooked the chicken with red pepper and onions so it was kind of a fajita quesadilla. Corn was roasted in a foil packet with butter and seasonings. It came out perfect.
Lemon herb chicken with vegetables in the crock-pot. It is supposed to be a stormy afternoon, so I wanted to get something cooking now.
That looks delicious. You are a whiz with the crock-pot. I have only used mine a few times with less than stellar results. I have a Cuisinart one so I know it is a good brand. Must be me
We should talk.
Crock-pots are not for everything. I was raised with a mother who used the crock-pot or pressure cooker nearly every day. Since I have been home, I have used it less since I can tend whatever I have on the stove. Spaghetti sauce is a good example. I still make the turkey tenderloin in the crock-pot though. I have also used it to cook down apples for applesauce to can. I have made baked potatoes, corn on the cob, butternut squash...
Today I will make the lemon herb chicken in the crock-pot, but I will finish it in the cast iron skillet and make a sauce with the juiciness at the bottom of the pot.
It's a thing. Not friendly to every food but once you know how to use it, it's a nice thing to have.
A few weeks or so ago, there was the air fryer discussion somewhere here. We ordered cat litter from Walmart online and received one box of litter and a $100 air fryer. Living with the combo of feeling super guilty and karma will bite me in the ass, I went through the process to finally figure out to return the damned thing. (My husband was chanting, "WE SHOULD KEEP IT!" My daughter was on his side.) So...back it goes. But for a moment, I owned one.
I really do need to learn to use mine. I think because I always work at home I just slow cook things in the oven.
Good for you for not keeping the air fryer. I also would feel guilty keeping it. Sometimes, when that happens if you call the place they may tell you to just keep it. If that happened I wouldn’t feel as bad.
Lemon herb chicken with vegetables in the crock-pot. It is supposed to be a stormy afternoon, so I wanted to get something cooking now.
That looks delicious. You are a whiz with the crock-pot. I have only used mine a few times with less than stellar results. I have a Cuisinart one so I know it is a good brand. Must be me
We should talk.
Crock-pots are not for everything. I was raised with a mother who used the crock-pot or pressure cooker nearly every day. Since I have been home, I have used it less since I can tend whatever I have on the stove. Spaghetti sauce is a good example. I still make the turkey tenderloin in the crock-pot though. I have also used it to cook down apples for applesauce to can. I have made baked potatoes, corn on the cob, butternut squash...
Today I will make the lemon herb chicken in the crock-pot, but I will finish it in the cast iron skillet and make a sauce with the juiciness at the bottom of the pot.
It's a thing. Not friendly to every food but once you know how to use it, it's a nice thing to have.
A few weeks or so ago, there was the air fryer discussion somewhere here. We ordered cat litter from Walmart online and received one box of litter and a $100 air fryer. Living with the combo of feeling super guilty and karma will bite me in the ass, I went through the process to finally figure out to return the damned thing. (My husband was chanting, "WE SHOULD KEEP IT!" My daughter was on his side.) So...back it goes. But for a moment, I owned one.
I really do need to learn to use mine. I think because I always work at home I just slow cook things in the oven.
Good for you for not keeping the air fryer. I also would feel guilty keeping it. Sometimes, when that happens if you call the place they may tell you to just keep it. If that happened I wouldn’t feel as bad.
And see, that's the thing. If you are around all the time, it's not really needed as much. I make a lot of soup in the winter. December and working holiday retail, the crock-pot is a big save.
I made chicken penne for dinner tonight. However, I discovered that I didn’t have any penne noodles so I substituted rotini instead. Served it with oven roasted cauliflower and broccoli. I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture. It was delicious though.
I’m currently on the second of three stages of making my beef stew. I seasoned and braised the beef last night, cleaning the bottom of the pan with red wine. This afternoon I roasted the potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. This evening I added half the veg to the beef, Rosemary, thyme, more garlic and bay leaves. Then added the broth, more red wine, barley, cracked black pepper tomatoes and tomato paste and then put it oven at 375 for an hour and half. After that, I added the rest of the veg and divided it into smaller portions and put in and ice bath to cool. Tomorrow I’ll reheat it for an hour on the stove and toss in the peas. It’s a long process but it’s so frakkin worth it.
Currently it looks like this:
"What the CANUCK happened?!? - Esquimalt Barber Shop
Well, holy shit, it’s sooooo good if I do say so myself. And I did. I said, “self, that tastes delicious!” Beef is so tender it can be cut with a spoon. Paired it with garlic butter ciabatta buns.
"What the CANUCK happened?!? - Esquimalt Barber Shop
Well, holy shit, it’s sooooo good if I do say so myself. And I did. I said, “self, that tastes delicious!” Beef is so tender it can be cut with a spoon. Paired it with garlic butter ciabatta buns.
Well, holy shit, it’s sooooo good if I do say so myself. And I did. I said, “self, that tastes delicious!” Beef is so tender it can be cut with a spoon. Paired it with garlic butter ciabatta buns.
That looks incredible. You definitely have bragging rights.
The 5 year old was reading me one of his books this morning, called Biscuit, and asked how biscuits are made Well, 45 minutes later he not only knows, but has done it himself. (Perhaps with a little help from his dad.)
The 5 year old was reading me one of his obooks this morning, called Biscuit, and asked how biscuits are made Well, 45 minutes later he not only knows, but has done it himself. (Perhaps with a little help from his dad.)
The 5 year old was reading me one of his obooks this morning, called Biscuit, and asked how biscuits are made Well, 45 minutes later he not only knows, but has done it himself. (Perhaps with a little help from his dad.)
Comments
I am a rocking cut guy too, so that's good to know
A lot of other cool stuff in there as well such as the Japanese grills and the binchotan charcoal. Do not gasp when you see the prices for Japanese charcoal.
I love it! I use it at least once a week.
It won't ruin your good knives, it's sort of the equivalent to buying a purebred dog for a few thousand dollars and then feeding it Old Dad dog food... but guess what, your fancy schmancy whatever dog will live just fine on Old Dad lol
You will not get a razor sharp edge, you will only get a good edge.
I've found that I would rather have a constantly good edge on my knives than a great edge that fades to dull before I get the pain in the ass, but very capable Lansky sharpening kit out to spend an hour sharpening.
As I mentioned though, it doesn't sharpen the Vanadium knives at all. It does the Cutco surgical stainless steel very well, and my cheap-o knives just fine.
Honestly, a cheap-ass plastic handled Pampered Chef knife kept sharp at all times is better than a Henckel that's dull most of the time, IMO.
Around here, most people use expensive, but very, very dull Weather's knives. They offer sharpening, and they are local, but most people can't be bothered to take their knives to the next town over to get them sharpened. Weather's started with the World's Master Carver, Earnest "Mooney" Warther. They talk about themselves as a world famous and contender for world's best knife, but I doubt either is all that true lol
https://warthercutlery.com
Sharpen myself with a few different stones. A pain but you just have to keep a knife sharp.
Would love to build on the collection of pots/pans/knives but the utility stuff I have works great.
Lemon herb chicken with vegetables in the crock-pot. It is supposed to be a stormy afternoon, so I wanted to get something cooking now.
2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
Crock-pots are not for everything. I was raised with a mother who used the crock-pot or pressure cooker nearly every day. Since I have been home, I have used it less since I can tend whatever I have on the stove. Spaghetti sauce is a good example. I still make the turkey tenderloin in the crock-pot though. I have also used it to cook down apples for applesauce to can. I have made baked potatoes, corn on the cob, butternut squash...
Today I will make the lemon herb chicken in the crock-pot, but I will finish it in the cast iron skillet and make a sauce with the juiciness at the bottom of the pot.
It's a thing. Not friendly to every food but once you know how to use it, it's a nice thing to have.
A few weeks or so ago, there was the air fryer discussion somewhere here. We ordered cat litter from Walmart online and received one box of litter and a $100 air fryer. Living with the combo of feeling super guilty and karma will bite me in the ass, I went through the process to finally figure out to return the damned thing. (My husband was chanting, "WE SHOULD KEEP IT!" My daughter was on his side.) So...back it goes. But for a moment, I owned one.
2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
(Mine did taste very good....but you also eat with your eyes!)
Well, 45 minutes later he not only knows, but has done it himself. (Perhaps with a little help from his dad.)
"Woof woof"