|
Post by Paws on Feb 9, 2005 11:16:12 GMT 12.75
Good. With a little imagination you can turn the "eg slicer" into a multi function tool. For bread the serrated edge works wonders although with a well sharpened knife and using a back and forth sawing motion without forcing the knife and allowing the knife to do the work... ;D Anyone use an electric knife or have an opinion regarding them?
|
|
|
Post by OLKoot on Feb 9, 2005 11:51:44 GMT 12.75
I think a person who uses an electric knife has purchased their regular set of knives at the Dollar Store!! I have one,but I dont use it...My wife uses it if we buy a hunk of unsliced lunch meat and she doesnt want any deviation in the size of the slice.....she just cant cut a straight line........
|
|
|
Post by RogueWarrior1957 on Feb 9, 2005 15:48:02 GMT 12.75
Don't go discounting Mr. Electric Knife as a total waste just yet...Mr. Chef, Mr. Craftsman, and Mr. Electric Knife can be wonderful friends actually. The electric knife will slice overcooked meats that will turn to mush when you try to slice them with anything else...I realize you aren't supposed to overcook things...but it does happen.
There is nothing in the world that will slice and carve styrofoam, ensolite (closed cell foam) and polyurethane foam like an electric knife. It is so precise and perfect in it's cutting action as the one blade reciprocates across the other. You can't cut as well with scissors, razor knife, or anything else that I know of. You can carve out cavities in the foam to house cameras, gunscopes, and other fragile things for transportation and shipping.
Everything under the sun has some useful purpose if you just look hard enough.
-Bill-
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 9, 2005 16:40:41 GMT 12.75
Bill I'll remember that and get Deer Camp Dan an electric knife specialso he can carve his briskit!
|
|
|
Post by Two Tales on Feb 9, 2005 17:03:56 GMT 12.75
I can use most of my knives for slicing tomatos and stuff like that, including boiled eggs...I gave my dad my electric knife to fellet fish with, he thought that it was perfect for the job..I don't care for them...I finally got a serated blade knife..it is very thin bladed..and the total width or height of the blade is about 1/2 inch..it works nicely for home made breads and even store bought beagles and things...
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 10, 2005 2:48:08 GMT 12.75
Bill I strongly suspect you are correct. Everything does have some useful purpose; possibly with a few exceptions! (And I can provide names!) Are we finished with knives? Questions, comments, discussion? Feel free to jump in at any time with your comments. If a question comes up later on plug it in here because remember the only dumb question is the one that is never asked!
|
|
|
Post by kenh on Feb 10, 2005 15:07:50 GMT 12.75
Just a couple minor additions. That egg slicer also works great for mushrooms and avocados. In place of dental floss I use a .010" to .012" dulcimer string with a piece of dowel for gripping. Great for cheeses, cakes and other semisoft goodies. For tomatoes and "French style breads I prefer a serrated knife. For almost everything else a chef's knife, unless you're talking "production" cooking, like making coleslaw for 200 or tomato slices for a sandwich board for 75. In those cases and others (like long thin slices of banana, zucchini, eggplant), a mandolin slicer is my "knife" of choice - perfect same-size slices every time...
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 11, 2005 4:03:29 GMT 12.75
Outstanding!! I can get a really good visual of the mandolin string adaptation Ken. Super innovation. As a matter of fact I see no reason why it couldn't be marketed!! (Chef Ken's Kake Kutter!!) Production cooking using the complex machines is the the proper application. I guess the intelligent "break even point" would be where it simply takes more time to clean the machine than it saves to use the machine! Of course if there is a particular end jproduct that only the machine will accomodate then the machine is justified as well. An example would be say spiral cut potato fries. Ken would you discuss the various terms here related to styles, types, and sizes of cuts for us please?
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 11, 2005 11:34:07 GMT 12.75
Being a Cut-up:
Chop - as with an ax or cleaver, a smashing blow with a cutting edge.
Slice - drawing or pushing a blade linearly downward through meat or veg.
French Rock - a kind of "papercutter chop" where the point of the knife stays relatively stationary while the handle end rises and falls. The flat of the blade rests against the knuckles of the non-knife hand. The fingers of the non-knife hand (tucked under) feed the food into the knife, the knife does not move into the food.
Dice - to cut things into squares or cubes. A "large dice" is about 1/2" square, a regular dice about 1/4", "fine" dice about 1/8". "Cubed" meat is cut 3/4" to 1".
Mince - to chop things finer than a fine dice but necessarily as prettily.
Julienne - a.k.a. "matchstick". To cut vegetables into approximately matchstick sized and shaped pieces (1"- 2" long x 3/16" - 1/8" thick).
Chiffonade - a kind of julienne cut applied to a rolled or bunched clump of fresh herb leaves, producing fine strings of leaf matter.
Shred - to pull cooked meat apart along the grain; to cut leafy vegetables (cabbage, lettuce) into "large julienne" strips 1"- 6" long x 1/8" - 1/4" wide).
Finger - to cut into "french fry" shaped rectangular pieces. [/b] 4.228.30.42 by Ken Hulme ---------------- The Portable Gourmet Cedar Mountain Perfect! Thanks Ken!! Now boys and girls there will be a "test". Be sure to check the Featured Recipes this Saturday for your instructions! Questions, Comments, or Discussion?? ;D
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Mar 21, 2005 5:38:37 GMT 12.75
There will lbe a knife skills test recipe in the Easter recipe presentation on the Featured Recipes page throughout the next couple of weeks. Look for the "bold" print !! You will need the cutting guide printed in highlighter yellow above.
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Mar 21, 2005 5:44:49 GMT 12.75
Calling Ken Hulme, calling Ken Hulme; where are you buddy??
|
|
|
Post by 2rsrcookin on Aug 4, 2005 4:42:13 GMT 12.75
I was reading all this and find it most informative. The knives I have, have not had a stone to them at all since purchasing them. I use a steel and before and after use, put an edge on them. I also store them in a block that came with them at purchase. I also have 2 cleavers for different cuts. One is a heavey one for large boned cuts and the second is a thinner blade for, of course, small boned cuts. And jumping ahead, a cheese knife. ;D My wife has 2 different ones, one that is slighlty curved and the other one is flat with a blade you pull across the cheese. My first blades I sharpened on a stone (3-sided) was done in about 20 minutes. The instructor had us canter the knives at a (near)17 degree angle to put the edge on then to a 20 degree angle to finish the process. Knives came out sharp, yet after a couple of uses, had to be sharpened again. Steel wouldn't keep the edge. That is all I have for now.
|
|
|
Post by OLKoot on Aug 4, 2005 8:39:29 GMT 12.75
Well, welcome aboard. What it boils down too is,I think we all use similar ways to sharpen a knife.....
|
|
|
Post by Two Tales on Aug 4, 2005 13:55:46 GMT 12.75
welcome 2,
A dull knife is a dangerous instrument
the first job I had after "fire poker" during butchering time was to keep the knives ready to cut...I can tell you this, them folks in my family (Uncles, Aunts and such) are about the snootiest folks there is when it comes to sharp knives...I kept that job until the family stopped having Butcher time..I guess that's when I was about 17....The only time my knives see a stone is after someone else has used them....they are steel dressed prior to during (if needed) and after each use...proteced in the same kind of block you talked about when not being used....Speaking of abused knives I found my Buck Fillet knife the other day..hadn't seen it in 2 years or more..thought it was gone forever...we were getting rid of some old sports equipment (ball gloves out grown, bad-mitten rackets that had holes big enough to pass a cat through things like that) from an old equipment box out on the corner of the deck...found it in the bottom..don't have a clue as to how it ended up in there but with some good ol' elbow grease some 0000 steel wool and honing oil, I got the rust off and looking like a knife again then used my stones to re align the edge and get it ready to use the steel on..needless to say it'll split a hair now...
TT
|
|
|
Post by Two Tales on Aug 4, 2005 14:01:53 GMT 12.75
Ok don't say a thing about that new Avatar, she happens to be my Mama's favorite ;D ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by OLKoot on Aug 4, 2005 15:31:16 GMT 12.75
HE-HE-HE....mine too!! ;D
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Jan 23, 2006 7:13:03 GMT 12.75
Less than $20.00 bucks at Wally World! "Smith's Knife Sharpening Kit" Man it has got 3 stones including a diamond, fine and serrated triangle stone with a vise gizmo to hold the knife and a jig to set the angle of the stroke. It is darn near fool proof and puts an edge on a nasty, ragged, older than dirt butcher knife in less than five minutes. I did a half dozen of my "problem" knives in a half hour and then put my every day knives through the process. I can not believe how great this thing works. The jig will set at either 20 or 25 degrees so most needs are met. Have not tried a serrated edge yet.
|
|
|
Post by Brikatw on Jan 23, 2006 11:44:54 GMT 12.75
Ok, you guys left out filleting fish with your electric knife. Makes it very quick and easy especially the first cut. I basically run the knife right down to the spine and then turn it and go almost all the way to the tail. Cut the meat, ribs and all. When you get almost to the tail, stop, flip the fillet over the tail and shave it off the skin. Then trim the ribs. With one electric knife and a standard fillet knife Matt and I can make short work of 50 or more Catfish. I have a Presto electric sharpener I got for Christmas this year. Very impressed with it. And you can sharpen serrated blades with it. $29 at Wally world. All you need is a steel when your done with it. Keeps your bevels right when your wife sharpens a knife while your out hunting or fishing.
|
|
|
Post by Two Tales on Jan 24, 2006 0:01:29 GMT 12.75
I don't own one of the girl teasers..I just use one of the 3, 4 or half dozen fillet knives I have to do this..but I do it almost exactly the same way as you do...cut down behind the gills to back bone then turn and cut almost to the tail..turn the fish then slide the knife up the skin...toss that in a pile do the other side the same way..when i have them all done to that point I cut out the ribs and Y bones...boneless perfect fillet every time ..this can be done from the smallest to the largest of fishes...
|
|
|
Post by Two Tales on Aug 30, 2006 4:04:31 GMT 12.75
I guess the weather has got me in the mood to break out all the cook gear and go to work...I got to thinking a while back (no jabs from the nut gallery) about Rachel Ray's favorite knife, the "Santoku" so I decided to see what all the fuss was about a "Cheese Knife" well I bought one..then after using it for a variety of cutting/chopping chores I went and got 2 more for me and 1 for Girly Girl...I suppose it depends on the manufacture as to how one handles..but the brand I bought was Faber Brand (Chicago Cutlery design)...and they fit rather nicely in the hand and in 5,7 and 10" cover most of the chores I have...I can see Rachel's point of view about this knife ( I still don't have a clue as to what she was cooking that day ;D ;D ;D ;D)
|
|