Product Review

I am what you call a neophiliac, a lover of new things, or rather trying different things. Here are some things I have been able to try, read about, or experience in the ways of cooking and climbing. Hopefully you can find some helpful hints and learn interesting facts to build upon your own knowledge.


Chicago Cutlery
   If you ever feel that a Wal-Mart knife set, with the fully serrated blade, is a good gift or buy, do not be fooled. Any blade that is fully serrated besides a steak or bread knife is useless and will dull up after a couple of uses. And so I have found that if you want a good kitchen knife for a decent price, then Chicago cutlery is a great buy! They are quality, and if taken care of, will last you for a long time. My parents have a set from when they first married over 30 years ago.


   Interesting note on finding a good knife.... first make sure the steel of the blade is one piece from the tip to the tang, or the handle. Second, place the knife flat on the table and flick the tip of the blade. If it stays and feels rigid, it is good, unless you are looking for a flexible filet knife. I have found wood handled knives to be best because of proper grip. Plastic can be slippery, unless it contains restaurant grade grip plastic, or metal as well can be slippery if not careful. I could get into the steel of the blade itself, as well as the Rockwell scale for hardness of the blade, but the majority of good blades are high-carbon stainless steel. If you want to know more, refer to “The Cooks’ Catalogue” edited by various authors, namely James Beard. It is old with outdated tools to buy, however, it has a lot of great information and tips on knives, as well as other kitchen tools used today.


   If you are looking for more expensive, high quality knives over all, meaning you want to use them a lot more like a chef would in a restaurant, here are some brands that are good…
   Sabatier (my personal favorite, but there are a lot of off-brand low quality ones out there, so look for ones with the elephant symbol called “Thiers-Issard” sold here http://thebestthings.com/index.html), Henkel, Wustof, Global, Shun, Sheffield, or Solingen.
   If you would like to know a little more on knives, with helpful tips, refer to my “Knife Tips” post at the home page.

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