oraklet
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Posts posted by oraklet
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I do recall seeing some decent diagrams -- maybe a video clip -- that demonstrated freehand technique. I'll see if I can dredge it up. The actual stroke used is significantly less important than following the Burr, Angle, Abrasive, Consistency and Strategy guidelines. It becomes more important as you progress to the finer stones to grind off your burr, but if you go slowly, keep your angle consistent and swipe gently from heel to tip (or tip to heel, however you are comfortable), you should be okay.
on another knife thread there was a link to a very good video clip from a high end japanese knife store. wish i could find it...
and thanks for good answers.
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pepin suggests that you use a peeler for getting the "planks" for julienning carrots. i never thought this could be done with my peeler, but then my wife bought one that makes thicker "cuts". et voila, much less "waste" than with the knife!
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and i really appreciate your effort - as well as the result. tons of valuable information.
there's one issue you do not touch on: the edge curvature, and the problem of sharpening past the bolster (if you see what i mean). many are the chef's knives that have been "hollowed", and it does not take much change in the curvature to ruin the chopping performance of a chef's knife. in particular this can be a problem with the heavy-bolstered german knives. it can be caused by sharpening with the knife at a 90º angle to the stone (if you're not extremely carefull, that is), or by an irregular stone (and as you mentioned, they do wear) - or by not filing off a bit of the bolster if you wish to put an alternative angle on your knife.
i love the mouse pad trick. i have used sand paper before, but never on a slightly soft surface, and i look forward to trying it. it even has the advantage of being cheap!
and then a question: can one sharpen a boning knife on a stone?
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thinner knives will make more even cuts (as long as they're not too flexible). perhaps because the thicker knives will meet more resistance on the inside than on the outside of the object you're cutting. doesn't explain malawry's problem, though.
edit: bruce, you do mean that a knife sharpened on the right side will veer to the left, don't you?
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Oraklet, I'd love to see a photo of your antique French knife! As a matter of fact, I think it'd be great if everyone got out their camera and took pictures of any knives of interest that aren't pictured in the lesson.
um - i haven't got a digital camera, so that might prove a little difficult. basically it's got a blade that's closer to the triangular than are the german knives - not because it's been sharpened to that shape, as i believe it had never seen a stone before i bought it for 4$. not much curve on the edge, and i confess i did take off the slightest bit of the edge near the bolster to give it a little more roll. more flexible than most modern chef's knives, and lighter. very easy to sharpen. small crack in handle, which is mounted with a brass ring in the blade end and a ?? in the butt end. knives like this show up occasionally on ebay, though not at 4$...
stamped "vrai acier fondu; gf", a dagger, and the smith's name (i think), "guyot".
i love that knife, and only use it for light tasks!
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i did notice the difference in the menus from 19xx and 1996, but didn't know towers had that much to do with it. interesting.
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I remember reading a piece (Saveur?) about a Japanese-American family who raise the most amazing vegetables and enjoy a close supplier relationship with Waters. Stuff like this could give rise to the notion that her skills are more sourcing than saucing.
heh, sure, but one only has to read her menus to see that there's much more to it than that. but i may be missing something?
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Alice Waters just buys groceries.
ahem.
i only know a.w. from "culinary artistry" from -96. her comments and menus there strike me as very clever and delicious.
but you were joking, of course
Of course. That is the standard industry criticism of Waters...
why?
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Alice Waters just buys groceries.
ahem.
i only know a.w. from "culinary artistry" from -96. her comments and menus there strike me as very clever and delicious.
but you were joking, of course
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Never tried the flame method.
Put warm water on the bristles of you dishwashing brush. Then squirt a little liquid detergent onto the brush. Scrub both sides of the mesh...
...leave to soak for 3 min., then put in boiling water. worked for my m-i-l's age old sieve which before cleaning served well as a bowl.
wouldn't the flame method make the metal too brittle?
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a very nice treatise, and great photos. i've got a few minor suggestions:
1) a few weeks ago, i wanted to find out which of my chef's knifes actually served best for what. i found that the monster-size (a 12" old sabatier) was great for chopping parsley, onions etc., cutting iceberg salad and for coarser cuts of potatos, carrots, as well as for splitting large objects. on the other hand, it didn't serve very well for batonnets, juliennes, brunoise etc., and that's where my ancient french 8" came in, because it has a very light blade (it's probably c. 120 years old, and with a rat tail tang). whereas the big knife has a thick blade which almost crushes its way through the object, the light knife really cuts. the second best knife for that (better than the santoku) was my 8" victorinox, which is a cheap knife with a stamped blade. so perhaps it would be good to advice anyone to have 2 chef's knives, one heavy and big, and one that's light?
2) i noticed that your bread knife was long, and that's great. my humble advice would be for one with a slightly curved edge, like on a victorinox. much easier to work with, i think.
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nice to know. thanx!
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once more, thanks a lot for your elaboration. it's really nice to recieve answers that do not just tell one to do this or that, but actually tell one why. by the way, the drop-in-a-hot-pan phenomenon can be seen on cast iron, too. at least on the very thickest and heaviest of mine.
heh, one last thing - stainless steel is about as non-non-stick as it gets, right? so, at least for danish meatballs - which are rather big - i think one needs a spatula. ?
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thanks for a detailed and very informative answer. it'll be aluminium bottom, then. i'm still a little doubtful about the shape (though not the size). it's my impression that it will be easier to use a spatula in a frying pan with relatively high sides, than in a sauteuse. you are of course right about the ragus etc., though i've become accustomed to using a large non stick frying pan (which i ruined...). but the rondeau you linked to sure is a beauty!
i guess my large cast iron skillet is still the best choice for steak?
er...why is it that one should not "crowd the pan"? i've experienced that meat may start boiling instead of frying, but why?
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slkinsey, that was a grrrrrreat lecture!
one question: traditional danish meatballs (and lots of other things, of course)should be slowly fried on medium heat. now, if i want to make a lot at a time - and i do, cause we are 6 in the family, and with frequent guests - i'd like to make them all in one pan. i've been thinking of buying a very large (sitram) copper-bottom frying pan for such cooking, feeling that it would serve well for my bolognese or curries, too. as i read your lecture, this seems to be the right choice. am i right in thinking so?
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yes. but be careful, or you'll ruin the curvature of the edge if it's a chef's knife. it's supposed to be one tangential(?) curve, but often won't be when it has been sharpened by someone who doesn't know how to.
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Sharpening actually takes off metal and puts a proper angle back on the knife; it may not need to be done more than once a month, depending on how much your knives are used.
for most home cooks, i'd say once every 6 months.
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no banneton. should there be?
bake from cold? i might try with one loaf, but in general it's not practical for me as i make 4-8 loaves every time i bake, once a week.
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dough definitely not too dry (75%+), nor oven or stone too cold. perhaps overproofed dough. but i've got this dilemma: either they're quite "tall", but with poor texture - or i let them proof a little more, and get a flatter loaf but better texture. i thought maybe a better oven spring might remedy that.
slkinsey's advice sounds good. the more heat retention, the better.
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How much oven spring are you getting?
Are the slashes deep enough?
The dough before you slash should have a sort of taut skin from moulding and the slight drying effect during proof
oven spring, differs. between 1/2 inch and 2 inches.
deep enough? like, 1/2 inch.
perhaps the damp cloth i use for covering the loaves is too damp, cause it isn't "slightly dry". the slashes seem to work best if made in loaves that are rather heavily dusted with flour. ?
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this is what i do for bread:
loaves are placed (on baking parchment) directly on baking/pizza stone on middle rack, with one of the baking sheets or pans (the deep ones) on bottom rack, into which i throw, say, 150 ml. water at start.
parchment removed when bread has "settled".
i don't see any reason for rinsing the stone after using it.
this is what i'd like to know:
why don't my slashings produce a "professional" rift? not that it seems to matter that much, but still...
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You'd never guess from the way I eat today, but pater was Ambassador to Austria when I was growing up...
Question: does etiquette dictate which way the fork should be positioning when in the act of forking? i.e., let's assume it is proper to hold fork in left hand, is there a further standard on whether fork should be held such that the tines curve concave or convex? Is it a function of holding the utensil "overhand" or "underhand"? Is it just dictated by common sense i.e. for piece of steak, stab in overhand fashion and bring to mouth and when its rice, fork underhand and bring to mouth?
I recall it is definitely faux pas to put your knife in your mouth. I am less sure whether it is bad form to balance food on top of the fork (tines facing down) although I never do it as it requires more dexterity than I possess...
40 years ago, i was supposed to eat everything with convexed fork. peas, too...
very old school parents, mine.
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there's no need for oil in the dough. just make sure it is fairly sticky from plenty of water (baker's percentage c. = 75, or more), is made with very little yeast and rises for at least 8 hours. don't rework it, just pour from bowl onto flour dusted counter top. don't roll; press or stretch (dust flour on top, too). don't prebake. top sparsely.
tipo 00 gives you a rather soft crust, however hot you bake it. mix in, say, 15% of durum semolina for a more ciabattaesque crust.
baking stone/tiles. hottest attainable oven.
i bake pizza once a week. 9 out of 10 times, it's probably the best in town, and certainly the best i've had any place. but then, i've never been to napoli...
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The other solution is a continuous stainless steel sink and counter. This is how the problem is handled in commercial applications, and it is flawless for their purposes.
yes. what i'd like to have, had i been able to find a size that would fit into our kitchen. costom made was way too expensive.
But the aesthetics leave something to be desired. I'd like a durable, functional surface. But I also want to cook in a place that's pleasant for me and the non-cooks in the house to look at -- it is a home, after all. Otherwise, I'd go back to cooking for a living!i don't get that, though. what works well, looks good!
Q&A -- Knife Maintenance and Sharpening
in The eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI)
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ah, yes. though i think there was another that showed how to sharpen along the stone?