Octaveman

Togiharu sold at Korin.com is a good choice. The Kanetsugu Pro-M sold at JCK.com is still a good choice too. If you had your heart set on the Tojiro DP, they can be found on ebay.

Yes, Woody's Cook-In Sauce is very good indeed. Very concentrated and very spicy. A little bit goes a long way. Great flavor. It's more of a marinade type of sauce than a sauce for basting and/or dipping. I used to use it a lot for marinating large pieces of beef but my tastes have changed. It can still be bought here locally.

This is my all-time fav. Not too sweet, not too spicy. Great with all meats. John Henry's East Texas Honey BBQ Sauce

Interesting. I saw the same or a similar product for the first time at Sur La Table yesterday when I exchanged the board. What does the beeswax do that mineral oil alone does not? ← Yeah, what Jim said. I've found that it works much much better on end-grain boards than it does on edge-grain. I've used the Boos oil before on my edge-grain board and for the most part it sits on top with very little absorption. But using a conditioiner on my end-grain was like feeding a starving animal. It just sucked it up. One should apply this on both sides of the board too; not just the cutting surface.

I highly recommend getting a board conditioner. The one below is what I use and it works wonders. http://japaneseknifesharpening.com/boardwax.html

A few appetizers like mushroom crostini and another one with the main being Burgers ala Bob. Bob

Sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by end cut? You mean end-grain board like a butcher block? I've never heard the term "end cut" used. I have a Boo's edge-grain board that started to split on me at one of the ends. I just bought a pipe clamp from Home Depot for about $20 and some Gorilla Glue and fixed it right up. Hasn't had a problem since.

Anyway, below is the link to an extensive cutting board thread. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=98865&hl= Regarding the bamboo versus wood question, the main differences are that bamboo is a little harder than your typical maple end grain board and it's surface is pretty slick/sealed. The higher hardness could be harder on your knives but it mostly depends on your knife usage. The sealed nature of the bamboo boards make the sanitation issue a slight problem. End grain wood boards like maple have anti-bacterial properties in that the bacteria if present will die in the fibers of the wood whereas a the bacteria will just sit on top of a sealed or poly or rubber board. But if you wash your board right after use in the sink using hot water then it's not really an issue. End-grain boards while more expensive are better than edge-grain boards. End-grain have the checkerboard look to them with the wood grain running from top to bottom while edge-grain boards have the grain running from side to side. If you decide on a bamboo board it would be wise to stick with Totally Bamboo brand as they use food safe glue. I've read that not all makers of bamboo boards do so buyer beware. Bob

Chinese noodle soup with homemade Char Siu. Used a chicken soup base and included Hong Kong styled egg noodles, baby bok choy, sliced onion, mushrooms, green onions and of course the Char Siu. A family favorite.

Well, this ice cream machine is truely the shiznit. I've made 5 batches so far. A strawberry sorbet made twice, a mango sorbet made twice and a batch of roasted coconut ice cream. I made the fruit sorbet's twice for different reasons. The first strawberry was way too sweet so I tried it again with less sugar in the syrup. Much better/lighter. The first mango was too chunky so I tried it again making it more pulp-like rathar than chunky. Much better. Of course the quality of the mango's could've been better too so I'll make it again with better fruit. I'm still waiting for my shipment of vanilla beans to arrive to start working in that direction. I also have some fresh Thai Pandanus leaves that I want to steep with a nice creamy blend...maybe with Pax's recipe. BTW, what brand of chocolate do people use to make the standard choc ice cream? I kinda like the smokiness of Ghirardelli. Has anyone used it? Still planning on trying the recipes posted above too so thanks again for them. Bob

Just when I thought puppies were chick magnets...here comes this pot.

Take Busboy's suggestion of 40 clove garlic and add a cup of white wine. Cut the bird up and braise. The chicken will give off it's own juices for a great sauce. I usually pull out half of the garlic (which is skin on) and puree the remaining in the sauce to help thicken. Top the dish with the reserved cloves. Mighty fine dish and my entire family loves it. Another great option is Poussin Chasseur. Below is the recipe I posted in another forum. Incredible flavor. Very rich and earthy. I've got a picture of the last time I made it somewhere. I'll try to post it. Poussin Chausser (serves 4) 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 chicken cut up 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 1 tablespoon truffle butter (I used regular butter and threw in a little truffle oil) 1 onion, chopped 1 oz dried porcini 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons flour 8 ounces dry vermouth or dry white wine 2/3 cup duck and veal demi-glace (I used regular demi-glace and the porcini soaking liquid) 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, drained (I used whole tomatoes squished up and drained really well) 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Season the poussin (chicken) with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook until browned, turning, about 5 minutes in all. Remove. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. 2. Add the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to moderately high. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are browned, about 5 minutes. 3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the vermouth/wine and bring back to a simmer. Stir in the demi-glace, tomatoes, thyme, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the poussin and any accumulated juices. Reduce the heat; simmer, covered, until the poussin is done, about 5 minutes. (since this recipe called for a different type of meat, I used my own judgement and simmered it close to an hour...pretty much like a braise). Stir in the parsley and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

If you use a pinch grip, 8" should be the minimum as you'll lose some working edge at the heel because your fingers will be there. If you get a japanese knife 210mm is a good size. If you go any smaller, you're in petty range.

I got a 7" Suribachi mortar and pestle for spices, full sized Foodsaver, and the Cuisinart ICE-50BC commercial ice cream maker below. Clearly the favorite of the day. I made strawbery sorbet for Xmas dinner. Oh, and a couple of ice cream recipe books.

My go-to choice for beverage container are those plastic cups with various printing on them that used to be sold by McDonald's. I have at least 50 of those cups that I collected over the years and continue to use them for water, soda, etc. I don't even use "glass" anymore. Like Steven, I get tired of constantly refilling those 16 ounce glasses. It's even worse if I have ice in them. I can't hang with just 8 ounces of Diet Coke.

Cool, Fugu. Good to hear you like the knives. I too love the wood on the Sanetu. Look forward to hear what you think after hitting the stones and using for a spell.

Wow, Pax, that sounds rich. I like a lot of vanilla flavor too. Thanks for the recipe and tips. I'll try them out. KLwood, I've heard that too (no pun) that it's loud but I'm sure it will eventually blend into the background noise. Thanks for the tips too. Katie, mmmm...lemon buttermilk sorbet. That sounds good. Please share.

It's just not true, in this case, that a softer material is needed to "support the core." I think your second statement is right- it's just to keep the knife pretty. I agree that the rust is not a huge issue, or that it will appreciably shorten blade life. It's just ugly, and something to keep in mind in terms of not letting the blade sit in the sink or on a damp dishcloth overnight. ← Really? Why are Ryusen Blazen knives San Mai made? Why are Artisan knives San Mai made? Why do you think Ikeda knives are San Mai made? I could go on with a whole slew of knives that have a stainless core that are also stainless clad. Unless the knife is a Honyaki, it would be difficult to find any blade with a high HRC rating that the ZDP189 has that is not surrounded by a softer material for support. Look at all those knives made with tool steels (SRS-15 and the like)...they are ALL clad and they are ALL stainless. Why do you think that is? Even carbon core knives are clad in carbon so what do you think the point of that is if the carbon cladding never becomes part of the edge? It's certainly not there to make the knife look pretty. It's not there because the manufacturers are trying to be inventive. The whole purpose behind this warikomi method of construction is to give strength to a very hard and brittle metal core and this method has been around for a hundreds and hundreds and even more hundreds of years. The only differences between then and now are the materials used.

Do you people honeslty think that a carbon steel knives wears down so fast that you have to be so protective of it? Oil it every day? Edge rusting away? Do you think those 40-50 year old carbon knives never touched acid in foods? I only have two SS knives in the bunch and all my carbon knives have NEVER formed any rust and no oil was ever applied. Applying oil does not extend the life of your knife. Unless you sharpen it down to nothing your knife will be here long after you're gone. These knives are not left in salt water 24/7 and dissimilar blade materials is not the cause of having to sharpen once a month due to corrosion. Good grief. You have to sharpen because you bang your edge against the cutting board, not because your knife was exposed to the volitile combination of food, water and oxygen. The cladding is put there to support the hardness of the core. Nothing mysterious. The cladding can either be "stainless" or wrought iron depending on what the maker wants to use and the type of knife. The purpose for using a stainless is so the people that freak out because a patina might form on their knife can rest at ease and keep their knife looking pretty. Oh yeah, and it's softer than the core it's surrounding.

Hey, Mike. Yeah, I think we'll be making a lot of ice cream. A fellow KF'er has this machine and he made the most delicious sorbet (I guess) with just a basic sugar/water syrup and strawberries. Simple and damn good. Those three that you mentioned sound great so let me know if you find them.

Sounds like a cool party. Me? It's a holiday and I hate working on holidays. So, it's a repeat of the last 8 years with my wife (a tradtion of sorts) to get Chinese take-out and a couple of slices of cake at a dessert shop and sit on the floor by candlelight while watching a movie or two. Kinda romantic.

Surely more than 1 person makes their own ice cream (thanks for your post BTW). Nobody owns this machine?

For the past two years I've found myself not really wanting anything any of my friends or family can afford for Christmas. I do have a handful of small items under $20 on my list this year but it's never enough for my family. It's hard to explain but Christmas with our family is anything but reasonable when it comes to shear volume of presents...they need a lot of options. Last year my main item of desire was a widescreen computer monitor. This year it's the Cuisinart ICE-50BC. With two kids I thought this would be awesome to have around to be able to have ice cream whenever we want. So, what ice cream recipes do you all enjoy? If anyone else has this machine, what tips do you have with using it? Thanks, Bob

ZDP189 is like any other stainless knife...rust and stain "resistant", not 100% stainless. I've had VG10 knives stain and actually rusted when my wife left the knife in a glass of water to soften the dried on food from her use. Pissed off to say the least. Point is that reasonable care should be made when using. Cut something acidic? Rinse it off when your done. Regarding the rust proof claim on JCK's site. Lets not forget that we are dealing with Japanese people who do know the english language but there are subtle differences in translation/understanding that do not come across correctly. The "pumpkin" mentioned above is one example. If you look hard enough, you will find other inconsistancies but the intent is never to deceive the visitor. Dougal, I really don't think it will be that hard to sharpen. If you do regular touch-ups and don't LET it get dull, then it won't be a tough job to sharpen it. When it comes time to thin it though....good luck.

Yeah, I'm surprised about pumpkin but not so much about Pineapple as it has those knots (for lack of a better word) on the rhind that could catch the edge. Japanese knives are taken down to very acute bevels...usually around 8-10* per side. This creates a superior slicing machine but also creates a somewhat weaker edge depending on the blade material. Steels like ZDP189 can handle the most acute angles quite nicely while others like VG10 could have issues. To account for this, anyone can change the original angles to be slightly more obtuse. By doing so, you create a stronger edge that can handle hard rhined veggies/fruits with no problem. If it gets little micro chips, so what. The knife is still vey usable. No need to grind down your knife for every little chip that comes along. The knives edge is still strong enough to keep going. Next time you sharpen, change your angle so it won't chip as much. It takes several sharpenings for your knife to become your own and perform flawlessly. So to answer your question, it's not THAT delicate but can be slightly modified to make it less so.