Octaveman
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Posts posted by Octaveman
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Nothing beats a free grill. Can be obtained from your local A&P, Albertsons, Costco, Dan's, Food Lion, Fry's, Home Depot, Big Lots, Brookshire's, Lowes, Publix, Safeway, Sam's Club, Tesco, Target, Vons, Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, etc.
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Douglas, sorry this took so long. Apparently Koki's emails were not arriving in my in-box for some reason. I resent the inquiry from another email and got it back today. Here is some more info on who Takahisa is...
About TAKAHISA, it is the person's name, but the person TAKAHISA is not making knives.
TAKAHISA is president of one Japanese knife distributor.
They put their own logo TAKAHISA on Ryusen Damascus kitchen knives and some
kinds of kitchen knives. (They don't make knives).
The picture in Middle has Ryusen Kanji engraving, the item above and the item below in picture have TAKAHISA engraving logo. There are 3 blades in the picture, 2 have same engraving logo "TAKAHISA".
It boils down to too many hands in the pot wanting to make some money. Same exact knife made by Ryusen but OEM'd all over the place. Also, I asked out of curiosity if he knew why Hattori damascus knives were always out of stock but Ryusen had them in stock more often. He said he'd like to know that too.
Thanks for bringing this topic up which prompted some investigation. Good to know this info.
Cheers
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They are not worth it. They cannot generate enough heat to wok properly. You'd be better off without it.
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Thank you Hiroyuki for your help.
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Here is what Koki at JCK.com told me regarding the different Kanji. Apparently they are the Japanese version of the Ryusen. Same knife still, just different name.
Yes. I have confirmed the pictures which have 2 Kanji Engraving on Ryusen Damascus
kitchen knives.
The Picture middle one has 梵天雲竜. Which is Ryusen's original Kanji engraving brand logo.
Ryusen Damascus kitchen knives have been popular in Japanese Market too, many supplier
and distributor carried Ryusen Damascus kitchen knives with different brand logo.
(Hattori company carry and supply them under Hattori brand too).
We sells Hattori HD knives on our web site. But about 2 to 4 years ago, when Hattori HD
knife got completly out of stock and required long delivery time, we introduced and sold
different logo of Ryusen Damascus kichen knives for the customers with the our
explanation and customer's agreement and permission about the different brand, engraving
type.
The one is Ryusen Brand Japanese version, the other's are kithcnen knife supplier in
Japan's own engraving logo. Previous picture's above one and below one has same Kanji
Engraving. (Person's name "TAKAHISA" in Kanji)
(Once we have sold Ryusen Damascus kitchen knives without any engraving + the customer's
request Alphabet words on our web site as Ryusen Damascus kitchen knives too)
We hope these information will help your questions. If you will have any questions ,
please feel free to contact us.
Thank you very much again for your new inquiry and your Email.
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Cool, great post.
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Lemon Pepper Shrimp
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Not the greatest of pictures, but......
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Wow, they are very different. I sent an email with the picture of the kanji too. We'll see what he says. It's 3:00 am right now in Japan so his reply might take a while. But I'll let you know. Glad this came up. Agreed too, they are really good knives.
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Yes, I understand they are made by Ryusen. I don't understand why they would change up the kanji because it's still Hattori branded. If you look at the Ryusen Damascus knives which are exactly the same as the Hattori damascus you will see Ryusen's branded kanji on them. Ryusen also makes the Ittosai damascus knives and it's my guess that the Kikuichi damascus are also made by Ryusen as they all look exactly the same. These will all have different kanji to reflect each brand. To the best of my knowledge, there is not two seperate kanji characters stamped into Hattori branded knives made by Ryusen. I could very well be wrong as I've seen the kanji on your knife sold by a seller in Australia that he said was Hattori so now my curiosity is on alert. I've eyed Hattori non-kitchen knives. They are sure attractive. The Hattori KD I used to own was incredible. I know a knife dealer in Japan I could ask. He would know for sure.
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The Kanji looks different than what I've known and definately different than what's pictured on their website. Not a bad deal though specially considering they are in short supply.
edited for fat finger syndrome.
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I have the Rifi too and really like it. The only problem I have with it is it's size. The base isn't very deep and I have a hard time getting six pieces of chicken in it. then if you want to add various veggies it gets nearly impossible to fit it all in there. If you're looking to feed 4-6 people, you may want to consider the unglazed Beldi that comes in larger sizes.
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Doh! Where I'm from is under my avatar but I suppose I should've mentioned it anyway. Sorry 'bout that.
I'm located in San Diego.
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My favorite French place went out of business several years ago and I've been having a hard time finding a new joint to take the wife. Any suggestions for an intimate dining experience without breaking the bank? We enjoyed the prix fix option at the old place but not necessarily required.
thanks
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Did I miss somewhere that you had a reversed scalloped bread knife? I only saw the pic of saw you have. The reversed scalloped version really makes a huge difference in performance compared to the other type.
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Agreed. Japanese knives shouldn't be used for bread. Maybe that was the moral I was searching for since others posted bad results using them. A softer chef's knife would definitely be better suited than a harder one. I'm sure I used at the time my Henckels for bread but it was so long ago I don't recall what I experienced and since I don't have any Euro knives any more I can't do a direct compare/contrast with the MAC I own. I can say the reversed scalloped knives perform very well. In addition to the MAC, I hear that the Wusthoff Super Slicer and the Shun Classic are both excellent for bread. Both of these have reverse scallops which I think is key to it's success.
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There was a big hullabaloo a few years ago when someone used his Tojiro gyuto (from powdered steel line IIRC) on a baguette and he chipped the hell out of it. Other people were chiming in saying they had the same experience. Rather than admit these people used their knife in a manner not ideally suited they started bashing the knife. Comments like "I want a knife I can do whatever I want" or "this knife sucks because it chips so easily" were spewed forth in a blatent attempt to cover their actions. As a result this knife started becoming less and less recommended dispite the fact that it was one helluva knife for the price.
During this long discussion, I decided to perform my own test using my Hiromoto AS which is reputed to be one of the best knives on the market and attacked a baguette. It shredded the edge and left tiny shards of crust lying around. I then went online and bought the MAC. It is without a doubt a fantastic bread knife. Sometimes it will glide atop hard crusted breads but catches fairly quickly with a full stroke down the blade. I use it all the time to cut sandwiches, split rolls, etc.
The moral of the story is, um, I don't know. But I do know that I've had great success using the MAC versus any other knife for bread.
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Here's another reason why the gyuto out shines the competition. It has a flatter profile for a longer portion of the blade. Patterned mostly from the French chef's design and takes it to the next level with higher quality steel. Shun is patterned after German design which has way too much curve to it forcing you to rock the hell out of it. There are longer Nakiri's but after a certain length they begin to be akward and very blade heavy.
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My husband likes to sharpen knives (with a steel and a stone) but he doesn't know how to do it properly.
The answer is not just to buy a new knife. I suggest two things.
1. Buy a new chef's knife preferably a gyuto.
2. Knife Sharpening Video to learn how to do it correctly. Trying to do it with a steel and a stone is like trying to mince parsley with a ... well, you know what I mean.
or
3. Sharpening Service that will sharpen any knife, not just Japanese, when your knife gets dull. And if it's not a GOOD Japanese knife you will need to resharpen often.
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Those threads that ask for just one knife suggestion are not flawed. The poster is looking for a chef's knife...the most used knife in the kitchen. Maybe he/she already has a few other knives that are used and wants to get a new chef's knife. Maybe the budget doesn't allow for multiple purchases at this time. Someone taking the first step into Japanese knives by asking for recs on a single knife should not be told they are annoying people with their questions or idea of buying a single knife.
A gyuto is nice too. A gyuto is just as thin and in many cases thinner than a Nakiri or Santoku. A gyuto takes a nice edge too. But a gyuto gets longer than 6 inches AND you can do more with it. If people have a set budget and they'd rather spend it on a few knives all about the same length just so they can say they have variety then more power to ya. I don't understand why one would have a Nakiri and a Santoku. They're basically the same size and style of knife. I see it as duplication and wasted money. It makes more sense to spend your money on a single knife to do 90% of the work. You will get all one desires in addition to a materially higher quality blade. I'm always amazed that people have several knives to do the same thing and are the same size. The logic escapes me. Yes, I have several gyuto's but before each night's prep I pick one and use only that one for all veggie prep. If I'm going to someone's house I bring one knife. Maybe two if I'm breaking down fish or fowl.
p.s. A Nakiri can also be a chopper or dicer. It's not just a slicing knife. I couldn't find a video using a Nakiri but here is a couple using an usuba...a single beveled Nakiri. There is also a pluthera of video's with a gyuto in use.
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Questions...
Will I gain much going with some boutique Japanese brand over mac, forschner, etc?
Is there any good reason to get a usuba (single bevel) over a double bevel? The razorblade-on-a-stick aspect of the usuba is appealing to me, and I'd like to improve my skills with very thin slices... but they cost significantly more. And there is less selection.
How much nicer are non-stainless carbon steel over stainless, edge wise?
Any pointers anyone could give me?
Yes, but I wouldn't call them boutique brands. Most Japanese brands out there are availalble and as common as Henckles, Wusthoff, et al. Just not here in the US. Pretty much any brand within your budget will be a better performer than Euro knives for thinness and clean cutting ability.
No. An Usuba is not the ideal knife for use in American kitchens unless of course you make a lot of thin sliced food. The Nakiri would be better in this respect if you want to use the same basic profile. The edge of an Usuba is certainly thin but it get's thick pretty quickly. It's much more fragile and harder to maintain than a Nakiri.
Nicer? Not sure I understand what you mean. VG10 is stainless and holds an edge rather well for stainless. A carbon knife would still be superior in terms of sharpeness and durability but VG10 gets close. Some of the tool steels can hold it's edge longer than VG10 but could be tougher to sharpen if you're a novice.
A knife for veggies? It's my opinion that a Gyuto would be more versatile than a Nakiri. Check out this thread below for ideas.
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Based on those examples I mostly do a modified shearing in that I don't pull back, I push forward. Think of it as rocking motion but with the tip up and the edge parallel with the board. Just enough forward motion to get a "clean" slice and just enough downard motion to cut the food. With a sharp knife, it doesn't take much force to do either movements. I will push cut with the tip only...like for mincing onion.
Cast iron: seasoning, care, and restoration
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I really don't have first hand experience with this from the standpoint of a controlled study so I'll just present what I've read.
First, with carbon steel or cast iron, the metal is somewhat porous in that there is expansion and contraction thing going on. Thus any fat that was in the pan as it cooled was trapped in the porous confines of the metal. Then when the pan was reheated it releases trapped fat providing the amount needed to make the pan have non-stick properties. Fact or myth?
Second, I've read that the surface type has a lot to do with how "non-stick" cast iron is. Lodge for instance is poor in this regard in that the surface is bumpy. Cast iron pans of yesteryear like Wagner and Griswold were as smooth as a baby's butt which is likely the reason for what we have all heard about cast iron pans eventually becoming non-stick. Fact or myth?
Third, there is a certain element of non-stickiness to stainless steel pans if you leave the food alone until it releases. Once the food browns food does not stick. Some fat was added, sure, but if you take into account the greased up seasoning that already exists on cast iron pans that would be the same as adding fat to a dry SS pan. Fact or myth?
So, given the above, if I had a baby's butt smooth cooking surface that was properly seasoned and was maintained properly, and I let that egg cook undisturbed on the thin film of fat the pan gave off it would release enough to be flipped. Fact or myth?