Schielke

The key to creating a sensible product would be a system that allows you to freeze filtered water into an attractive "ice cube" shape in a sealed environment so off flavors from the freezer do not contaminate it. Basically it is a clean icecube tray with plastic wrap on it. Ben

I smell an upgrade in your future. Ben

Thanks docsconz! You rock. Ben

Ok, so I am still narrowing down my general itenerary, but I have another question as well: Any reccommended travel books for Italy? Food related or not. Thanks! Ben

I think this is the store that has the Japanese-knife.com Web page. They have really cool stuff, but seem a shade overpriced.

Sharpening System = Japanese Wetstones I got some of these for my dad this Christmas and was messing around with them. They are not nearly as hard to learn as some would have you believe. They put a wicked edge and give you complete control. There is a reason why any sushi chef worth his salt uses these religiously. Ben

I noticed that they do not list all of their kitchen knives on that page. Give them a call or shoot them an email. I know for a fact they have them at a pretty good price. He might even have a different suggestion for you depending on your purpose, they are very knowledgable. Ben

Quick update, I can get onto Epicurean Edge's site, but they do not have much of their kitchen knife inventory listed yet. If anybody is interested, I would give them a ring. Ben

Varmint, get in contact with the guy at Epicurean Edge. I visited his shop last night to pick up some late Christmas presents and found him to be super enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I checked out some fantastic Japanese made knives and loved them. In particular, check out the Shun collection, which seems to be very well crafted for the price.

I would suggest getting two good knives. You shouldn't need more than that for most light cooking. Take a look at some of the online vendors such as Epicurean Edge and Japanese Knife for some ideas. I was speaking with the owner of epicureanedge last night and he was very very knowledgable in this field. I mentioned eGullet to him and he might show up here sometime soon if we are lucky. I was asking him about reccommendations for a small petty/paring knife and he mentioned a fantastic value on a Shun paring knife. I believe it was around $30-$40. For some reason I am having trouble accessing the epicurean edge site right now, but I think I found the same knife at KnifeMerchant.com . I think that Epicurean Edge has a sligtly better price though. Shun's 8" chef's knife is also beautiful, but slightly out of your range. Ben

The one thing I can't figure out about the Japanese-Knife Web site besides the wierd behavior of their navigation, is the extreme cost of Cutting Boards. Perhaps Torakris can fill us in on this one. Ben

How did you sharpen your knives before? Hand sharpening can be one of the best ways to create a sharp edge.

How comfortable are you with buying a knife you have not felt in your hand? Perhaps you could write to them and see what they say about trying out knives. I ordered my MAC from another online knife retailer, but I would easily order from Japanese-Knife in the future if I were buying something else. Another place to buy online (local for me) is The Epicurean Edge. They seem really devoted to great kitchen knives with a distinct lean towards japanese manufacturers. Ben

I am sure that Fat Guy has a Introduction to Home Sharpening series in the works and will do it for you.

You shouldn't have to starve yourself to sucessfully lose weight. You should never be too weak to function when dieting, this kind of self-abuse destroys as much muscle tissue as fat. Give the Body for Life (or other similar) program a serious look. It emphasises eating well instead of less and sensible exercise. ben

Giant Soba Knife

Creatine really is the one supplement that truly works as advertised. I have used with great results in the past. It allows you to work out harder and aids the recovery of your muscle cells. You will put on a bunch of water weight right away, but it is inside of your muscle cells as opposed to retained water which is just hanging around outside and not doing much good. Ben

Soba, what are your thoughts on creatine?

I want a tandoori oven, but I would set myself aflame.

So fire codes allow that thing in anybody's home? I want one too.

They are only two or three G's, write an article about mad cow or something and go get one mr. fancy pants! I love the idea of the paco jet. Freeze some food stuff and then beat the crap out of it so much that it turns into a sorbet or ice cream. Ben

Average internet price on that viking blender is about 140 bucks while the viking stand mixer (sexy!) is about 400. Man, I want that mixer. Does anybody know how it measures up to the gold standard kitchenaid? Ben

Just to be clear, I was asking about stamped blades in reference to the comment about non-forged blades. Ben

To add to my earlier post I would like to sum up the idea behind the body for life plan. Food: Eat 5-6 small meals daily (1 every 2-3 hrs) Each meal consists of portion of protein, portion of carbohydrate, and portion of vegetable. A portion is roughly the size of your clenched fist Protein source: Relatively low fat, protein-rich foodstuff. Examples being lean beef, skinless chicken, all fish, cottage cheese, tofu, etc... Carhohydrate source: "Quality" complex carbohydrates with a slow burn rate as to not spike blood sugar levels. Examples being whole grains, potatoes, yams, whole wheat bread, and in some cases fruit. Vegetables: non starchy vegetables of any type Olive oil is ok to cook with, salt is ok, and most condiments with low sugar and fat amounts. Use common sense. Exercise: Work out once a day alternating between cardio and weight lifting. Take one day off per week to rest. Cardio workout: First thing in the morning, do 20 min of intense cardio. This should be done on an empty stomach. Use a staged intensity approach where each minute you adjust the intensity level of your work on a scale of 1-10. Do the following routine- 5,6,7,8,9 5,6,7,8,9 5,6,7,8,9 6,7,8,9,10 Wait one hour before you eat your first meal. Weight Training: Split into upper and lower body days. Workout major muscle groups with the following set procedure for each muscle group with gradually increasing weight to increase intensity. 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps, 12 reps (switch to different exercise but same muscle group) 12 reps Free Day One day a week you take off completely. You can eat whatever you want and not work out. This is a good day to go to Paris.

What about stamped blades?