Jump to content

miles717

participating member
  • Posts

    24
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by miles717

  1. miles717

    8" Santoku

    To the best of my knowledge, Masahiro is the only maker offering a longer santoku. If you check knifemerchant.com, I think they stock them. There is one other option for a "large" santoku, but it's in the wildly expensive realm. Shun makes a Michel Bras "signature" line which sells at Williams Sonoma. It includes a 10" santoku, but if I recall correctly, the set retails for close to $2000. If Knife Merchant doesn't have what you need and you don't want to drop a couple thousand dollars, you can always look into having a bladesmith make a custom piece for you.
  2. My better half became quite fond of it when we spent a couple months in Greece. Whenever she'd run across it in the states, we'd always buy some, but as you noted, a couple months back, we bought some and she was decidedly unhappy with it. We figured it was just a bad batch, or perhaps she just didn't care for that flavor. We tried it again and found the same thing so it's been crossed off our list. I'm glad (kind of) to have been able to tell her why it was so different.
  3. I always put my sponges and scrubbing brushes in the dishwasher everytime I run it. It seems to extend their life quite a bit and minimizes that awful wet sponge/wet dog aroma that develops if a sponge has been wet too long.
  4. Stand back, Chad. I'll take care of the shameless shilling from here. :-) All kidding aside, I've had the fortunate opportunity to read an advance copy of Chad's book. It is informative, entertaining, and filled with Chad's well tuned sense of humor. It will be a fine addition to anyone's kitchen reference and an even better addition to the library of the cutlery challenged amongst the general public and those who should already know better.
  5. The pan certainly isn't deadly unless wielded as a blunt instrument. As others have already noted, the bulk of the cookware in restaurants is plain aluminum. I'd suggest that you send it to Calphalon to see if they'll replace it. Assuming that you have more or less decided to replace it anyway, it may be a far less expensive option than buying something new. Unless you're dying to spend the money, I'd give it a try. They have a good reputation for backing up their warranty without questions or hassles. I have personal experience with them in this regard and can honestly say that it was a great experience. I recently shipped a Commercial NS saute pan back to Calphalon for warranty replacement (NS was starting to wear away and the anodization on the bottom of the pan had been worn through due to excessive "shaking and stirring" on the old electric burners in our last house). I had heard they are quite good about honoring their lifetime warranty, so I figured ten dollars in shipping was worth sending it to them to see what would happen since I simply couldn't continue to use the pan with the NS coating in that state and would have replaced it anyway. Despite the fact that I certainly had gotten more than my fair share of use out of the pan, they shipped me a brand new One NS pan, much to my great surprise and delight. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance of the new pan.
  6. Bob, let me handle this. (I love a good Office Space reference... ) Toufas, Ideally, you should learn how to sharpen with a couple waterstones. They'll do a better job and you'll gain a better understanding of your knife in the process. That said, if you really don't want to invest in stones and the time to learn how to use them, you can use a sharpmaker. It's not the best method, but you probably can get by with it if you occasionally have it professionally sharpened by someone with an understanding of how Japanese knives differ from Euro style knives. Dave Martell at Japaneseknifesharpening.com or would be my suggestion if you want to go in that direction. If you were to use the sharpmaker, I would use the flats only starting with the gray medium and finishing with the white fine stones. I don't recall what Tojiro uses as the factory angle, but paint the edge of the knife with a sharpie marker and try the 30 degree setting first. If it looks close, stick with that, otherwise switch to the 40 degree setting. I'd buy a couple waterstones though. Seriously. It's a far better choice.
  7. Bob's correct about the Hiromoto. It's hard to beat, especially at the price point. If you strongly prefer stainless for your main knife, then that changes the equation a bit. I have the Masamoto 240 gyuto. It's an excellent knife. I don't use mine as often as I once did as I've mostly changed over to using PM steel blades when I want something stainless. I'd go with the Masamoto or give an Ikeda or Blazen from EE a spin. Any one of them will be a very solid performer.
  8. Based on what I was saying about boning knives, take a look at this and see what you think. Like I said, over your budget of $500 but worth considering as the deba would have dual purpose and you'd get a higher quality knife that two lesser ones for filleting and boning. I truely think the Kikuichi is an awesome slicer. So do many others that I know who have them. It's going to be used pretty much entirely on protiens so it will be very slow to for the patina. This set-up would rock your kitchen. Hiromoto AS Gyuto 240mm $132 Kikuichi Slicer $105 Shun paring $45 Korin Ginsanko Deba $244 Total = $526 I truely believe this is probably the best selection of knives for use on just about everything and will make you one happy camper. ←
  9. I'm talking about a complete vertical movement, like up and down. what would qualify as "hard rhined veg" and what do you use to cut those? as for the material, i'd prefer the combo, if the patina's the only con to it. and i probably should've asked this at the beginning, but is $400 enough for a GOOD knife kit? or is $400 going to get me 6 entry level knives? ←
  10. Mac make very good knives. They're very well regarded. You'll see a lot of them in restaurant kitchens. I have several. They don't have the cache of some of the other Japanese makers but they're really solidly made from good materials and feature good fit and finish at a price point which is very working cook friendly. Another good maker if you're looking for stainless knives at a very reasonable price is Tojiro. They can be purchased through Korin Trading. (korin.com) I'd also take a look at japanesechefsknife.com, epicurianedge.com, and knifemerchant.com. The combination of those four sites will give you a very good mix of Japanese makers. I'm not a fan of "kits". I much prefer to find the right knives and not depend on someone's opinion of what would be best for me. That said, you might be better off skipping the santoku since it's so close in size to an 8" chef. If you were to go with a 240mm/9.5" gyuto, then a smaller santoku might make more sense, but it seems a bit redundant. As far as paring knives go, the Shun classic 3.5" parer is very well regarded, although, for a third of the cost, Mac makes a very good parer, as well. Mac also makes an inexpensive fillet/boning knife and a bread knife both of which which I like a lot. My suggestion is that you visit knifeforums.com and foodieforums.com for info on Japanese kitchen knives. There are a couple of threads in the archives which address the question of what should be included in a good starter knife kit. Whatever you do, don't forget to include a couple of good basic waterstones in your budget. They're crucial to making sure those knives are sharp and stay that way.
  11. In that situation, the proper thing to do is to show consideration and good manners by calling the restaurant to let them know that you would be a bit late. Since that is exactly what you did, nothing further was required. I'm sure the host greatly appreciated that you took a moment to let them know that you were delayed. Unfortunately, it's an all too rare occurrence when someone calls to let a restaurant know that they will be late or may need a smaller or larger table due to a change in the number of dinner guests.
  12. The Hiromoto carbon knives offered by Hida Tool are one and the same as the HC line offered by JCK. I've purchased knives from the HC line from both vendors. The folks at Hida Tool are very nice. I'm sure they'll be able to sort one out for you.
  13. Since I started using Japanese knives, I've all but retired my old honing steel. I don't like to use it with Japanese blades since I put a very refined edge on my knives. I've noted that with Japanese knives unless using a polished smooth steel hardened to at least RC65-66, the honing steel is counter productive. A honing steel should "realign" the edge only. Amongst the Japanese knife aficionados, Hand American smooth steels are well regarded. Most of the folks who use a honing steel on their Japanese blades seem to prefer them over any other. If you prefer a honing steel, check out the HA steel. As for my personal practices, I've developed them over a few years. I sharpen my knives with waterstones. I primarily use Shapton Pro stones, although I've tried quite a few different stones. As for my "honing" practices, I originally started with a Hand American leather honing pad which I used with 0.5 micron chromium oxide compound to polish and align my edges. I've since expanded that to include "MDF Hones" which I cut to size from a larger sheet of 3/4" MDF and use with the HA base as a substrate. I use diamond pastes with the MDF hones. I find they do an excellent job, particularly when used with the diamond honing compounds, allowing me to attain a very refined, highly polished edge. If you're interested in either the Hand American leather hones or their smooth steel, check out japaneseknifesharpening.com It's a site run by Dave Martell, a professional knife sharpener, guru for all things related to knife sharpening, occasional eG visitor, and all around great guy. Dave also does mail order sharpening for Japanese blades. You might also pay a visit to foodieforums.com and knifeforums.com (look for the "In the Kitchen" forum) for a lot of good info on Japanese knives, sharpening, and maintenance.
  14. Misono makes a very nice knife. Congratulations on adding one to your kit. I've never used santoku from Shun or Misono so I can't offer any comparisons with the santoku, but I have a Shun Classic 10" chefs and a Misono Swedish Carbon 21 cm gyutou. I've also used a couple knives from the Misono moly line and have tested out a UX10 24cm gyutou. The Swedish carbon isn't the same steel as is used in the UX10 line but I can offer a few general observations regarding the similarities and differences based on my own experiences. The Misono knives I've used offer significantly better geometry than the Shun blades and they feature a blade shape which is more French in profile than the German shape used on the Shun chefs knives. The Misono knives feel quite a bit lighter when compared to a similar sized Shun. The fit and finish of both Misono and Shun are well above average. The performance of the steel is quite similar between the VG10 used in the Shun blades and the Swedish carbon used in the Misono, although the Misono carbon blade does require a bit more attention in terms of maintenance. I own another knife from a different maker which reportedly uses the same steel as is used in the UX10 series. If my experience with that knife is any indication, you should expect that it will take and hold a very fine edge for a reasonable length of time and will maintain that edge with minimal upkeep. I find the performance to be fairly comparable to other knives in my kit made from VG10 steel. Generally, the UX10 line is very well regarded by those who own them. People report that the steel takes a very good edge and keeps it, which is consistent with my own experiences with a knife made from the same steel. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased with the performance of your UX10. I don't steel my Japanese knives, but use MDF and leather hones charged with diamond and chromium oxide compounds to maintain the edges. I rarely allow the blades get to the point where I really think they need to be honed so I find them quite easy to maintain. How do you typically maintain your knives?
  15. right. the day i pull the blinkin' thing out is the day my apt is consumed by fire. i can just see it. which is why i don't pull it out. ← I have a bit of experience with fire protection devices having spent the better part of the last twelve years in a position where I dealt with security systems on a daily basis. I'll try to offer some good advice. If you're having problems with one detector and it's a battery powered consumer device, simply relocate it to another part of the home where it will be less likely to be affected by kitchen activities. If part of a hardwired system you have a couple of options. Unfortunately, many times, technicians or electricians installing systems don't think very carefully about where they place detectors and may not fully test and adjust them at the time of installation. The thought that the best location for a smoke detector might not be right outside the shower or in the kitchen may not occur to the installer. It's also possible that placement of a device may be limited by how something was prewired or where the technician can run a wire. The good news is that most hardwired devices can be adjusted for sensitivity. If they were never fully tested and adjusted when installed, it's quite possible that they're set to full sensitivity and can still be adjusted with a relative minimum of fuss to make them less of an annoyance to the tenant or homeowner. If it's part of a security system/burglar alarm, contact your dealer and ask that they adjust your detectors as needed and/or replace the problem device(s) with a heat detector instead of a smoke/heat detector. This is particularly important if your system is monitored (they call you and/or dispatch the police/fire department any time your system goes off), as you may be subject to fines for excessive false alarms. Any good security dealer will be very happy to work with you to "tighten up" your system, as the dealer wants you to be satisfied with the system they've installed and they may also be subject to fines for excessive false alarms. If part of a hardwired system with power supplied by the building power (i.e. you don't have a security system but when one goes off, they all go off and/or you never have to replace batteries), you may need to contact an electrician to adjust the detector, relocate the problem device, remove it from the system, or replace it with a different type of device less susceptible to false alarms. In the event the offending device is part of a hardwired system powered by the building power, it's quite possible the detectors are required by the local building or fire code, so any changes to the system should be performed by a licensed professional. If you're in a multi unit building, any changes should only be handled by the building management. Hope that proves to be helpful.
  16. Thanks for posting that info. I didn't catch that segment yesterday. I would have liked to hear it. Did the segment cite a source for the figures quoted? I'd be very curious to know the source of those figures and how they arrived at their conclusion. If it's accurate, then our industries and activities aren't responsible for nearly as much as I would have expected, but even if we're only responsible for forty percent, that's quite a lot. I think the general consensus is that moderation in all things is a good hedge against any ill effects from one type of food or another. I don't think enjoying tuna or any other food for that matter is going to be the cause of one's demise, assuming it's part of a well balanced diet.
  17. What I find more disturbing isn't that there's mercury in tuna than the fact that this seems to have come as such a big shock to so many people and the media. As others have pointed out, mercury is a persistent heavy metal that accumulates in the body. The tuna most often used in top restaurants are from the largest, fattiest, and thus oldest and well fed tuna in the seas. Since tuna are a top level predator in the oceans, anyone who understood their middle or high school biology classes should intuitively know that tuna, especially the type of tuna used for sushi and sashimi will have a much higher level of contamination than other types of fish. The concentration of pollutants and toxins increases in each level of the food chain, ultimately ending at our dinner tables. I suspect that if one were to actually analyze the contaminants in all the different predatory fish from the top of the ocean food chain which appear on our tables, I doubt anyone would ever really be able to think of them as "clean" and "healthy" again. This fact isn't unique to fish, of course. It applies across the board. Everything which goes into the soil, air, or water ultimately finds a way into the food chain and ends up in the food on our tables. It's a simple fact of life. If we want "clean" food, we have to figure out a way to eliminate the contaminants and pollutants being released into the environment. Since humans occupy the highest niche on the food chain, our bodies likely have an even higher level of contamination than the tuna. Not to be morbid, but given the realities of the world we live in, I can't imagine that many people would have contaminant levels in their bodies which would be considered to be acceptable or safe if they were in the foods which we consume at our meals. That said, will I continue to eat tuna? I won't shy away from a nice piece of tuna now and again. I don't often eat tuna, swordfish,or anything from very large predatory fish as a regular part of my diet for the reasons above. I generally stick with smaller fish which are a bit lower on the food chain as I think they're a bit safer (not safe, but safer). There's no denying the pleasure to be had from a nice piece of sashimi or sushi once in a while. When I do eat anything like that, I enjoy it to the fullest, but I'm not fooling myself about the realities of what I'm eating. I just don't make it a regular part of my diet.
  18. Eighty three for me. Just don't ask me about how many knives or pans I have. I prefer to remain in denial.
  19. Sorry, Bob. Not nearly enough room in the kitchen or around my waistline to justify the big Cuisinart. Here's the one I have: Cuisinart 2 quart ice cream maker I've had a fair bit of success with it. With only the two of us, I don't make ice cream often, and truthfully, I'm still trying to find the recipes I did develop before moving down here from Portland. When I find them, I'll be happy to pass them along. I remember three of them were almond pistachio, Mexican chocolate, and a really rich chocolate gelato. They were all pretty tasty and it's very nice to know exactly what's going into the ice cream. Most of the brands you see at the stores have ingredient lists a half mile long that you'd need a degree in chemical engineering to decipher.
  20. The short answer is that a carbon blade with patina on it and blades with kurouchi (black matte) finish will be less prone to rust. The reason is that the patina and/or kurouchi finish have "sealed" the surface of the steel, leaving it less prone to react to moisture or other elements in the environment which would lead to corrosion and rusting. In fact, many people, myself incuded, have experimented with "forcing the patina" on carbon blades to make them less reactive. That said, any knife, including stainless will rust if not properly cared for or are exposed to the right environmental factors. Carbon steel discoloration due to use in the kitchen is almost impossible to avoid and shouldn't be confused with actual corrosion in the form of rust. The patina formed by the reaction between the steel and acids and other reactants in food should be considered a good thing, as it serves to protect the blade and IMHO, is aesthetically pleasing as it shows that the knife has been well used. I have quite a few carbon blades, none of which have ever suffered from any rusting because I take care to wipe them down after use and keep them clean. The manner in which I treat my carbon blades is no different from how I treat my stainless blades. Keep them clean and dry. For longer storage, oil them with camellia oil and/or store them in newsprint and carbon blades will take good care of you in return. As for the Mac Nakiri, I'm not a big nakiri guy, although I've used them on occasion. I've never used the Mac, so I can't offer a personal opinion, but I have a half dozen or so Mac knives in my extended kit. I think they make a good knife and offer good performance and value. I wouldn't hesitate to give any of their blades a try.
  21. You're right, Bob. I stand corrected. The description on EE indicates it's soft carbon steel. I was under the impression that Kumagoro also used SUS405 sides, like the Yoshi, but it looks like they're opposite sides of the coin. One is carbon warikomi the other is stainless warikomi. I concur with your assessment. There seems to be agreement among those that have used both that the Kumagoro provides a little better performance, but the differences are very slight. Both have good blade geometry and acceptable fit and finish. If you like the style of the knives, the decision really comes down to whether you want stainless or carbon. Since the Kumagoro is entirely carbon steel, if someone is looking for the combo of stainless sides with carbon steel core, they won't fit the bill. Although they don't feature traditional Japanese wa-handled construction, Kikuichi and Hiromoto both make western style blades with warikomi construction. Both are very well made and readily available. I have knives from both Kikuichi and Hiromoto. I can attest that they're well made and are worth serious consideration.
  22. The "unsanitary" look you refer to is what we knife knuts like to call patina. All kidding aside, arguably, carbon steels have some qualities which can be considered advantageous when compared to stainless steels. The carbides tend to be smaller which produces a blade which will tend to sharpen more easily and will tend to be less frangible than most stainless blades at the same rockwell level. That said, there is the maintenance issue, to which you referred. In some cases that can be a significant drawback. It depends on how you will be using it and whether wiping your blade frequently is an inconvenience. A lot of folks feel that the best of both worlds is a warikomi blade like the Kumagoro, which is a carbon steel core laminated between two layers of soft stainless steel. You get the benefits of the hard carbon steel and the maintenance benefits provided by the stainless. The Kumagoro blades are very well regarded. As long as you're not married to the idea of a western style handle, I think you'll be happy with what the Kumagoro knives bring to the table.
×
×
  • Create New...