mrsadm

I have the book on order and have not read it yet. But, re your point about Italian chefs being surprised (and not always pleasantly) about Mario's success, leads me to wonder if there isn't a "celebrity chef" phenomenon in Italy. It has obviously existed in France for some time. In the U.S. we have Rachel Rays, Emerils, etc. and we are used to that. I just found it surprising, that's all. I guess in American culture we are used to someone - be it James Beard, Jane & Michael Stern, Paula Dean, and so on - compiling recipes and techniques from many people, and making themselves famous as a result. Am I being too simplistic, here?

The author attended the 5-day Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of America and writes an entire book about the 5-day experience. Anyone read it? Amazon.com has 1 good review and 1 not-so-good review. I've taken at least 5 1-day classes at the CIA and cannot imagine I would learn much from the book so don't plan to spend the $$ on it.

I believe it was in Jacques Pepin's book, "The Apprentice", that I read that years ago many fine French restaurants would have the commi's cook only for the guests' dogs.

OK one final comment from me, I just got to see the last 2 episodes and go through this forum. I read on the Bravo web site that Billy Joel's wife is really, really, really interested in food and she writes a "culinary and lifestyle" column for the Hamptons magazine. So why are you questioning her credentials, huh? Edited to add: I wonder if Mr. Joel is an investor in Bravo ... hmmmm.....

Dave and Stephen had three choices once the teams were set. Most admirable: Make the best of an unpleasant situation and perform at the best of their professional ability. Admirable: Refuse the assignment. Walk. Stephen can't really do this as he volunteered to work with Tiffani. Least Admirable: Show up drunk, not commit yourself fully, talk behind the chef's back. ← Most Entertaining: Show up drunk, act silly, talk behind chef's back.

Oh my. How Bourdain of her. I liked her on the show, but now I love her and would buy her drinks anytime. ← Where is Lee Anne's blog? I don't see it on the Bravo web site.

For garlic or onion scented wood, use Julia Child's method - put salt on it, rub in a bit, then soap and water for final clean. I also use salt to get garlic small off my fingers. If really bad smell, may need to do this 2-3 times. Works for me. In general I clean my board with soap and water, and on occasion I scrub with comet. But then I don't own a fancy board..... :-)

Still, for all their consistency world wide, there is one truly Vegas experience mentioned in the article - wine angels fetching bottles from a wine tower. Now where else in the world would you do that? ;-)

Glad to hear your Tojiro's fit and finish are excellent. Mine has several flaws, although they are minor, but no where as good as a Wusthof. The rivets aren't quite even with the handle surface, for instance. I use a Deba for boning chickens, it is a very tough knife; got it for about $24 on e-bay.

Lori, sorry I don't know anything about the Boulud cookware, but I found my Le Crueset oval braising casserole at a store that sells overstocks, leftovers, etc., called "Home Goods". It has a couple of minor imperfections that don't affect the cooking at all. I also found a fabulous large Staub there for 1/2 normal retail price. There are also LC outlets, in fact I think I remember one at an outlet mall near the PA-NJ border that I stopped at. I think if you look around for these types of stores, you can get the best quality for less money (but maybe not $40, I would think $80-90 instead of retail of well over $100). Good luck in your decision!

For even more education, and a good place to ask questions, check out the older posts at this forum: http://216.91.137.210/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=6 This is a cutlery forum where most of the members are extremely knowledgeable about knives, Japanese knives, in particular.

Thanks everyone! I arrived in Copenhagen yesterday and will check out some of your suggestions.

<Ed McMahon voice> You are correct, sir! </Ed McMahon voice> Yup, the hollows ground into the side of the blade are called kullens. They reduce the contact surface of the knife and, theoretically, keep foods from sticking. In practice the effect is largely negligible. Wet, dense fruits & veggies (think potatoes or apples) may peel off the side of the blade a little easier, but in side by side testing on chef's knives and santokus I can't really tell if the dimpled knife is actually performing a little better or I just want it to. The scallops do help on ham/roast slicers. Interestingly, ham/roast slicers are actually closer to a true Granton edge. If you do a side by side comparison you can see that the kullens go almost all the way down to the edge on the slicer whereas they stop 1/8" short on the chef's knife or santoku. A true Granton edge is a very different beast altogether. The hollows/scallops not only go all the way down into the edge, they also alternate from side to side on the blade giving a nearly serrated effect. If you want to get really freaky and take the kullen concept to the extreme, try a Glestain knife. I have one coming for testing, but I've read reports that the mutitude of scallops actually does work. Should be fun. Take care, Chad ← So Chad, when and where can we read your Glestain review?

Good grief, are you serious? Un-believable! Was the non-stick coating black like in pans? Hmmm, black non-stick dimpled knives, sounds hideous! Some people refer to the dimpled knife as having a granton edge, but I don't believe that is correct. They dimples are called "kullens". I'm sure Chad will weigh in if I'm incorrect.

I am in the middle of the book now and enjoying it immensely. Of course. it is not pure Julia, but her memories as she sketched them, and as assembled by her nephew. I think one cannot expect more. For those of us who loved Julia, this is a final treat.

Good question! I happen to have taken the "knife skills" class at the CIA in Hyde Park which was my first introduction to sharpening knives. The chef/professor looked at one student's chef knife and told him it was ruined, throw it away. Some sharpening services do not know how to do cutlery. Bench grinders are meant for wood chisels and perhaps hunting knives, but not for cutlery. If you find a really knowledgeable place - like "Kitchen Drawer" in Hyde Park - they can get a very good edge with a grinding wheel. But not any jerk can use a grinding wheel with your knife. It takes some knowledge of steel types, bevel angles, and so on. Further, Japanese knives should really be sharpened on a water stone, not a regular stone which is good for the German knives. They should be honed on a ceramic steel, not a metal one. I started by sharpening an old German knife on a Shapton stone (course and fine grit) and a cheapie e-bay Japanese knife on a water stone. I made quite a few scratches on those two knives but the practice was invaluable. Now I can really put a great sharp edge on my knives. If you use an appliance like "Chef's Choice" knife sharpener, your knives will get sharper. However, they really grind away at the knife edge and before long, your knife will look like a pencil. Sorry if this is getting off topic, I just wanted to answer the question.

Yes, more to grab onto, but when you are sharpening your knife, they really get in the way. I would say "annoying when sharpening" rather than evil. Then again (as someone referred to) the "williams sonoma" crowd may not all sharpen their own knives at home. I find it very rewarding to be able to sharpen my knives, I have control and know what I'm doing, and some knife sharpening places can actually ruin your knife. Ref. the observation that Global knives are so popular - maybe really good marketing? I was recently in Kitchen shops in Paris and the only Japanese knife they were selling was Global.

I'm not Chad but yes, it is an excellent deal. You'd have to pay over $100 for a similar quality blade from other makers. One caution about the Tojiro's, which is minor though, is that "fit and finish" wise they are not always perfect, or as fine as a more expensive knife. However, you still get way more than you pay for in the wonderful steel.

I DO NOT agree with the recommendation for Chicago Cutlery. The knives they made 20 or so years ago were great, not so great recently. Also agree that Cutco is garbage. I would go with Chad's reCommendations here. Trust me, I am a serious knife nut!

There's always "Judge Judy". :-) I would always get the price in writing up front. If they won't put it in writing, I would and present it to them. They definitely strung you along, but you don't have a lot of legal grounds to back you up here. I have no idea if this was a good deal or bad deal, but it wasn't conducted professionally and you probably weren't demanding enough. Oh well, lesson learned! At least I hope you and your guests had fun!

I'll be traveling to Hannover, Germany (where I hope to find traditional German food) and Copenhagen, Denmark, in a couple of weeks. Any recommendations for good food in Copenhagen? Last time there I had a wonderful seafood dish but cannot remember where it was ... thanks

What Kim said. I could not believe the 16 hours. If I were there I'd have quit on the spot. Talk about torturing the contestents!

Reviving this older thread to let folks know, this book is now available cheaply as a remainder. I got mine for $6.99 as an Amazon bargain book. Am reading it now and find it fascinating.

Interesting topic ... I've concluded that it's primarily personal preference whether one uses a cleaver or not. I was quite surprised at a cooking class at Cordon Bleu in Paris last week that the chef/instructor preferred a cleaver to a large chef's knife. He minced the garlic almost instantly - the way Martin Yan does on TV! - and put whole spices in waxed paper and wacked them to powder. I have yet to try using a cleaver but one day I'm sure I will.....

No no no, that knife sharpening system will never get used. Not likely, anyway. If anyone gave me anything like that when I first got married, I'd've put it on e-bay really fast. I noticed the knife block for this set is a pretty wierd (and needlessly complex) shape. You could get that block by itself, and a good knife and steel. But as someone said knife preferences are very personal. Some people love Santoku's and some people hate them. At this point in my life I have a collection of wonderful Japanese knives. But they are an acquired taste. I would not have known how to treat them back in my youth. If it's what they want, why not get that? Then you can show them how to sharpen them on a $20 stone.