Chad

They are indeed doing a heck of a job. That's why I'm badgering them! I have no idea how long the brewing/fermenting/whatnot cycle takes. But if y'all are up for another round at some point in the future, I'd like to join in. Chad

So? When can we expect results/tasting notes, et al? I don't brew, but I've been fascinated by this thread. Makes me want to try it. I'm eager to hear how the group experiment turned out. CHad

Pictures? General observations? C'mon, Varmint, you've got a public to please! Chad

Ahem. Not all journalists are illiterate clods. I'll grant you, though, that a lot of simplifying goes on. To mangle someone else's example, this is not a case of the boy who cried wolf. It is a case of the scientist who cried, "This habitat is capable of supporting a lupine population," a journalist who cried, "Wolves could live here," and a headline writer who cried "WOLVES!!" in 72 point type. Chad

Man, I'm having one of those days where I only open my mouth to change feet! Chad

Agreed. No touch. That's why I like bolsterless, dropped blade-style knives. You get a little more margin for error . A chef's "pinch-grip" (see zilla369's Basic Knife Skills class for details) will also keep your knuckles out of the way much better than the "hammer" grip on the handle. Chad

Okay, your kitchen is seriously fucked up. Dunno what the guy who designed it was smoking, but I want some . Now, to the most important aspect of this little photo essay. Did anyone else note that the wine cooler was empty? That would explain a lot. Chad

Hmm, this might be a problem. Varmint are you willing to take your heels off in the kitchen? By the way, have you considered a couple of surplus hand grenades? Even with the ATF fines, you'd still come out cheaper. Chad

The Shun is a great knife. If the handle fits your hands, go for it. The Ryusen is theoretically a "better" knife. It has 63 layers of damascus to the Shun's 16. So what? The damscus is largely decorative. The core of both knives is VG-10 hardened to about 62-63Rc, so the cutting edge is going to be exactly the same. This was my dilemma late last year. I wanted the Shun. I ended up with the Hattori/Ryusen because I found a really great deal. If I recall, you mentioned that the Ryusen is sharpened to a steeper angle (13-15 degrees?). BFD. It'll have a slightly better out-of-the-box sharpness than the Shun (15-17 degrees), though you'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference. And the edge angle is really up to you. Ahem. There is a sharpening tutorial, you know . Damascus, VG-10 and esoteric angles aside, go with what feels good in your hands. Anyway, if it were me, I'd keep the Shun and spend the extra money on a Spyderco 204 sharpening system. Chad

Aha. There's the culprit. A grooved steel is berry berry bad (as Garret Morris used to say). The smooth steel will take a little longer, but it's more forgiving of technique and does a better job of realigning the edge. A grooved steel, because the grooves create small, high pressure contact points, can actually chip out your edge if used with a heavy hand. Even with light pressure a grooved steel can create microfractures and the equivalent of a microscopically serrated edge. That edge won't hold up very long in use. And, I suspect (though I don't know) that edge will be more susceptible to the "relaxation effect." I'd resharpen on the Spyderco and see where that gets you. Your knives should come back to razor sharp in very little time. Toss the grooved steel and stick with the smooth one or get a high-grit ceramic "steel." Hmph. Remind me to revoke your nomination for Smug Scientific Bastardhood. Aw, man! I'm smug! I'm a bastard! I can be pseudo-scientific. Chad

Dude, whadya mean tonight??? Didn't you bring your camera to work? Chad

You're f'ing nuts? Okay, really: Yup, it happens. And it's a very weird experience. There's a little about this phenomenon in the tutorial, but the long and short of it is that the steel at the very edge seems to "relax" over time. So if you've blunted your knives during a marathon beet dicing session, let them rest overnight before sharpening. They'll feel noticeably sharper in the morning and you won't take off as much metal. Same thing with touching them up. You shouldn't notice much change if you gave them a full sharpening because you've put on a fresh edge, but if you simply steeled your knives, they'll relax (a little) -- not all the way back to their previous state but certainly less sharp than just after you touched them up. That's why you always steel before use rather than after. This might even occur if you've given them a very light sharpening, but I'm not sure. I don't know the physics behind why this happens, just that it does. Chad

Vickie, thanks so much for being here. This is a fascinating topic, and my kids are as excited as I am to learn more about the food prep for shuttle and ISS missions. It's fairly common in the airline industry, not to mention the packaged food industry, to have consulting (sometimes celebrity) chefs who help out with product development. I know NASA has many food scientists on board, but have y'all ever brought in a consulting chef? Is there a freeze-dried Wolfgang Puck pizza in the future? Ming Tsai's Spicy Shuttle Shrimp with peanut-MIR sauce? Chad

Dunno if y'all have seen this yet, but wild Alaska salmon gets a clean bill of health. Chad

Welcome to eGullet! Thank you for the kind words about my article. I appreciate it. I'm really surprised that more people don't round the spines of their knives. It's not difficult or time consuming -- and frankly, it's pretty hard to screw up. I haven't tried making my own knife. That's beyond even my fanaticism . Well, that and the fact that I'm really, really bad with tools. I agree, though, that ergonomics play a huge role in how well you can use a knife. Feel is vastly underrated. Take care, Chad

Hmmm. I live in Kansas . Well, hell, I'll give it a try and see what happens. I generally like my coffee pretty strong, but not bitter. Dunno if the Braun is up to it. The real test will be to see how my wife reacts. I suspect it'll be something along the lines of, "Mmm, this is pretty good . . . WTF? Where did all our coffee grounds go?" Chad

I understand that the brewing method makes a difference. I can see using nearly this amount (about a cup and a half!) of grounds in a press pot or something of that sort. But for a standard Braun 10 cup drip coffee maker? Damn, that's a lot. Chad

Yeah, but our good friends at ChipotleLovers would probably call it Potle Blotle Chad

MSNBC has an odd little article on coffee. The part that really threw me was Am I reading that right? He wants me to put 20 tablespoons of coffee in the basket for a 10-cup pot? What gives, o' coffee gurus? Chad

Inspired by all this nonsense, I went out and had me a potle (throwing in some of the hip slang from the start of the thread) this afternoon. I had the barbacoa with hot salsa. Damn, it was pretty good. I definitely eat there again. I didn't expect a burrito the size of a football, but I ate the whole thing. Chad

Yup, it's artisanal sharpening. If the guy is good, he's good. Japanese waterstones are much like natural Arkansas stones -- not so much in sharpening ability as in rarity. Just as the novaculite deposit in Arkansas has been mined out, the deposits from which the best Japanese natural stones are mined are all but tapped out. That's my understandng, at least. Most Japanese waterstones are reconstituted, meaning that the natural (lesser grade) stone has been ground and put back together with some form of binder. They're pretty damn good. Japanese waterstones cut like crazy because they are so loosely bound. There is always a fresh cutting edge to grind away the metal. That's why they have to be kept wet -- it helps wash away the swarf and refresh the cutting ability of the stone. But natural waterstones definitely have an edge (no pun intended), just as an original Arkansas stone will have an edge over a reconstituted Arkansas stone. BUT natural stones aren't naturally flat. They come in weird shapes and sizes; so despite their sharpening advantages, natural waterstones aren't sought after except by fanatics. Sure they cut metal better but they're a pain to deal with, are extremely expensive, and are just plain finicky. Grading waterstones is much like grading wines and cheeses, it's more an art than a science. If a sharpener has a good set of natural waterstones -- and a good source for replacements -- and knows how to use them, then he's going to be able to put an astoundingly sharp edge on a knife. However, a home user can get close to 98 percent of a Japanese waterstone with a little practice and a good sharpening rig (the EdgePro Apex, for instance). Woodworkers face this problem every day. They're even more fanatical about edges than chefs or kitchen knife nuts. The true believers use waterstones. The rest use a good sharpening rig. You'd be hard pressed to feel the difference. If you want to learn the freehand techniques that work with Japanese waterstones, you'll have some amazing knives. It just takes time, practice and money -- as with any other skill. But you can get pretty damn close with a smaller investment. And you don't have to deal with stones that require more attention than a high-strung poodle. In short, if the Korin store is nearby, take your knives there to be sharpened. I would. The bottom line is performance. Otherwise, do it yourself. Chad

Robyn, you mistake my intent, I think. My point was that the vast majority of "professional" knife sharpeners, just aren't professional kitchen knife sharpeners. You, obviously, have found one of the good ones. That's a joy. Treasure him. He and his ilk are few and far between. A good knife sharpener will have, if he's under 50 or so, a Tormek grinder with integral blade guides, a slack belt sander for convex edges, a paper wheel for finishing edges, and numerous other toys with which to ply his trade. Older sharpeners might have a less elaborate setup, but be able to get more out of it by dint of their experience. Again, that is a rarity. Most itinerant sharpeners deal mainly with garden tools rather than high end kitchen knives. The professional sharpener who deals primarily with restaurants and discriminating customers is a dying breed. When I said to tip him well, that was a way of saying that you have found one in a million -- keep him happy. It's like finding an artisanal cheese maker. Chad

These people must die. 'Round here the place is generally pronounced Chipottle (rhymes with bottle). The idea that this might be shortened to Pottle is too grim to contemplate . Chad

I have one of those "steam toy" espresso makers. I realize that makes me a coffee poseur . However, we do use ours. Infrequently, yes, but we do use it. It sees action in the winter months when we want something stronger than hot chocolate. It ain't espresso or even a real latte, but we let the thing hiss and gurgle away, steam some heavy cream and haul out the big mugs. Which we then fill almost halfway with Tia Maria . The "espresso" and cream go on top of that. Not bad at all. As for the winner of the Most Unused Food Related Gift Item award? Two words: cheese ball Chad