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Which carving set is worthy of your turkey?


Gifted Gourmet

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article from Slate online

like Baccarat crystal and decorative gilded pine cones, carving sets are part of the theater of a big meal—props that, from time to time, inject a little spectacle into our workaday lives. As such, they should look good.

That said, if you're going to invest in a carving set, it really ought to serve its purpose: All ceremonial value is lost if you're caught cursing over a shredded turkey. So I set off to evaluate several sets, ranging wildly in price from $20 to $975, on both beauty and function.

Dickerman evaluates knife-and-fork carving sets on presentation value and performance ...

One example is found here:

Henckels, Professional S Carving Set, $194, on sale for $100

Presentation value: elegant details ...  uniform satin finish on knife and fork.

Performance: Overall, it is a solid, functional blade that feels good in hand, but it was not sharp enough on first use

What about your carving sets for this holiday season?

What do you use?

More important to you: style or performance? :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I'm wondering what people think of serrated carving knives. I thinkthey shred and ruin poultry. What do others think?

I always think that the smooth sharp bladed carving knife is far preferable to the serrated for the very reason you have offered. The only time I use a serrated knife really is on bread products.

back to the article:

Cutco Carving Set Performance: One can understand why Cutco—is a popular line. The knife is light, unintimidating, and easy to slice with, but the results are inelegant: The sawlike edge teases turkey into unappealing fuzz,
:hmmm:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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My favorite carving set is from Randall Knives http://www.randallknives.com/carving.asp

Order today and delivery is about Feb 2010!

I have a 32 cm Wusthof which is very good.

The best pure carver is a custom http://www.dozierknives.com/ 10" Dozier which Bob made for me and is very sharp.

I currently am working with a double edged Japanese 27cm from http://www.shop.niimi.okayama.jp/kajiya/en/index_e.html Takeda that is a Yanagibabocho with Aogami Super Steel and is super sharp but thin. -Dick

Edited by budrichard (log)
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  • 2 weeks later...

Straight two prong forks are mislabled as 'Carving Forks'. They are really meat forks used to serve sliced meat. Follow this link to Wusthof http://www.wusthof.com/main.htm . Since the fork does not curve, as the knife decends it binds on the fork whereas a curved fork allows the knife to decend unimpeded. -Dick

Edited by budrichard (log)
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Alton Brown seems to be a big fan of electric knives for carving. Has anyone tried them?

Some of my friends used an electric knife to carve up turkey for thanksgiving this year. It couldn't really cut thin slices and needed quite a bit of effort to 'saw' through the meat. Maybe it was the quality of the knife (It was pretty inexpensive), but I still think a regular carving knife works better.

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I don't have a matched set, but the Wusthoff carving knive and their fork that I already own work just fine for me. Don't need the fancy box either. And at almost a $1000 for that set with the highest recommendation, that is my trip to New Orleans in January where I will enjoy spending it a lot more. I have friends to visit and food to eat.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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I don't have a matched set, but the Wusthoff carving knive and their fork that I already own work just fine for me.  Don't need the fancy box either.  And at almost a $1000 for that set with the highest recommendation, that is my trip to New Orleans in January where I will enjoy spending it a lot more.  I have friends to visit and food to eat.

Wusthoff carving knives are great! I have them out to 32cm. But there is just some mystique about a matched set with stag. They don't cut any better but it sure is nice!

What set costs $1000?-Dick

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I'm wondering what people think of serrated carving knives. I thinkthey shred and ruin poultry. What do others think?

I asked my chef teacher at the CIA, why couldn't you use a serated bread knife to slice a roast? The answer: sure it will cut the meat, but so will a chain saw!!!!!

*****

"Did you see what Julia Child did to that chicken?" ... Howard Borden on "Bob Newhart"

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