[Sca-cooks] Knives

[Judith L. Smith Adams]

Elaine Koogler <ekoogler1 at comcast.net> wrote:    Tom Vincent wrote:
> To open a different topic altogether:
> 
> What about knives? What are folk's favorites, least favorites, dream knives, etc?
> 
> Anyone try/like ceramic knives?
> 
> For me, I love Chicago Cutlery's traditional knives, with the wood handles...They just *feel* like knives. I had a set of Henckels and got rid of it.
> 
> Now, some of these Japanese Damascus chef's knives really get my blood moving...
> 
> Duriel
>

   
  Well, color me odd, but I collect old, cheap wooden-handled, stainless steel paring knives, both the 3-4 inch and 5-6 inch blades.  They are light in the hand, sharpen easily on a steel to a razor edge that I use for everything from boning meat to slicing tomatoes.  I own and use use good butcher knives and a couple of cleavers - the best a $3.50 special from Chinatown, but the knife I reach for a dozen times a day is a six-inch stainless by Old Hickory or Forgecraft.  (My feasting table knife is a well-worn, stained, and if I'm careless, a bit rusted, carbon steel parer of the same ilk.)
   
  Second best-ever knives were the same companies' carbon steel 10 and 12 inch knives.  Again, they took an edge like a dream, cost very little, and gave years of service.  I still have two, though my current favorite knife of that type is a Chicago 10-inch.  
   
  I use a couple of different steels.  One was made by Gerber and designed to sharpen their superhard "surgical" steel.  I tired of wrestling with the knives, which at that time weren't designed to be safe in the hand - very easy to cut yourself with them - and I've never really been able to afford the kind of professional sharpening upkeep they needed.  But the steel I've kept 'cause it's tough enough to sharpen shovels...
   
  My second steel is by Chicago Cutlery.  Again, cheap but effective, with a finer edge than the Gerber.
   
  I own some Wusthoff knives, et al, but like the Gerbers, to keep them at their (admittedly awesome) best costs more than I can afford.  I'm good with a steel, but never gotten very confident with sharpening stones...  Would LOVE to try ceramic knives, and am looking forward to comments on them!
   
  Judith, who carries her own blades 

			
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