[Sca-cooks] Helpful Hint from Whomever #987

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Aug 2, 2009, at 12:20 PM, Judith Epstein wrote:

> I haven't used this trick, but I find that a really sharp knife will  
> bite into mango flesh nicely even while it simply rests lightly in  
> the palm and/or fingers of the other hand.

Sure, a really sharp knife always improves a situation, all other  
things being equal. I used to work with a Swedish cook who espoused  
the tao of dull knives and greater pressure. That is, I worked with  
him until he cut his finger off with a dull knife... The problem with  
mangoes, in my experience, especially really ripe ones, is that  
they're really slippery as you peel them; almost like ice, in that  
gravity alone is enough to produce a sort of frictionless lubricating  
fluid (a.k.a. juice) between two solid objects. I have yet to run  
across the mango whose inertial mass is sufficient to offset  
displacement by even the sharpest knife.

But again, yes, a sharp knife is definitely always a help.

Adamantius






"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter