I'm exploring the world of cooking from my home in Melbourne, Australia. I know I've become fanatical because I now keep cookbooks by my bed! Define esurientes? The hungry! This word pops up in my singing regularly and, for me, the term perfectly combines my passions for good food & good music. Email: esurientes2(at)yahoo.com.au
Saturday, April 30, 2005
My new knives
I had hoped to write a proper entry today but I've been in rehearsal all morning, and spent the last 3 hours researching and sending emails to 30-odd vocal ensembles in Italy asking for assistance with our European tour next year. Now I can't wait to get away from the computer!
So, today I'm posting some photos of my new knives I received from my mum for my birthday. Aren't they wonderful? I only wanted 1 Global knife, and I received 6!
Global is the brand of knife I've wanted for quite a while. I've tried other brands, and had always assumed that European-made knives were superior, but as soon as I tried these Japanese knives I knew they were perfect for me. They're made of one piece of steel (the knife and handle) and perfectly weighted. They look pretty funky as well, don't you think!
What we have l to r: paring knife; vegetable knife; 20cm cook's knife; bread knife; petty knife; utility knife.
I can also confirm how bloody sharp they are; one of the first times I used the vegetable knife I sliced my finger open, on the back corner (where it has a 90 degree angle). I didn't feel any pain, which indicates a really sharp knife has gone through your flesh but I suddenly noticed blood flooding around my hand. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around, expecting it to stop bleeding in a minute or so, but an hour later there was still blood! Still no pain, but one hell of an annoying cut finger.
But I'm having great fun using these knives. Surprisingly, I haven't even yet used the larger ones; the vegetable knife and petty knife are getting the best daily workout, which is not really what I expected; I think they're just more useful and easier to use for a relative novice.
Congrats on your new knives Niki. I also need some good knives but have not decided which ones to select.
ReplyDeleteIn my cooking I have been using very cheap knives (about Can$5.00 for paring knives) and the only expensive one I ever bought, a Wusthof, was a big disappointment. The seller told me I would never need to sharpen it and it would slice through meat like butter. Well, my cheap knives perform better and I had to sharpen it the first day I used it. Even sharpened, it does not slice through a roast like butter.
Actually the best knife I have is an Henckel Chef's knife that my daughter-in-law had in her garage sale. The blade has a 1/4-inch crack perpendicular to the blade and it cost me 25 cents. It is the best knife I have, very sharp and the crack only gets stuck in poultry skin. I am looking for a professional here in Ottawa to see if he can sharpen the blade down about 1/4-inch. Don't know if it will be possible.
Good knives are essential!
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky to get a ceramic knife as a gift a couple of years ago...that sucker took off the top of knuckle, with absolutely no effort. Yikes.
Matt's a fan of Wusthof(f?)...while I'm checking out all the serving dishes in the latest Crate & Barrel catalog, he's drooling over the knives!
Nice! I'm a big fan of Global - I have the chef's knife and use it absolutely all the time. I'm strongly thinking about buying a Masahiro though. We also have a couple of Fiskars, and a pretty nice Sabatier Lion, but the Global is perfect for my small hands. Love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Ana/Stephanie - re: Wusthof knives; they're the ones I've heard so much about. I actually grew up with a Wusthof cook's knife that my parent's received as a wedding gift, but it never held its sharpness well. Dad often tried to sharpen it up, and it'd be ok for a few days, but eventually we gave up using it and went for something cheaper and/or serrated.
ReplyDeleteAnne - wow! I'm envious of your knife collection! Would you consider doing a post about them? I'd be interested in seeing what they look like.
Heya,
ReplyDeleteWe received a set of global knives for our wedding. I absolutely love them. LIke you, I am prone to cutting myself especially on new sharp things, this present was no exception.