Irony, Coincidence, Karma, just good CEF Fellowship? You decide

fredvon4 Mon Dec 27, 2021 10:55 am

In another thread by newer member Tracey AKA firstwordisee starts this story:

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t15760p25-bjmr-twin-lizzie?highlight=Lizzie

Back story before the point of the Topic Title

Wife and I both fairly good cooks. I am a SHARP knife freak she dearly loves Matching appliances, pot n pans, silver ware, Knife sets.
Years ago she hinted the hot deal was Calphalon pots n pans..X-mass I indulged her ( I hate them). The next year a Bed bath and whatever black Friday sale of some 18 piece Calphalon with block that has built in ceramic Vee groves to hone each insert/remove of 4 different knives, normally $298.99 for the low low price of $198.99 again I was hero (and again I hated them)

This year I decided ot gift her a real set of Chefs knives and settled on ( after hours of reading reviews) on Wusthof Ikon starter set..out of stock every where and prices all over the map. Then out of blue that NAG Amazon pop us sez...hurry one set left...click the link does I and there is exactly what I was searching for and best price of all I had seen.

Irony, Coincidence, Karma, just good CEF Fellowship? You decide Downlo12

Full sets ( 18, 10 of which are steak knives) of the Ikon series are nearing $1899.99 most places
While pricey my "starter set" was very reasonably priced for good German Solgien steel SHARP knives.

Hang in there Tracey figures in the title... Santa

Knowing I hated her Calphalon knives she and son conspired to find me My Own pro knives....the went Japanese, in a Damascus starter set by Nunchi, with each putting two under the tree for me. Below photo + one additional small Paring knife

Irony, Coincidence, Karma, just good CEF Fellowship? You decide Downlo13

Now to Tracey but a short story

At age 12 my Uncle Justen gifted me a small pocket knife I carried until basic Training where the Drill Sergeant confiscated it from me....I expected it back on graduation but that Drill was replaced half way through or cycle. Bummed cuz it was one of my favorite gifts. Over the years I have had easily a dozen different pocket knives never really spending big $$ or intent of collecting...simply a tool every one should always carry.

Tracey the gentle man he is sent me a Stocking stuffer as thanks for my send to him.

Christmas day I set the stocking to the side ( usually mostly candy any way, having forgot I had put the small wrapped package from Tracey in side.
As I waited patiently to see Renie's face at my Knife set gift I that I had inserted a laser etched small stick on plaque denoting "Renie's Micro Ranch Kitchen". I started opening some of my smaller curious packages....knife 1 then 2 then 3 then 4 and I was grinning a lot as she finally got to the largish box from me. Got the smile and thank you I was hoping for.

As Grandkids and adults started picking up the mess of wrapping I poured out the stocking and sure enough mostly candy but one smallish wrapped gift got my attention peeled paper off and there in my had was the box of a Case Butterbean shaped knife...WOW the Xmas of knives !! I opened it up to find a early 2000's Ocean Blue two blade pocked knife exact same color as the slightly bigger Canoe shaped one my uncle gave me many decades ago. Gotta tell you guys I really got choked up. once composed I got out the paper in the small box...while digging I read the box...Limited edition 1 of 3000.

Dear Tracey, you sir have no idea how much this little gift means to me
Thank you my CEF buddy

Irony, Coincidence, Karma, just good CEF Fellowship? You decide Downlo14

KariFS Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:19 am

Quite a Christmas story Fred!

I have a Wusthof Chef’s knife too, like the one right above the sharpening rod in your picture. Very nice tool! Got it for Christmas a few years ago from my wife. Lately I have been looking at Japanese knives too. My cooking is pretty basic, so a basic set of knives suffices, but I thought a thin-bladed (Japanese?) would be a good addition. I already bought a cheap(ish) one to test the concept of thin-but-wide blade with a straighter cutting edge, works great with onion, herbs and raw salmon, so I might get a nicer one someday.

I’ll also need to invest on a proper sharpening set, I only have a diamond lapping tool and a sharpening rod.

fredvon4 Mon Dec 27, 2021 1:31 pm

I think, after receiving them, that the Japanese Pseudo Damascus blades..psuedo my term as different makers tout differing number of FOLDS, some as low as 42 some up over 85 but many in the 60~68 fold range. (I seem to recall Syrians who developed the low grade steel folding "Damascus" for more durable knives and swords were up in the hundreds of folds. Ideally chef's knives usually fall into the 55 to 65 Rockwell hardness. Too soft and loose edge rapidly, too hard become brittle, chip easily, and difficult to re sharpen.

I am impressed with my new to me Nunchi brand 67 fold 61 RC Naktiri knife for vegetable slice/chop. It will be awhile before I know how it holds an edge or how easy to re sharpen. Mine is 12" over all, 7" blade 2" tall and relatively thin and balances nicely just a bit IN front of the bolster. In fact at first seems a bit light, but 15 minuets into a large salad just seems natural controllable tool.

I learned a long while back a ceramic "steel" honing rod makes a big difference before use and after cleaning/drying, helps hold an edge a lot longer. Steel "Steels" are good only if harder than the blade and diamond impregnated (at the correct coarseness) can be exceptionally expensive

For vegie chop or slice a light well balanced blade is a joy to use, especially if you hate the chore and want to thin slice a lot of vegies fast... When company is over, I make a show of prep ---no where near as cool a TV chefs and no fancy flowers or the like. Just easy, fast paced, pleasing to the ear, rhythm cutting with occasional light chop on the board while repositioning my left hand to present more of the vegie

Cutting board is important too. We only use higher end plastic colored for poultry, fish and pork/beef for easy clean sanitize. Good edge grain Maple or Acacia wood for cleaned veggies and bread cutting. A nice bamboo set we were gifted was very hard on our low end knives

fredvon4 Mon Dec 27, 2021 1:49 pm

Kari said "I’ll also need to invest on a proper sharpening set, I only have a diamond lapping tool and a sharpening rod.
"
For decades now I have sucked at proper knife sharpening. When available I used to drag a box full to the traveling knife guy who came through town for a week then moved on.
Now that we have kind of high end knife sets I have been shopping and watching videos. Decided to get a decent quality set of Water stones, flattener for them, and a good leather strop then I can impregnate with my already owned diamond grit pastes I use to polish cox crank shafts.

Retired and a drawer full of dull low end knives I have the time to teach myself to do it correctly.

In training
Fred

rsv1cox Tue Dec 28, 2021 6:25 pm

My father started out life as a meat cutter at a local market in town. Whitters Market, we visited it during our last trip to Raymond. Hole in the wall with a big pickle barrel in the middle of the floor. Think 1930's.

I remember him at Thanksgiving and Christmas wielding one of these and sharpening a cutting knife before carving the Turkey. Very flamboyant in his movements.