The first thing that caught my attention and I was horrified about was they said replace your knives because they were dull. Really? Replace them? Have you ever heard of sharpening them? One of my pet peeves are dull knives. There is nothing worse than dull knives but I'm not replacing them because they are dull. First off don't let them get dull. Every time I use my knives I run them through a sharpener or a steel to keep a decent edge on them (maintenance) , When they truly need sharpening I break out the Tormak or Wetstones to restore them back to factory new. Click Here for Various Sharpening Devices.
They further go on to say Peelers & Grates and I do agree with them on this point. Peelers and graters do dull out and there is little you can do to re-sharpen them so replacing them is the best option. If you are looking to making some custom kitchen tools Click Here.
The next thing was your cutting board. Their reasoning was if it gets dry or has too many cut marks in it. Again have you never heard of keeping your Cutting Board maintained? Click here for an Article on Cleaning and Maintaining Your Cutting Board. As far as the cutting marks they can be easily sanded out of a wooden cutting board. If you do not have a drum sander any woodworking store like ours can sand and make both faces flat and new again for a minimal fee. So please do not throw away a good wooden cutting board.
There was some other great advice in the article including replacing peeling non-stick pans. The health hazards are horrible if they are peeling. I have gone to all Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Carbon Steel or enameled Cast Iron Pots, pans and Dutch Ovens. I suggest to prevent things like this from happening is to use wood utensils in your pots or pans. I do use a plastic ladle in my Enamel Dutch Oven when cooking soup.
They go on to include warped baking sheets and pans, mismatched or worn out re-usable food containers, stinky and past prime (over 2 weeks old) sponges. I totally agree with all of these. I think we could easily add old spices. I for one am terrible about keeping spices way past their prime and I'm sure I don't change the baking soda box in the frig often enough.
Ok I hope this was helpful. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Have a great day and enjoy your time in the shop and in the kitchen.
Craig
]]>
These Boutique manufacturers make some unique products that we think you will love once you have tried them. Your feedback is always welcome and as these are Boutique Manufacturers the owners of these companies get your feedback directly from us and they are very responsive to it.
Chestnut Finishing Products ( Great Britain )
Known for their premixed Alcohol based Stains and Ebonizing Lacquers. They also have a great Microcrystalline Wax.
Hampshire Sheen Finishing Products ( Great Britain )
Known for their premixed Water based Stains, High Gloss Finishing Wax and Ebonizing Lacquers. They also have a great Microcrystalline Wax.
Jimmy Clewes Embellishment & Finishing Products ( Made in USA for Wood World of Texas LLC)
Known for their Cream Fillers, Metallic Powders and Synthetic Sand.
VG10 High-end Kitchen Knives and Blanks
These Damascus blades are made in China from Imported Japanese Steel. We carry them in a multitude of styles and patterns.
Known for his Premium line of un-handled Turning Tools and unique Handles. (Made in the USA)
]]>The Lumber itself is moderately hard, straight-grained, an even-textured wood with great strength properties. This lumber has characteristics that allows it to be bent for furniture making or similar applications.It is also easy to finish with most top coats. European beech has become the gold standard in workbench construction material.
European Beech is most often seen in the superior grade ( picture 1-a). A very uniform color with minimal contrasting grain and or mineral streaking. This makes for a very uniform look for any project. We carry 6/4 & 8/4 lumber in this grade.
(1-a Superior Grade)
I prefer the the Red Heart Grade (picture 1-b) that allows for mineral streaking which provides lots of contrast, and In my opinion, adds lots of character to a project. We can only get 4/4 in this grade at this time. I wish we could get it in 6/4 & 8/4 sizes but it is just not available.
(1-b Redheart Grade)
As always, let us know your experiences and if you would like to share your photos we will gladly include them here. Simply email comments and pics.
]]>These dishes require lots of cut up veggies and when I began this endeavor I soon found my cutlery tools to be lacking. I began to think that this flimsy cutlery set I bought was made out of Campbell Soup cans. They truly were flimsy and would not hold and edge. I soon learned a dull knife is a dangerous thing. You are having to use too much force to make cuts and will soon cut yourself.
I decided to do some research on knives and here is what I found. There is a huge difference in knives based upon the types of steel used in their production. Unfortunately there is no one best choice. All these steels have pros and cons that you must weigh based on personal needs and desires.
(Hock Chef Knife - Carbon Steel Blank)
Carbon Steel Blades hold a sharper edge and hold it longer than other steels but they will patina (steel turns a dark color) over time and they can rust. To keep them from rusting I wash & dry them by hand (directly after using them ) and then wipe them down with my favorite cooking oil. While they require a little extra care I think it is well worth it. My favorite brand of Carbon steel Blanks are the Hock Brand. You will not be disappointed in these.
(Feather Pattern VG-10 Chef Knife Blank)
VG10 Damascus Steel - What is this you might ask. Well it is a cutlery grade stainless steel produced in Japan. The name stands for V Gold 10 ("gold" meaning quality) & 10 being the best. VG-10 is a stainless steel with a high carbon content containing 1% Carbon, 15% Chromium, 1% Molybdenum, 0.2% Vanadium, and 1.5% Cobalt. This steel holds an edge almost as good as Carbon steel blades it doesn't have the disadvantage of patinating or rusting. You will also find that the Damascus process leaves varying patterns depending how it is made and thus each blade is a true work of art. Here are some of my favorite blanks that I have made some of my knives from. VG-10 Kitchen Knives.
Stainless Steel Blades
Stainless steel Knife blanks do not patina or rust to the point of pitting. The disadvantage is they dont take as sharp of an edge. There are various grades of stainless so for more information on that Click Here. Stainless Steel knives are the standard in most kitchen's and are generally the most economical choice..We carry a wide variety of Stainless Steel Knife Blanks.
As stated above I have become a fan of Asian cuisine and have discovered using various pastes to add flavor to my dishes. If you have never tried cooking with pastes I highly recommend you try them. Some of my favorites are Go-Chu-Jang which is great for a variety of things including adding a spicy taste to Stir Fry or even to make a spicy Buffalo Wing Sauce. There are tons of recopies on line for this paste. Another favorite is Tom Yum Paste.. I use it ta flavor my Tom Yum Soup.
A few others Interesting and flavorful cooking items I have found is a Black Pepper Garlic Paste, Roland Hot Chili Infused Oil, Garlic Lemon Grass Simmer Sauce, & Sun Luck Hot & Spicy Stir Fry Sauce. I have used all of these to make my Stir Fry Sauce and individually in other dishes. I can say do not be afraid to experiment and use different combinations of these products to suit your individual tastes.
]]>