Saturday, June 24, 2006
Household Tip #2 : Knife Sharpening
I had a few good comments about cleaning the coils of the refrigerator and thought everytime I learn something new, I would add it to my blog. I sometimes feel really stupid not knowing these household tips, but you know, if I didn't know, maybe someone else didn't know either. If I can help a few people out, then it was well worth posting the entry.
Household tip #2 is to get your knives sharpened professionally. No matter if you have a gourmet brand, $5 Wally World, or garage sale pickup. You can cut yourself worse with a dull knife than a sharp knife. I don't know if that is true, but my husband always says that.
I enjoy watching (the keyword is watching) the Food Network. Especially the show Good Eats. Alton Brown goes into some scientific and historic detail when he is teaching a recipe. In one episode he was talking about the difference between honing a knife and sharpening a knife. Very eye-opening indeed.
Our set of knives are Henckel Pro-S. We've had them for about five years. My husband has been honing them and has asked me in the past to get them professional sharpened, but I never understood what the difference was between the two. Why get them sharpened when they were being honed or sharpened at home with one of those whetstones? (By the way, Scott would be horrified if he knew I actually have sharpened HIS knives with a whetstone. I'm not supposed to have a whetstone in the house or ever hone without adult supervision. Ha!) The show went into very detailed explanation of the two. They basically said get your knives professionaly sharpened regularly, use honing between knife sharpening visits.
I searched all around Austin and finally found a place on Burnet Road which sharpens all types of blades. When I told Scott the address, he wasn't surprised because it is in area where there are many thrift stores and businesses catering to people who need to have things repaired. He joked that the knife shapening place probably taught knife throwing classes.
I took in ALL my cooking knives. Including steak knives, meat scissors, a cheap $2 fillet knife, and a broken boning knife. I was so scared taking those things to the car. I put the knife blocks into a box because I was afraid of caring them individually in a bag and having a blade rip through and pierce my foot! I drove up and down Burnet Road trying to find this place. The address kept alluding me [litteraly a hole in the wall place], but I finally found it. I had to park in the back. I was so glad a brought the knives in a box because it was about a half a block walk. [ Not to mention what I would look like caring a handful of knives. Someone would have surely called the police stating there is a deranged woman walking around with knives] As I was walking past the warehouses in the back toward the knife place, I heard this log chopping sound. When I reached the back part of the building of the knife place, there was a group of people in the alley....taking a knife throwing class!! I busted out laughing!
They said it would take a few hours to get all the knives sharpened. When I came back to pick them up, I heard an even louder log chopping sound. They were teaching an ax throwing class!! I had to laugh even harder. I wanted to take a picture with my cell phone camera, but I thought I would distract them and cause an accident.
Anyway, they did an awesome job sharpening the knives. I was surprised they were able to create a pointed blade with the broken boning knife. This knife was expensive and somehow (probably faulty workmanship) it broke when Scott was cleaning a fish. This happened was many years ago. I was too lazy to figure out how to return it to Henckels. By the time I figured out how return it, the broken off piece of the blade had been discarded. So, they made it into a peeling knife. Wow, I wish all small knife handles felt that heavy.
The steak knives did a great job during my father's day steak luncheon. I thought the knife sharpener was going to destroy my serrated edge, but it didn't. I had already decided if they couldn't sharpen the steak knives, I was going to get rid of them. My dad was commenting how tender the steak was because the knife cut through it so easily. I told my dad about the knife sharpening service he began examining the blade. He looked at my step-mom and asked her to remind to get the address and phone number.
The total service for about 20 knives was about $45. That may be more than what you want to pay if you have bargain knives, but I tell you, it makes a world of difference. I have been chopping up a storm the last few weeks.
My husband thinks I am such a goofball [and he is probably right] because I keep telling everyone about getting my knives professionally sharpened. It really made a difference in needing to cook versus wanting to cook.
Household tip #2 is to get your knives sharpened professionally. No matter if you have a gourmet brand, $5 Wally World, or garage sale pickup. You can cut yourself worse with a dull knife than a sharp knife. I don't know if that is true, but my husband always says that.
I enjoy watching (the keyword is watching) the Food Network. Especially the show Good Eats. Alton Brown goes into some scientific and historic detail when he is teaching a recipe. In one episode he was talking about the difference between honing a knife and sharpening a knife. Very eye-opening indeed.
Our set of knives are Henckel Pro-S. We've had them for about five years. My husband has been honing them and has asked me in the past to get them professional sharpened, but I never understood what the difference was between the two. Why get them sharpened when they were being honed or sharpened at home with one of those whetstones? (By the way, Scott would be horrified if he knew I actually have sharpened HIS knives with a whetstone. I'm not supposed to have a whetstone in the house or ever hone without adult supervision. Ha!) The show went into very detailed explanation of the two. They basically said get your knives professionaly sharpened regularly, use honing between knife sharpening visits.
I searched all around Austin and finally found a place on Burnet Road which sharpens all types of blades. When I told Scott the address, he wasn't surprised because it is in area where there are many thrift stores and businesses catering to people who need to have things repaired. He joked that the knife shapening place probably taught knife throwing classes.
I took in ALL my cooking knives. Including steak knives, meat scissors, a cheap $2 fillet knife, and a broken boning knife. I was so scared taking those things to the car. I put the knife blocks into a box because I was afraid of caring them individually in a bag and having a blade rip through and pierce my foot! I drove up and down Burnet Road trying to find this place. The address kept alluding me [litteraly a hole in the wall place], but I finally found it. I had to park in the back. I was so glad a brought the knives in a box because it was about a half a block walk. [ Not to mention what I would look like caring a handful of knives. Someone would have surely called the police stating there is a deranged woman walking around with knives] As I was walking past the warehouses in the back toward the knife place, I heard this log chopping sound. When I reached the back part of the building of the knife place, there was a group of people in the alley....taking a knife throwing class!! I busted out laughing!
They said it would take a few hours to get all the knives sharpened. When I came back to pick them up, I heard an even louder log chopping sound. They were teaching an ax throwing class!! I had to laugh even harder. I wanted to take a picture with my cell phone camera, but I thought I would distract them and cause an accident.
Anyway, they did an awesome job sharpening the knives. I was surprised they were able to create a pointed blade with the broken boning knife. This knife was expensive and somehow (probably faulty workmanship) it broke when Scott was cleaning a fish. This happened was many years ago. I was too lazy to figure out how to return it to Henckels. By the time I figured out how return it, the broken off piece of the blade had been discarded. So, they made it into a peeling knife. Wow, I wish all small knife handles felt that heavy.
The steak knives did a great job during my father's day steak luncheon. I thought the knife sharpener was going to destroy my serrated edge, but it didn't. I had already decided if they couldn't sharpen the steak knives, I was going to get rid of them. My dad was commenting how tender the steak was because the knife cut through it so easily. I told my dad about the knife sharpening service he began examining the blade. He looked at my step-mom and asked her to remind to get the address and phone number.
The total service for about 20 knives was about $45. That may be more than what you want to pay if you have bargain knives, but I tell you, it makes a world of difference. I have been chopping up a storm the last few weeks.
My husband thinks I am such a goofball [and he is probably right] because I keep telling everyone about getting my knives professionally sharpened. It really made a difference in needing to cook versus wanting to cook.
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ahemm -
now be careful.... :)
oh..did you say "a group of people in an alley...taking a knife throwing class"?????
i'll be worrying about you missy!
now be careful.... :)
oh..did you say "a group of people in an alley...taking a knife throwing class"?????
i'll be worrying about you missy!
hey..maybe your boss will pay for you to take those classes??~i'm sure it will help with "filtering the data"
just a thought ;)
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just a thought ;)
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