Kitchen knives and cookware

[fishnbanjo]

OK, I do have way too many hobbies and collections being a hunter, fly fisher, pipe smoking, banjo playing, book reading son of a gun that I am it has to include some nice kitchen knives, some old, some custom but no junk and cast iron cookware with one piece over 100 years old that gets lots of use.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Not so much into kitchen knives, but I have a couple of old cast iron skillets that see regular use. Wouldn't get rid of them either.

 

[taharris]

Nothing, but nothing cooks like cast iron.

Todd

 

[fishnbanjo]

Not only will I not get rid of them I won't let my wife touch them since she almost ruined one...... Her mother gave me her mother in law's Griswold dutch oven (the over 100 y/o piece I mentioned) and not one of her daughter's.

 

[WaydeG]

Nothing, but nothing cooks like cast iron.

Todd

Second that. Dutch oven, two skillets and a corn bread mold. Corn bread from a skillet in the oven with homemade butter is dang near close to heaven. I have 2 really well made knives and a quality cleaver. Everything else is semi-quality. Tried a ceramic knife once.... key word there being once.

 

[old_salt]

Have some better than Walmart steel, some Chrome Moly. But lately shifting to japanese white #2 & Blue #1
Carbon. Have to keep em clean & dry, but you can get them Jason Vorhees sharp.
My oldest set, stamped stainless had em 25 + yrs. still great performers.

next the Germans in forged X50 CRMo V15 steel.

finally the Japanese imports

 

[Zeno Marx]

Good thread. I do 90% of my cooking out of a 6qt dutch oven. The other 10% out of a wok-like skillet.

I recently came to the conclusion that I do not need a high-quality paring knife. I prefer a rather dull paring knife; tip 1/3 sharp and bottom 2/3 rather dull. For that, I don't need a good knife to do the job, though something ergonomic is surely desired. But as for the only other knife I ever reach to use, I want a high-quality 8" chef knife. I'm looking at the Henckels Four Star II 8" chef knife now. I have a Calphalon that someone gave me as a gift, but the blade is super thick and weighs far too much. Decent steel, but it was designed by an ape.

So, for my MO, I need a junk quality paring knife, a very high quality 8" chef knife, a magnetic strip for hanging, and a steel. Minimalist and fully functional. In my frivolous moments, I entertain picking up an 8" Santoku, but I doubt I'll ever actually buy one.

 

[Lemnisc8]

I could not do without my four star Henkels knife set I put together or my caphalon commercial cookware. My wife is also forbidden from using them (I've caught her twice trying to load them into the dishwasher).

 

[scotties22]

I couldn't live without my Wusthof knifes. I am in the process of collecting one of everything they manufacture. Right now I'm about halfway through their Classic line. I am waiting on my mom to give up some of her cast iron. A lot of it has been passed down and is well aged to say the least. Until then I will make due with my enamel coated cast iron.

Zeno, have you ever tried a bird's beak peeler? They work great and make peeling things a breeze. I don't even use a paring knife anymore. I always reach for the bird's beak first.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Zeno, have you ever tried a bird's beak peeler? They work great and make peeling things a breeze. I don't even use a paring knife anymore. I always reach for the bird's beak first.

I have not. I'll add it to my list to research. Thanks.

EDIT: should add that it reminds me of a mushroom picking knife. Opinel sells a pocket knife model for mushroom hunting. I'm sure there are others as well.

 

[Harlock999]

I've been using the same set of Wusthof Classic knives for at least 15 years, and I love them.

 

[scotties22]

Zeno, have you ever tried a bird's beak peeler? They work great and make peeling things a breeze. I don't even use a paring knife anymore. I always reach for the bird's beak first.

I have not. I'll add it to my list to research. Thanks.

EDIT: should add that it reminds me of a mushroom picking knife. Opinel sells a pocket knife model for mushroom hunting. I'm sure there are others as well.

That's exactly what my mom uses hers for. She lives in Oregon up in the Ochoco Mountains and mushroom hunts every chance she gets. She made a little sheath and carries that dang knife with her almost everywhere.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Zeno, have you ever tried a bird's beak peeler? They work great and make peeling things a breeze. I don't even use a paring knife anymore. I always reach for the bird's beak first.

I have not. I'll add it to my list to research. Thanks.

EDIT: should add that it reminds me of a mushroom picking knife. Opinel sells a pocket knife model for mushroom hunting. I'm sure there are others as well.

That's exactly what my mom uses hers for. She lives in Oregon up in the Ochoco Mountains and mushroom hunts every chance she gets. She made a little sheath and carries that dang knife with her almost everywhere.

Maybe a gift idea for her. Better to lose a $30 knife than an $80 knife. And they come with a little brush to knock off the dirt.

http://www.opinel-usa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Opinel-mushroom-knife-leather-lace

 

[scotties22]

That is perfectly amazing for her. Thanks for the link. I'm not only gonna get her one....think I'm gonna need one for myself too :lol:

 

[beetlejazz]

That mushroom knife is such a beauty! :shock:

+1 for good old cast iron skillets. I bought mine (and old, Swedish one) from a fleamarked, completely covered with rust. A little bit of work on it and now it's served me well for 10 years, and will probably serve me until I'm too old and frail to lift it. :lol: The balance in that one is perfect too.

Another favourite fished from a fleamarket is an old Timo Sarpaneva pot, cast iron + enamel on the inside. They have been in production for decades. The trick with this one is the wooden handle you can use to lift the cover:

BTW, I take recommendations for a quality knife for chopping beets, carrots and other harder to cut vegetables as such.

 

[deepbass9]

I've got a couple of Globals...the larger "veggie" knife and a sheeps foot parer. In the years since, though, I've come to appreciate the qualities of carbon steel. I'll probably expand my selection at some point; most likely with something custom from bladeforums.com, or whatnot.


I really would like a nice meat slicer, as well as some sort of bread knife, but for now I make do with the edges I have.

 

[pepesdad1]

Just redid my kitchen..put in a Franke Granite sink (22X32X9) coupled with a 5 burner. I prefer a 8" chef with a 4 1/4" for tight brutish work. 6" paring of fine steel, a 10" Granton blade or Cuellenschleif for really thin slicing and a diamond steel for keeping it all "fine". I used to work with an Executive Chef that could hold two 12" chef knives in one hand while chopping parsley. Talk about a jaw dropping experience. Old iron is really the best for taste...and isn't it really all about that! Copper is wonderful for sauce reduction as you can control the heat so well when you are using gas.
Great memories

 

[geordiebooker]

Zeno, have you ever tried a bird's beak peeler? They work great and make peeling things a breeze. I don't even use a paring knife anymore. I always reach for the bird's beak first.

I have not. I'll add it to my list to research. Thanks.

EDIT: should add that it reminds me of a mushroom picking knife. Opinel sells a pocket knife model for mushroom hunting. I'm sure there are others as well.

That's exactly what my mom uses hers for. She lives in Oregon up in the Ochoco Mountains and mushroom hunts every chance she gets. She made a little sheath and carries that dang knife with her almost everywhere.

Maybe a gift idea for her. Better to lose a $30 knife than an $80 knife. And they come with a little brush to knock off the dirt.

http://www.opinel-usa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Opinel-mushroom-knife-leather-lace

Those Opinel mushroom knives are nice, they sharpen up real good but not very good in wet climates as the beech handle swells and it can be a pig to get open.

I got this a few years ago....made by Maserin, the handle is olive.....I've had about a dozen different mushrom knives over the years but this is by far the best.

I just realised the pic I have doesn't show the blade....I'll upload one later

 

[geordiebooker]

Here we are......

 

[scotties22]

That's an awesome looking knife. I will keep that in mind when I buy one for myself. I live in Missouri and humidity is a problem here for sure. My mom lives in Central Oregon (The High Desert) and it is so dry there year round that your spit evaporates before it hits the ground.