Knife Story

I've been collecting cookery items for the past couple of years in the hope that I would soon have a functioning kitchen in which to use them. My husband added a really nice chef's knife to my collection, and this is the story of its near-death!
We moved into a new (different) house over Christmas vacation (leaving behind our 1972 house trailer with the non-functioning kitchen). My knife block containing my brand new chef's knife was sitting on the kitchen counter. The delivery guy who was installing the refrigerator said, "I need a knife to cut this stupid tape", and he reached out a big, hairy arm toward my new knife. In my very best kung fu manner, I blocked that arm, screaming "Stop!"
He looked really puzzled. "Gee, lady," he said, "I just wanted to cut some tape." He was most displeased when I handed him some scissors!

[Chef David Simpson]

Someone this passionate about they're knives should have a lock box! Not for display.

Al Gore has a lock box. I think he also invented the internet.
It's not that I'm so passionate about it, it's just that it was new and I've never had a really good knife before. Silly me, I guess I just thought it was a funny story.

I can understand your reluctance to let anyone use your good knives for nefarious purposes. I am the same way. That's why I keep at least one cheap paring knife around...to do odd jobs with that I wouldn't dare use one of my good knives on, like opening mail, etc.

[Chef David Simpson]

Dear Sandy, yes, it was a funny story, it's just that I hear cooks complain all the time that they lost or someone stole their brand new knife. Don't mean any harm from what I said.

[cookM]

I've always liked what Anthony Bourdain said about this very subject:
"Don't touch my d**k, don't touch my knife."
It's true!!!! 'nuff said...

[This message has been edited by cookM (edited 01-13-2001).]

[Jim]

My wife bought me a custom made chef's knife for Xmas last year. If anybody would so much as look at it funny... they would be gently rolled in flour, lightly seasoned and deep fried.

[shroomgirl]

Definately, some people just don't understand how important and how emotionally attached we are to our knives....that's why there are plastic handled steak knives in the stores ( for those that just don't care.)

It reminded me of the part in Bone in the Throat when they hacked up the body with the chef's knife.

[Chef David Simpson]

This is very true! My knives are always in my sight. I just got a salmon knife and a new set of tongs that were gifts.
All of my knives have my logo on them. You may do this at a jewlery store. just give them a copyright of your logo and they do the rest.

About that Anthony Bourdain line (4 up): :lol!! I think I'm going to use that one a lot in cooking school, even though it's totally inappropriate!
But seriously, I have a 10 inch professional Henkel which I use in school; I've had it for some years. Most of the other students have knives that are worth probably a third of this one and there is a high incidence of theft in the school. I would like to engrave my initials on the knife but I'm not sure if it would damage the blade or the warrantee. Any advice?

[Chef David Simpson]

No and no.

I took a couple of my Henckels knives to a community center where I put together a Tex-Mex buffet for 70 people, and I used one of those vibrator engravers to put my name on the blades just in front of the bolster, just in case one got mislaid during the evening.

It certainly didn't hurt the blade, and I don't know how it could affect whatever warranty protection there is on a knife. I've got a Ford diesel pickup truck with a 36,000-mile warranty, which covers 7,500 pounds of stuff. What's to warrantee with a strip of steel with a couple of pieces of wood riveted to the back end?

Mike

Here's a question - I read some time ago that one of the reasons that a steel is superior for sharpening knives is that most of them bear a mild magnetic charge. When you use them, they transmit some of that charge to the knife, and that somehow aligns the steel molecules in the knife so that it will hold a sharper edge for a longer time.

Does anyone know if there's anything in this theory or am I, once again (sigh), full of **** ? I hate being full of **** . . .

[Greg]

I was taught that the reason a steel is magnetic is so any burrs it might take off the knife will cling to the steel, not wind up in someone's food. I don't know if there's anything to the molecule theory, so until further notice, it's still a possibility that you're full of ****!
One thing though, steels do not sharpen, they smooth out the edge so that sharpening is not needed as often.

[This message has been edited by Greg (edited 01-17-2001).]