A complement to knife use, or just a tool?

I have a question relating to knife use, and I don't mean that by simply "buying a product." A simple search here might provide me with a list of suppliers. I'm referring to a product utilized in conjuction with knives. And I'm not joking here.

That is, the carving fork.

Now here's what I've noticed. Some forks have straight tines. Some have a slight bend near the ends. Some just mirror the decorative handles of the accompanying knife.

But I've never, ever, ever had a chef toss a cheap carving fork across the room in disgust, nor have I been approached by a chef to "refine" the tines for his personal roll.

If anything, (and that means rarely), a kitchen worker will even ask for a fork.

Now if a chef will spend +$3K for a superior knife, why doesn't he ask me for forks?

And I would surmise you are correct, but I'm not a chef.

Here's the reason this seems odd. I did a search on my supplier's website for a carving fork. They only have one listed.

For 80 bucks. Yikes.

That's the point of the debate. Do we consider adjunct or ancillary tools needed or simply wanted(?)

For example, over the years I've collected a lot of shop rags. Now this might seem like a minor issue--that is, until you scratch something of value.

Before that happened, I gave the shop rags to a neighbor and replaced everything with micro-fiber cloths.

Hey, guess what? This small addition has paid dividends already. I can safely polish knives, computer screens, plus vehicle paint and chrome. And to my arsenal of cleaning products I can now use BugSlide. An unusual name, but a tremedous cleaning product for delicate and polished surfaces. Like expensive mirror finished knives.

Getting back to forks, we've had a pro opine that just about anything can be used in a working kitchen. Truth be told, I've seen some oddball stuff happen in kitchens.

But I wonder what would happen if I presented a server with a razor sharp Damascus pattern carving knife and a fancy-schmancy fork as he left to go serve prime rib?

Ewwww. I've seen chefs on "The Iron Chef" cut themselves, slap on a bandage and go back to work. Hasn't anyone heard of blood-borne pathogens!

Laugh if you will, but here in Wisconsin we have CWD and CJD concerns because even the intense heat of prolonged cooking will not destroy prions.

That 80 bucks for a decent fork is starting to sound like a paltry amount.

(BTW, when was the last time you heard a biker go "ewwww"?)

At this time they are unsure on how this stuff spreads. In fact, many opine that Wisconsin's problems stem from a limited amount of elk being imported from our western states.

As for prions, heat doesn't kill them, and just because you're washing your hands it doesn't mean that you sanitize your kitchen, cutting boards, counter-tops, floors, clothing and pans every time if infected venison is introduced. In fact I was in a kitchen once where a drain backed up and raw sewage came out of the floor. That was a four star.

It's gotten so bad here that our DNR has identified "hot zones" which is a fancy-schmancy way of promoting a total slaughter of 'potentially' exposed animals.

However, why should I be exposed to any pathogen because of a sloppy chef? Ever see the signs in bathrooms requesting employees wash their hands--and I doubt if compliance on that is 100%.

In fact, Seinfeld did an episode on exactly this topic.

It sounds like you're defending disease. I don't care for it, myself.

Edit: To offer a rebuttal let me state that any and/or all of these conditions are not only out in the real world, but in every kitchen, as well. Most people don't know it, but we have staph germs on us most of the time.

But I cannot report to you that I find prions 'okay,' but blood borne pathogens a 'maybe' and raw sewage 'bad.' It's all bad, and our profession centers around preparing a product that goes into people's bodies.

Look, I'm not letting myself off the hook, either. All of my sharpening fixtures are wrapped in blue painters tape and changed frequently. I changed out one press this morning. I wash my stones and glass mounts in hot soapy water. I wash my completed knives, but admonish the client to wash them again before use. I even clean my stone holders.

Here's something that might help you understand my position.

In the late 1980's I was a credit manager for Madison Family Dental Association. When their supply manager quit unannounced I inherited that job to provide cost containment. However, this was at the time that "infection control" and "barrier protection" were big buzz-words.

All of my life I had seen dentists wrap handpieces (the drill) is a square gauze soaked in alcohol. Imagine my surprise to find out that this procedure did nothing. You would have been better off wiping the equipment on your sleeve. Glutaraldehydes, phenols, and iodophors were the only effective cold soaks.

In fact, as I left that employ Steam Statim machines were replacing those soaks.

So yes, I do place blood, common germs, CWD prions and even mucus in the same category. I believe professionals should adopt procedures to protect their clients, and I do.

I don't drink, I'm SDA.

But I am wondering if you argue just to argue.

Look, this is a forum aimed at professionals preparing food. I commented on pathogens, germs and prions in the context of cross-contamination.

What's not to get? And I wonder if you read my stuff, at all. If you don't like my position of topics, it might be better for you not to read them.

But I'm not going to type things over and over. If you wish to parse my posts for nuances, be my guest. Then you get the privilage of having the last word. I'm onto other topics.