It's about sharpening those knives, but I digress...(a lot)
I have no culinary training, and grew up in a house where not-so-great stainless steel knives were replaced with more of the same when they began to mash the tomatoes, rather than slice them. My mother knew about carbon steel knives, but considered them a pain to care for. Although she eventually acquired some nice high carbon stainless cutlery, it was after I left home.
My late husband Bill, who was no cook, was, nonetheless a person who believed strongly in The Proper Tool for the Job. When I moved in to his place, he already had a decent knife or two, and suggested that we throw my pitiful kitchen knives away. He had also figured out how to hone the knives with a steel, and taught me that manoever. He bought me my first good chef's knife, for a birthday, and I have not been without one since.BTW, the gentleman to the left is not my late husband Bill, but some 17th century knife sharpener fellow. Looks like trouble, doesn't he?
We always took our knives to be sharpened periodically, and I never learned how to do this myself. I am not keen (no pun intended) on the idea of electric knife sharpeners- I figure I'm just the sort to over do it and sharpen my few well-loved knives away to nothing. I have had one or two gimmicky low tech sharpeners, but found that the edges made did not hold up as well as when we took the knives out for sharpening. So...
When the first two gifts ever purchased for me from my amazon wish list, turned out to be the same lovely gift (I thought that couldn't happen), I was able to exchange one, and still keep the digital scale of my dreams. Browsing around the amazon kitchen items, relishing the opportunity to chose something, I fell into reading the various customer lists of "essentials for the kitchen." I have a huge weakness for this sort of list, I'm always making them myself...though my own kitchen contains quite a bit of stuff that no one would call "essential." Eventually, I will be unable to prevent myself from posting such a list, I'm sure. Perhaps there might be a meme on the 10 non-food items no kitchen should be without? (Probably there already was one, I am not terribly alert in this regard.)
In any event, one list, which met with my approval in all other respects, suggested a sharpening stone, and recommended the one pictured here, quite specifically. Since the list maker seemed to have excellent judgment, I ordered it. I am now proposing to teach myself how to sharpen my knives, without the benefit of a live demonstration. (I don't know anyone well who knows how to do this.) I have a book out from the library on knives, from the C.I.A., and the stone came with instructions. If anyone would care to give me the benefit of tips/cautions before I try this, I'm all ears. I'm fervently hoping that any advice offered will not consist entirely of "You bought the wrong stone, dolt."
Otherwise, I will post an update, sooner or later, on how it went, in case any of you are considering home schooling yourselves on this too. Thus far, all I can tell you is that this is a very satisfying, and to me, attractive object. I may feel differently if I am totally thwarted in my efforts.
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