Donald Shimoda
In Absentia
Howdy, Folks!
Preface:
To quote Kirk Lazarus, "I gets excited about my foods, man."
I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I'm very good at both.
[I don't even mind doing the dishes. I tend to wash dishes while I cook, so when the meal is on the table, the only dirty dishes are the plates and cutlery being used by those dining.]
~~~~~~~~
I'm sure a few of you are now doing more in the kitchen than you used to in the past.
To work in the kitchen, one must have the proper tools - of which there are many.
Today, I'll be speaking to a very small aspect of that - a good kitchen knife.
I've used dozens over the years. All different types.
For the longest time, my trusty "go to" was a 10-inch, Pre-Cutco 69210-10 Wear-Ever Professional (Made in USA). It's a joy to use.
That said, it's a pretty big knife, and knife steel has improved amazingly since this knife was made.
I was in a thrift store a while back, and picked up a knife set that included a 7-inch Santoku bōchō.
Wow.
The design is fantastic, and the Santoku became my "go to" knife.
Problem was and is, it was poorly made. The blade was decent, but the tang is near non-existent and is almost falling out of the grip.
Still, I've continued to use it as I love the design.
Recently, a friend gifted me an 8-inch Cuisinart Nitrogen Chef's knife, model #C77TRN-8CF.
I'm impressed.
The thing stays razor sharp, and it is a joy to work with.
[That said, I prefer the balance of both my 10-inch chef's knife, and especially my Santoku.]
On top of that, the Cuisinart Nitrogen series is CHEAP. I'm seeing a C77TRN-8CF for less than $12 on Amazon; a 15-piece Nitrogen set (that's a cheat, actually - who really needs the 8 steak knives? The other knives - and the shears and the knife steel - in the set more than make up for it, however) for less than $50:
So, I ordered a Cuisinart Nitrogen Santoku 7-inch blade - - and it came in today.
$15.
The balance is fantastic, and it came out of the packaging razor sharp.
I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces, and seeing if it becomes my new, "go to" knife. I suspect it will.
For those of you now spending more time in the kitchen, the options for high quality tools at remarkably reasonable prices have never been better.
Good luck in all of your culinary endeavors, and I look forward to reading about the kitchen tools that have worked out best for you.
Peace and Love,
Donald Shimoda
Preface:
To quote Kirk Lazarus, "I gets excited about my foods, man."
I get excited about my foods, man.
Tropic Thunder (2008) clip with quote I get excited about my foods, man. Yarn is the best search for video clips by quote. Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect clip.
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I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I'm very good at both.
[I don't even mind doing the dishes. I tend to wash dishes while I cook, so when the meal is on the table, the only dirty dishes are the plates and cutlery being used by those dining.]
~~~~~~~~
I'm sure a few of you are now doing more in the kitchen than you used to in the past.
To work in the kitchen, one must have the proper tools - of which there are many.
Today, I'll be speaking to a very small aspect of that - a good kitchen knife.
I've used dozens over the years. All different types.
For the longest time, my trusty "go to" was a 10-inch, Pre-Cutco 69210-10 Wear-Ever Professional (Made in USA). It's a joy to use.
That said, it's a pretty big knife, and knife steel has improved amazingly since this knife was made.
I was in a thrift store a while back, and picked up a knife set that included a 7-inch Santoku bōchō.
Wow.
The design is fantastic, and the Santoku became my "go to" knife.
Problem was and is, it was poorly made. The blade was decent, but the tang is near non-existent and is almost falling out of the grip.
Still, I've continued to use it as I love the design.
Recently, a friend gifted me an 8-inch Cuisinart Nitrogen Chef's knife, model #C77TRN-8CF.
I'm impressed.
The thing stays razor sharp, and it is a joy to work with.
[That said, I prefer the balance of both my 10-inch chef's knife, and especially my Santoku.]
On top of that, the Cuisinart Nitrogen series is CHEAP. I'm seeing a C77TRN-8CF for less than $12 on Amazon; a 15-piece Nitrogen set (that's a cheat, actually - who really needs the 8 steak knives? The other knives - and the shears and the knife steel - in the set more than make up for it, however) for less than $50:
So, I ordered a Cuisinart Nitrogen Santoku 7-inch blade - - and it came in today.
$15.
The balance is fantastic, and it came out of the packaging razor sharp.
I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces, and seeing if it becomes my new, "go to" knife. I suspect it will.
For those of you now spending more time in the kitchen, the options for high quality tools at remarkably reasonable prices have never been better.
Good luck in all of your culinary endeavors, and I look forward to reading about the kitchen tools that have worked out best for you.
Peace and Love,
Donald Shimoda