James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Norpro V Food Slicer | Mandoline w/ Interchangeable Blades
1 min read
Mandoline graters fall somewhere between power tools and the old reliable knife and cutting board. Some love the machine and some prefer another route, but if you cook for more than two people and less than ten, the Norpro V Slicer/Grater deserves a look. For prepping moderate amounts of julienned vegetables, pickle slices, or shredded potatoes, it’s a great choice but not without quirks.
Interchangeable blades give owners the options of grating cheese, slicing french fries to a uniform size, creating ripple-cut potatoes for homemade chips, and much more. V-shaped cutting blades ease the load when working up large vegetable pieces. There’s an option for dropping the julienne attachment out of the way without entirely removing it from the machine, allowing a quick conversion to plain slicing. Perfectionists complain that the julienne cutter still scores the food. It’s a compromise.
I’ve noticed over the years that all cooking involves work. In that zone between intimate couple and large restaurant — the place where most families reside — a good mandoline can make a lot of sense, reducing labor instead of adding to it. The technique is simple but depends more on fast movement than razor-sharp blades. If these blades do become dull, replacements are available. The build of this mandoline cleans up easily, but all complex machines include joints and crevices which require special attention.
One of the nicest additions to a mandoline is a cutting glove. Safety devices provided with these machines always prove clumsy and wasteful, using an unreasonable portion of the vegetable as a handle that never goes through the cutter. Working barehanded is unwise.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
The Diamond Edge Pro knife and scissors sharpener from Smith Abrasives combines electric and manual sharpening systems for quick and accurate refurbishing of knives...
Mandoline graters fall somewhere between power tools and the old reliable knife and cutting board. Some love the machine and some prefer another route, but if you cook for more than two people and less than ten, the Norpro V Slicer/Grater deserves a look. For prepping moderate amounts of julienned vegetables, pickle slices, or shredded potatoes, it’s a great choice but not without quirks.
