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 Henckels Gourmet 3-Piece Starter Set of three high carbon stainless steel knives pares back the complications of J.A. Henckels manufacturing to the bare minimum but still provides three very useful blades of good quality. The alloy steel matches Henckels’ usual standards, but construction methods are much simpler than in Henckels’ other product lines. The flat tapered grind of the blades — one of the most important features — gives the blades the cutting action you expect from good blades. Touching up the edges with sharpening stones may be necessary for the first use, but regular maintenance is an easy job for a honing steel.
The three-piece Henckels starter set includes a 3″ Paring Knife, 6″ Utility Knife, and 8″ Chef Knife — enough blades to run the average kitchen. For some specific tasks like cutting pastry or carving roasts, other blades will work better than the three provided here, but these three are enough to get by. The chef’s knife is the workhorse blade of the European kitchen, useful for chopping, slicing, mincing, and more. Experts who’ve learned the correct use of every part of the blade often need no other knife. The paring knife removes faults in produce and shapes and peels fruits and vegetables. The utility knife makes a good choice for sandwich prep as well as carving and boning meats and poultry.
The stamped steel blades are securely fitted to polymer handle slabs using full tang riveted construction. Some will prefer the slimmer handle profiles of the Gourmet series — lighter and a better fit for small hands. The stain-free knives are dishwasher safe but will gradually erode in machine washing. Henckels recommends hand washing and drying for best care of the edge and finish.
Find this Henckels Gourmet 3 Piece Knife Starter Set :
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...
The Henckels Gourmet 3-Piece Starter Set of three high carbon stainless steel knives pares back the complications of J.A. Henckels manufacturing to the bare minimum but still provides three very useful blades of good quality. The alloy steel matches Henckels’ usual standards, but construction methods are much simpler than in Henckels’ other product lines. The flat tapered grind of the blades — one of the most important features — gives the blades the cutting action you expect from good blades. Touching up the edges with sharpening stones may be necessary for the first use, but regular maintenance is an easy job for a honing steel.
