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.
Henckels Knife Block Gift Set w/ Sharpening Steel | Forged Full Tang Twin Pro-S 5 Piece
1 min read
This gift selection from J.A. Henckels offers three useful knives of excellent quality but with an old-fashioned build — plus a practical sharpening steel and a handsome hardwood storage block with plenty of slots for expansion. As a starter set it meets the needs of a small kitchen well, without committing new chefs to an old-school design.
Some years ago, these strong forged knives with full bolsters and full tang handles might have competed for top honors. Today, there are more economical and lighter choices. Forschner’s Victorinox cutlery, made from modern stamped blades, could match the performance of these heavier knives. Higher up on the scale are high tech brands like Global which definitely outperform this traditional build. However, these Henckels blades are still good knives, and an advantage to this particular set is that it provides basic prep blades while allowing room for other choices.
Chef’s knife, utility knife, and paring knife will always be standard tools in the kitchen, and these strong full-bolster knives could provide a lifetime of heavy use. Unlike lighter builds, the construction of the handles is seamless and nearly permanent, protected from flexing damage by the strong forged bolster. The flat taper grind of the blades is mid-range in quality, well above the cheap bevel of bargain cutlery but not so efficient as the slender hollow ground blade of modern Japanese knives.
For beginning chefs, these Henckels knives will be easy to handle and easy to maintain. A quick honing with the sharpening steel keeps the edge in good shape and more serious refurbishing only requires an ordinary flat whetstone. Use them without worrying about chipping the cutting edge or snapping the blade — this old style of knife is tempered tough.
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...
This gift selection from J.A. Henckels offers three useful knives of excellent quality but with an old-fashioned build — plus a practical sharpening steel and a handsome hardwood storage block with plenty of slots for expansion. As a starter set it meets the needs of a small kitchen well, without committing new chefs to an old-school design.
