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.
KitchenAid Knife Block Set of 14, Bonus Shears | Forged Fine Edge Kitchen Cutlery & Steak Knives
1 min read
This 14-piece block set from KitchenAid comes with three bonus items — an extra pair of kitchen shears and santoku-style utility and paring knives. The hardwood knife block provides slots for the basic set, but not for the bonus items.
Six of the knives in the set are steak knives, not prep knives, and are built with stamped steel blades set in a fully enclosing rubberized soft-grip handle. All the prep knives are made from forged high carbon stain-free steel for good stain and corrosion resistance plus the ability to hold a sharp edge. Avoid any lemon or citrus-scented cleaners when hand washing the knives, since the fragrant acid may tarnish the steel. The knives sharpen easily and will need regular maintenance, but if you use the included honing steel frequently, the blades can be kept in good cutting condition.
In the main set, you get three knives with eight-inch blades including chef’s knife, slicing knife, and serrated bread knife. A 5-1/2-inch utility knife with serrated edge and a 3-1/2-inch paring knife with fine edge take care of the smaller jobs. With the standard and bonus shears, you’ll have a good scissors for produce or meat and a pair for the rougher work of cutting paper, tape, and string. Two nice extras, the small santoku knives, add some versatility during small slicing or prep chores, but you may not find much advantage compared to standard blades. Santoku hollow ground blades do make a noticeable difference on larger knives.
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 14-piece block set from KitchenAid comes with three bonus items — an extra pair of kitchen shears and santoku-style utility and paring knives. The hardwood knife block provides slots for the basic set, but not for the bonus items.
