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.
This 38 piece Knife Block set plus an assortment of kitchen tools won’t match the quality of Wusthof, Victorinox or Henckels. Actually it won’t match the usual offerings from Sabatier, the company which contracted the Chinese production of this full-scale kitchen tool assortment.
Handles of measuring cups and spoons are held on with fragile spot welds, something that never works out well for me. Stainless steel is only a benefit for this large an assortment of daily use items if it’s a dishwasher safe steel. This set isn’t — you’ll be washing everything here by hand. Plastic utensils work well enough, though any Teflon spatulas are not long lasting and could shed bits of nonstick plastic in the food.
The knife assortment forms the heart of this set, and whether you need this many inexpensive knives should be a question you ask yourself before purchase. Starting out with a few cheap bargains can make sense, but they usually soon get replaced with better things. With care the knives should last, but the edges will need regular sharpening. The original bevel is an interesting choice somewhere between almost correct for heavy chopping and not quite right for efficient slicing. Perfectionists would need to do some more work on the blades before use.
Bargains are nearly always a gamble. If you don’t overstress your tools and are willing to pick up a few unfinished tasks yourself — taking a sharp edge off a measuring cup or tightening up a knife handle rivet here and there — you may appreciate the full range of useful tools this set provides. If you push things to the limit, consider fewer knives but better quality. Three good knives would outdo the full range offered here.
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 38 piece Knife Block set plus an assortment of kitchen tools won’t match the quality of Wusthof, Victorinox or Henckels. Actually it won’t match the usual offerings from Sabatier, the company which contracted the Chinese production of this full-scale kitchen tool assortment.
