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.
Shun Premier Santoku, Damascus Tsuchime Finish | KAI Forged Kitchen Knife 7 Inch
58 sec read
Now one of the most popular kitchen knife styles in America as well as Japan, the Japanese santoku stepped up several notches in quality with the distinctively beautiful Premier series from KAI Shun Cutlery. From the line that won the Blade Magazine 2010 Kitchen Knife of the Year Award, the Shun Premier 7-Inch Santoku offers better performance and a handle you’ll love.
The most obvious difference is the steel, since the Premier Santoku shows the rippled hand-hammered surface of a Japanese forging process called tsuchime. The polished steel enhances the low-friction effect of the knife’s layered Damascus-type steel by reducing surface contact even more than in the Shun Classic series. This knife doesn’t needed the familiar ground hollows of modern santokus to slide effortlessly through vegetables, fruits, and meat. Slices tend to fall off the hammered surface of the Premier instead of stacking up and rolling away.
The Premier series uses a 33-layer Damask steel blade with high carbon stainless steel layers on each side of an SG-10 steel core. Ground to 16 degrees on each side, this thinner bevel holds an edge better because the steel itself is harder, tempered between Rockwell 60 and 62.
Shun’s Classic series used a D-shaped handle many western chefs found strange, but the Premier series uses a comfortable design you’ll find familiar instead. Made with walnut-colored Pakkawood — a resin-hardened composite of real wood — the grip sits permanently between two solid stainless steel bolsters. The end cap displays the Shun insignia.
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...
Now one of the most popular kitchen knife styles in America as well as Japan, the Japanese santoku stepped up several notches in quality with the distinctively beautiful Premier series from KAI Shun Cutlery. From the line that won the Blade Magazine 2010 Kitchen Knife of the Year Award, the Shun Premier 7-Inch Santoku offers better performance and a handle you’ll love.
