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.
Wusthof’s seven-inch Classic Straight Meat Fork lacks the problems you’ll remember if you’ve used cheap carving forks. These long seven-inch tines of sharp forged high carbon stainless steel pierce even thick roasts and holiday turkeys without bending. The Wusthof Classic fork guides any good carving knife accurately for perfect slicing and serving.
The cheapest way to make a carving fork is with short tines and a long shank — that’s what you’ll usually see, and it works well on bologna and cornish hens. The tines of a good carving fork do more than hold the meat on the platter. Extra long tines guide the carving blade and hold the meat steady from the skin to the bone. Short tines only hold the surface layers. Inexpensive carving forks of untempered stamped steel won’t have the deep reach of the Wusthof Classic Meat Fork and may bend out of shape under only slight pressure. The edges of squared tines could even catch the cutting edge of the knife, nicking the blade — the rounded tines of the Classic Fork let the knife pass by smoothly. For those who prefer carving to tearing and dismembering, the Wusthof Classic Meat Fork is a great help. With this implement in hand, the results of your work will not be random.
Wusthof puts the same effort into the creation of this carving fork as would be involved in any of their fine knives. Forged from one piece of Solingen steel, the fork features a full tang handle with forged bolster. Polymer handle slabs triple riveted to the steel tang leave no gaps for accumulation of food debris or germs. Maintenance is nearly the same as for Wusthof knives — wash the stain-free fork by hand in mild detergent. Unlike the knives, the fork should never need sharpening.
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...
Wusthof’s seven-inch Classic Straight Meat Fork lacks the problems you’ll remember if you’ve used cheap carving forks. These long seven-inch tines of sharp forged high carbon stainless steel pierce even thick roasts and holiday turkeys without bending. The Wusthof Classic fork guides any good carving knife accurately for perfect slicing and serving.
