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 Grand Prix 2 Knife Block Set | 8 Piece Stainless Steel Cutlery
1 min read
This Wusthof Grand Prix II 8-piece Block Set is a practical assortment of knives that will cover most ordinary kitchen chores — it’s a good choice for starting out, and the block has room for expansion with three extra kitchen knife slots and six steak knife slots.
The Grand Prix II line is a little lighter in build than some Wusthof products, with rat tail tang construction and textured polymer handles. The ergonomic grips are securely joined to the tang with a single large stainless steel rivet embossed with the trident logo. Blades and bolsters are forged in the European style.
The taper grind of Wusthof patterns blends the sharpening bevel with the stock of the blade, increasing slicing efficiency without taking away strength. These knives are strongly built and able to withstand the twisting and levering stresses that many specialty knives in other patterns can’t.
The Wusthof stainless steel will hold a good edge, and is easily sharpened — a honing steel is part of this set, and a few strokes of it before a knife is used is generally all the edge maintenance that’s needed. The larger knife in this set –the 8″ cook’s knife– is heavy enough to do light chopping. Both the grind and temper make all the blades resistant to chipping.
The 8″ bread knife, intended for cutting through hard-crusted breads, will need to be returned to the factory for sharpening, but if used as intended will not need that service for a long time. The two smaller knives both fall into the paring knife range, and the 6″ utility blade is a handy tool for boning fish and poultry as well as small slicing chores and sandwich prep.
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 Wusthof Grand Prix II 8-piece Block Set is a practical assortment of knives that will cover most ordinary kitchen chores — it’s a good choice for starting out, and the block has room for expansion with three extra kitchen knife slots and six steak knife slots.
