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 Kitchen Gourmet Boning Knife for Fish & Poultry | Full Tang Cutlery 6 Inch
1 min read
This flexible boning knife with six-inch-long blade follows contours well and slips into tight places, allowing clean cuts with very little waste. Chefs prefer stiffer blades for the tougher meats like beef, but the Wusthof Gourmet performs well for fish and poultry, and Wusthof recommends it for ham.
I’ve enjoyed some salt-cured hams that this knife would have found a bit stiff, but for meat you don’t need to soak in water for twelve hours before cooking, the Wusthof Gourmet Boning Knife ought to work well. The full tang blade is laser cut from a solid blank of high carbon Solingen stainless steel and compound beveled for uniform flexibility along the entire length of the cutting edge. Instead of a forged bolster, a practical substitute is formed from the front portion of the double-slab handle. The grip of durable dark polymer, bonded securely to the tang with stainless steel rivets, weathers heat and humidity without warping and offers a comfortable hold even when wet and slippery. It’s a little more than a fillet knife and able to make some slicing cuts without the wandering problems of a more narrow blade.
Sharpening is simple since the edge is tempered for resetting with an ordinary kitchen steel. This edge is tough, built for working around bone, and you won’t need to be concerned with edge chipping if you run into something hard. Though the boning knife is built solidly, it’s still not the blade to choose if you’re levering apart large joints of meat. The boning knife shears meat from the bone and makes delicate cuts that heavier butcher knives can’t handle.
With the same build as a stamped steel knife, the Wusthof boning knife actually results from an improved process. Cut from a steel blank with a laser beam, the Wusthof method avoids the distortions and stresses that weaken ordinary stamped steel.
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 flexible boning knife with six-inch-long blade follows contours well and slips into tight places, allowing clean cuts with very little waste. Chefs prefer stiffer blades for the tougher meats like beef, but the Wusthof Gourmet performs well for fish and poultry, and Wusthof recommends it for ham.
