October 25, 2016

Favorites October 2016

Last spring we visited Mike’s Meat Market in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for some of their legendary bacon and spent time admiring their mighty cleaver collection. Maybe a bit gruesome if you’re not a chef…but you have to admit they tell a story of how we eat (apologies to the vegetarians). The knives were high on the walls so it was hard to get a great photo, but you get the idea.

These are from the days when all blades were made of carbon steel—an alloy of carbon and iron. A knife of high quality carbon steel can keep its edge well but since it rusts requires a little more care from the user. Carbon steel is also very durable so it can hold up to the heavy chopping required with butchering (hmm…maybe better not to visualize…). I recently read about contemporary knife makers who use leaf springs from pre-1970 cars, old saw mill blades, and old railroad spikes for their blade material. The quality of the carbon steel is apparently much higher than much of what you can find today.

Stainless steel is an alloy of carbon and chromium with other elements (like nickel or titanium) added to the mix. Many stainless steel blades don’t hold their edge as long as high quality carbon steel, though this may depend on the particular alloy of both the carbon and stainless blades. But stainless doesn’t rust so it has become the more popular choice for most cooking knives.

You can see numerous personal adjustments to the handles, the one below is my favorite.

Support your local shops!

To celebrate the Halloween and birthday season we’re heading up to the annual Barebones Halloween Extravaganza this weekend in Minneapolis—there are still tickets available! Then to the Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul to eat delectable dinner, say hello to my mentor chef Lenny Russo, and say farewell his icon of a restaurant that will be closing at the end of this year.