Went to Fantes in the Italian market in South Philly earlier and picked
up a few things. My major purchase was a Kyocera 5.5" (KC-80) chef knife.

I'd been wanting one for years after watching Ming Sai show off his
skills with them.

It's EASILY the sharpest knife I've ever held in my hand!!!

I decided to make chicken on english muffins. I started by cutting the
english muffins in half with the knife. I just had to apply pressure and
it went through it like a hot knife through butter. WHOA!

Next, I took out a chicken breast and without sawing, I just had to drag
the knife through the chicken to make medalions. JUST AMAZING!

I carefully cleaned it and put it away.

It even feels right! I highly recommend it.

I would have walked the market and shopped some but I was too excited.
That and it was so hot and humid you could see the air.

Andy
Happy Camper
Also replaced my el cheapo hamburger press and an impulse buy, a jaccard
15-pin meat punch.

Steve Wertz > wrote in
:

> On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:30:52 -0500, Andy wrote:
>
>> Also replaced my el cheapo hamburger press and an impulse buy, a
>> jaccard 15-pin meat punch.
>
> There are much better jacquards on the market than the orginal.
> Mine has 3 rows of 18 blades.
>
> -sw


Steve,

You're probably right. I hadn't thought much about it, other than 15
blades looked easier to clean and re-insert than the multiple row
version.

Oh well. What's a mother to do?

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> Went to Fantes in the Italian market in South Philly earlier and picked
> up a few things. My major purchase was a Kyocera 5.5" (KC-80) chef knife.
>
> I'd been wanting one for years after watching Ming Sai show off his
> skills with them.
>
> It's EASILY the sharpest knife I've ever held in my hand!!!
>
> I decided to make chicken on english muffins. I started by cutting the
> english muffins in half with the knife. I just had to apply pressure and
> it went through it like a hot knife through butter. WHOA!
>
> Next, I took out a chicken breast and without sawing, I just had to drag
> the knife through the chicken to make medalions. JUST AMAZING!
>
> I carefully cleaned it and put it away.
>
> It even feels right! I highly recommend it.



Hmm. I've had one for about six or seven years and I hated it. I seem to
remember the black one was better than the white one. Something having to do
with the ceramic being pressed differently. Anyway, I have the white one
like you see on television and it never worked worth a damn for me. I even
sent it back to their U.S. headquarters in San Diego and had them sharpen it
at a steeper, but more fragile, angle. Still no dice.

It's sat in my drawer for about five years and now I've gotten myself a set
of Wustofs that I just had sharpened by a Master Bladesmith. (There are only
97 ABS Mastersmiths in the world.)

Anyway, they're obscenely, ridiculously sharp. By a wide margin the sharpest
knives I've ever seen or used in my life. In the next couple of days I'll
have to pull out that old Kyocera and do an A-B comparison and see how well
I remember things...

It ought to be interesting.

Hasta,
Curt Nelson

Breitling Evolution > wrote in
:

> Andy <q> wrote:
>
>>Went to Fantes in the Italian market in South Philly earlier and picked
>>up a few things. My major purchase was a Kyocera 5.5" (KC-80) chef
knife.
>
> How much was it? What are the drawbacks to having ceramic knives? You
> can't sharpen them, can you?


Breitling Evolution,

It was $90. It's for slicing and dicing uncooked meats, veggies, etc.

There are several drawbacks. Can chip if dropped, no cutting frozen
foods, no carving or prying, no cutting hard cheese (??).

Yes, it has to be sent out for sharpening but depending on use holds it's
edge for months or years.

All the best,

Andy
Wears a Breitling Aerospace

Breitling Evolution > wrote in
:

> Andy <q> wrote:
>
>>Wears a Breitling Aerospace
>
> SWEET!


Speaking of SWEET, didn't get my Christmas chocolates for the last few
years!

Andy

Andy wrote:
> Breitling Evolution > wrote in
> :
>
> > Andy <q> wrote:
> >
> >>Went to Fantes in the Italian market in South Philly earlier and picked
> >>up a few things. My major purchase was a Kyocera 5.5" (KC-80) chef
> knife.
> >
> > How much was it? What are the drawbacks to having ceramic knives? You
> > can't sharpen them, can you?
>
>
> Breitling Evolution,
>
> It was $90. It's for slicing and dicing uncooked meats, veggies, etc.
>
> There are several drawbacks. Can chip if dropped, no cutting frozen
> foods, no carving or prying, no cutting hard cheese (??).
>
> Yes, it has to be sent out for sharpening but depending on use holds it's
> edge for months or years.
>
> All the best,
>
> Andy
> Wears a Breitling Aerospace


Consumer Reports Magazine tested ceramic knives a few years ago and
didn't recommend them.

I have a fine edge Sabbatier slicer that's at least 25 years old,
(probably more, belonged to my mother), and an 8" Farberware chef's
knife I've had for at least 10 years.

A few strokes along a whetstone every few months and a few with a
sharpening steel each time I use them keeps them in good shape.

Just remember to only use them with a wood or plastic cutting board.
Ceramic, glass or china will dull the blade of a fine edge knife and
wear them out prematurely.

Curt Nelson > wrote:
>It's sat in my drawer for about five years and now I've gotten myself a set
>of Wustofs that I just had sharpened by a Master Bladesmith. (There are only
>97 ABS Mastersmiths in the world.)

You know, that sounds all impressive, but looking at the
ABS requirements to be a Journeyman suggests that the
reason there are so few Masters is that it's not just
about sharpening.

The test to become a Journeyman involves /forging/ a blade
as well as sharpening it.

If it was just "take a commercial knife and sharpen it to
certain standards," there might be thousands of them.

>Anyway, they're obscenely, ridiculously sharp.

Looking again at the standards expected of one of these
people, yeah, they'd better be. The sharpness and hardness
standards are the same for both a Journeyman and a Master.
The only required difference between them seems to be the
ability to make Damascus steel.

Did he also treat it for edge hardness? If he did, it will
also hold that edge a lot longer than a stock knife would.
And I might try to find one of these guys.

How much did he charge?

>By a wide margin the sharpest
>knives I've ever seen or used in my life. In the next couple of days I'll
>have to pull out that old Kyocera and do an A-B comparison and see how well
>I remember things...

I'm guessing your Wusthofs will make even a properly
sharpened Kyocera look sick. The requirement to cut a
1-inch rope clean through with one stroke 6 inches from
the loose end... Insane.

>It ought to be interesting.

Do they damage your knife block just by incidental contact?

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> Curt Nelson > wrote:
>> It's sat in my drawer for about five years and now I've gotten
>> myself a set of Wustofs that I just had sharpened by a Master
>> Bladesmith. (There are only 97 ABS Mastersmiths in the world.)
>
> You know, that sounds all impressive, but looking at the
> ABS requirements to be a Journeyman suggests that the
> reason there are so few Masters is that it's not just
> about sharpening.
>
> The test to become a Journeyman involves /forging/ a blade
> as well as sharpening it.
>
> If it was just "take a commercial knife and sharpen it to
> certain standards," there might be thousands of them.
>
>> Anyway, they're obscenely, ridiculously sharp.
>
> Looking again at the standards expected of one of these
> people, yeah, they'd better be. The sharpness and hardness
> standards are the same for both a Journeyman and a Master.
> The only required difference between them seems to be the
> ability to make Damascus steel.
>
> Did he also treat it for edge hardness? If he did, it will
> also hold that edge a lot longer than a stock knife would.
> And I might try to find one of these guys.
>
> How much did he charge?
>
>> By a wide margin the sharpest
>> knives I've ever seen or used in my life. In the next couple of days
>> I'll have to pull out that old Kyocera and do an A-B comparison and
>> see how well I remember things...
>
> I'm guessing your Wusthofs will make even a properly
> sharpened Kyocera look sick. The requirement to cut a
> 1-inch rope clean through with one stroke 6 inches from
> the loose end... Insane.
> >
> --Blair

I am a seaman by necessity as well as by choice.
If I had a knife aboard that couldn't cut a 1 inch rope 6 inches (or less -
a lot less!) from the end in one stroke it would either be tossed overboard
or fixed ( sharpened) until it could.
This is not a matter of "my knife is sharper than your knife" kind of thing.
It can and often does enter into life-or-death situations.
Having said that, the place for a ceramic knife is in the kitchen (where it
shines).
There is no room for something as fragile as a ceramic knife in a heavy sea!
The drinks are on me if anyone shows up here and can find a
'less-than-scarey sharp knife aboard any of my boats.
Any takers?

Ken.

--
Volunteer your idle computer time for cancer research
http//www.grid.org/download/gold/download.htm
R
My return address is courtesy of Spammotel http://www.spammotel.com/

"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote in message
. ..
> Curt Nelson > wrote:

(snip)

>>Anyway, they're obscenely, ridiculously sharp.
>
> Looking again at the standards expected of one of these
> people, yeah, they'd better be. The sharpness and hardness
> standards are the same for both a Journeyman and a Master.
> The only required difference between them seems to be the
> ability to make Damascus steel.
>
> Did he also treat it for edge hardness? If he did, it will
> also hold that edge a lot longer than a stock knife would.
> And I might try to find one of these guys.
>
> How much did he charge?

He didn't heat treat the edge for hardness, although I'm certain he could.
Might ask him about it the next time. I know that he not only forges his own
Damascus steel, but he also builds his own forges and sells them.

He does have a way of sharpening that involves making the edge curved
instead of a straight cut, which is said to make the edge more durable yet
still ridiculously sharp. The edges were polished literally to a mirror
sheen and the price was remarkably inexpensive, between $4 and $7 per knife.

You can find the prices and shipping details on his website:
www.kramerknives.com. His name is Bob Kramer and he's a really a nice
fellow. I happened into his shop about eight years ago when it was just down
the street and I gave him an old carbon-steel chef's knife that my recently
departed grandfather had left me. When he gave me my knife back, he'd
polished it so that you could see your face in it. A nice gesture I thought.

Anyway, I'll let no one else touch my blades. Perhaps one day when I'm
worthy and have the money, I'd like to get one of his Damascus chef's
knives.

>>It ought to be interesting.
>
> Do they damage your knife block just by incidental contact?


Yup.

Hasta,
Curt Nelson

Ken Davey > wrote:
>There is no room for something as fragile as a ceramic knife in a heavy sea!
>The drinks are on me if anyone shows up here and can find a
>'less-than-scarey sharp knife aboard any of my boats.
>Any takers?

What do you butter your scones with?

--Blair
"I'll have a Shiner Kolsch."

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> Ken Davey > wrote:
>> There is no room for something as fragile as a ceramic knife in a
>> heavy sea! The drinks are on me if anyone shows up here and can find
>> a 'less-than-scarey sharp knife aboard any of my boats.
>> Any takers?
>
> What do you butter your scones with?
>
> --Blair

oulican grease

Ken.


--
Volunteer your idle computer time for cancer research
http//www.grid.org/download/gold/download.htm
R
My return address is courtesy of Spammotel http://www.spammotel.com/

Ken Davey > wrote:
>Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>> Ken Davey > wrote:
>>> There is no room for something as fragile as a ceramic knife in a
>>> heavy sea! The drinks are on me if anyone shows up here and can find
>>> a 'less-than-scarey sharp knife aboard any of my boats.
>>> Any takers?
>>
>> What do you butter your scones with?
>
>oulican grease

Okay. "Oulican?"

--Blair

Steve replied to Blair:

>> Okay. "Oulican?"
>
> Exactly 1 hit on Google. That's a rarity. Makes for a great
> food-quiz question.

Candlefish. It's also spelled eulachon, oolacan, oulachan, or ulikon.

Bob

On 2006-07-16, Steve Wertz > wrote:

> Exactly 1 hit on Google. That's a rarity. Makes for a great
> food-quiz question.

Are you sure it's not a corruption of "oilcan"?

nb

Bob Terwilliger > wrote:
>Steve replied to Blair:
>
>>> Okay. "Oulican?"
>>
>> Exactly 1 hit on Google. That's a rarity. Makes for a great
>> food-quiz question.
>
>Candlefish. It's also spelled eulachon, oolacan, oulachan, or ulikon.

Or Oolichan or Hooligan, apparently.

Nifty trick: http://www.foodreference.com/html/fcandlefish.html

--Blair