Kitchen samurai.... Please fall-in.
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I have received several PMs asking me about the type of mineral oil I use to condition my cutting boards.
I use two types of wood oils.
John Boos Authentic Boos Blocks "Mystery Oil" and Snow River Wood Oil [photo: photobum]
Both products are certified "food safe" by FDA and NSF. They are available at Razorsharp for S$38 and S$12 respectively.
I use Snow River Wooden Oil for weekly conditioning. For deep conditioning (at least once a month), John Boos "Mystery Oil" works best.
I use two types of wood oils.
John Boos Authentic Boos Blocks "Mystery Oil" and Snow River Wood Oil [photo: photobum]
Both products are certified "food safe" by FDA and NSF. They are available at Razorsharp for S$38 and S$12 respectively.
I use Snow River Wooden Oil for weekly conditioning. For deep conditioning (at least once a month), John Boos "Mystery Oil" works best.
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hi photobum
may i ask where can i go for a good knife sharpening service for my zwelling twin pollux 7 inch knife?
i have lend this to my friend and upon retun was horrified to find that there is spiky groove on the edges which i believe are burs and feeling dull now so i suspect my friend had been using it to hack something harder than it can handle
in this case can this knife still be saved by re-sharpening it?
thanks
may i ask where can i go for a good knife sharpening service for my zwelling twin pollux 7 inch knife?
i have lend this to my friend and upon retun was horrified to find that there is spiky groove on the edges which i believe are burs and feeling dull now so i suspect my friend had been using it to hack something harder than it can handle
in this case can this knife still be saved by re-sharpening it?
thanks
Yes, it can be resharpened.
Based on my experience, the entire knife have to be reprofiled before any 'real' sharpening can be done. Basically what this means is the entire edge length has to be grinded down and rebeveled.
[sketches: photobum]
Once the edge is sharpened, the blade will appear narrower [shown in a] and shorter (if the tip is also damaged). Be prepared to feel slight differences in cutting performance, feel, weight and balance.
It will costs at least S$30 to have your knife repaired. Do you still think is worth it, or would you rather to buy a new knife. The decision is yours.
By the way, you can go to Razorsharp to have your knife serviced. Contact them at 6227 7515, ask for Tina.
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would like to convey my thanks to photobum for his direction and advise on my damaged knife and after a visit to razorshap, david helped me to re-sharpen the knife and the edges are back in order now
tina from razorsharp also helped me a lot and in the end i bought the basic sharpening stone set and a kyocera ceramic peeler from them as well
nice shop with all the high end cullinary stuff and both tina and david are extremely friendly and helpful
thanks
mike
tina from razorsharp also helped me a lot and in the end i bought the basic sharpening stone set and a kyocera ceramic peeler from them as well
nice shop with all the high end cullinary stuff and both tina and david are extremely friendly and helpful
thanks
mike
You are most welcome.
I am glad that your knife is back in service again. Hope that you will take good care of it from now onwards.
You are 'super-lucky' to have met Sensei David when you were there. He seldom comes to his office and is usually in Malaysia. I have to make an 'appointment' to meet him every time I need help.
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A quotation from Anne Willan, founder of La Varenne cookery school at Château du Feÿ in Burgundy. France, and one of the world's most trusted culinary instructors.
"A good knife knows its owner - the blade, kept sharp with loving care, performs tasks almost instinctively."
"A good knife knows its owner - the blade, kept sharp with loving care, performs tasks almost instinctively."
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The other day, I received a PM from a fellow CSer who wanted to know how to choose a knife. Therefore, I have decided to share some information here.
Kitchen Samurai Theory 101 - Choosing Western knives.
It is advisable and practical to choose knives individually - do not be tempted to buy sets. Hold a knife to assess it. It should feel heavy for its size and evenly weighted, neither front- nor back-heavy. Do not be put off by weight - a heavy knife is more effective than a light one, and requires less effort to use.
The handle of the knife should be comfortable to hold. If it has rivets, the tops should be smooth and flush. Make sure the bolster fuses smoothly with the handle.
Each knife is designed for a specific purpose, so think about the types of food you regularly prepare before making a choice. Ideally, you should try to use the correct knife for the job. If on budget, opt for the best quality and have fewer knives. It is possible to manage with one decent chef's knife and a paring knife.
Kitchen Samurai Theory 101 - Choosing Western knives.
It is advisable and practical to choose knives individually - do not be tempted to buy sets. Hold a knife to assess it. It should feel heavy for its size and evenly weighted, neither front- nor back-heavy. Do not be put off by weight - a heavy knife is more effective than a light one, and requires less effort to use.
The handle of the knife should be comfortable to hold. If it has rivets, the tops should be smooth and flush. Make sure the bolster fuses smoothly with the handle.
Each knife is designed for a specific purpose, so think about the types of food you regularly prepare before making a choice. Ideally, you should try to use the correct knife for the job. If on budget, opt for the best quality and have fewer knives. It is possible to manage with one decent chef's knife and a paring knife.
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A notice to all Kitchen Samurai:
Please tune to MediaCorp Channel 5 every Wednesday at 9:00 pm (starting today), watch fellow Kitchen Samurai and celebrity Chef Ryan Hong in 'Chef For Hire'.
Not just another cooking show, this programme shows you how to prepare a 3-course meal for your guests like a pro. Chef Hong takes a new client under his wing every week and shows them a myriad of dishes they can whip up.
Chef Hong is also my 'wakasensei'.
Please tune to MediaCorp Channel 5 every Wednesday at 9:00 pm (starting today), watch fellow Kitchen Samurai and celebrity Chef Ryan Hong in 'Chef For Hire'.
Not just another cooking show, this programme shows you how to prepare a 3-course meal for your guests like a pro. Chef Hong takes a new client under his wing every week and shows them a myriad of dishes they can whip up.
Chef Hong is also my 'wakasensei'.
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I have received several PMs asking me which knives was Chef Ryan Hong using.
He uses these two knives in the first episode:
Sanetu ZDP-189 165mm (7") santoku knife [photo: japanesechefsknife.com]
Wusthof IKON 200mm (8") chef knife [photo: Williams-Sonoma.com]
Both knives are available at Razorsharp.
He uses these two knives in the first episode:
Sanetu ZDP-189 165mm (7") santoku knife [photo: japanesechefsknife.com]
Wusthof IKON 200mm (8") chef knife [photo: Williams-Sonoma.com]
Both knives are available at Razorsharp.
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zac08
Senior Member
lennyl
New Member
Happy New Year to you too. Did you cook reunion dinner for your family?
Happy New Year to you too.
I had my reunion dinner at my mother-in-law's place in Malaysia. However, I had another reunion dinner at home (in Singapore) yesterday. This time I cooked it myself (with some help from mom and wife of course). It took us a day's work. :sweat:
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zac08
Senior Member
To all Kitchen Samurai...... the 'bum' is back - as a brand new self.
Hmmmmm.... wat's with the new nick?
KopiOkaya
Deregistered
KopiOkaya
Deregistered
The 'bum' is back again.... This time I have added a wonderful knife to my growing collection.
Sanetu ZDP-189 165mm (7") santoku knife [photo: KopiOkaya]
The knife is custom-made by Sanetu, however the only marking on the blade is 'ZDP-189'. Handle made of cocobolo wood. It usually takes a few days for the cutler to make one knife, and weeks for it to be delivered to its owner. I was interested in obtaining a ZDP-189 blade when 'Chef for Hire' host Ryan Hong introduced it to me. I got mine through Razorsharp.
ZDP-189 is a powder metallurgy martensitic stainless steel made by Hitachi Metals of Japan. ZDP-189 is mainly promoted for the very high hardness 66-67 HRC. Metal composition are high carbon (3%) and high Chromium (20%) with 1% Molybdenum and 0.3% Vanadium. This steel is very hard to come by. Not only is it expensive, Hitachi is not selling it to anyone. Only a select group of manufacturers are allowed access to it. To the best of my knowledge, they are all Japanese at this point. These manufacturers are also the ONLY ones allowed to heat treat it - leading to the speculation that a lot of the secrets behind its performance is related to not just its composition but how its heat treatment has to be handled. This remains a closely guarded secret by Hitachi and by their close circle of selected manufacturers.
This time I have added a wonderful knife to my growing collection.
Sanetu ZDP-189 165mm (7") santoku knife [photo: KopiOkaya]
The knife is custom-made by Sanetu, however the only marking on the blade is 'ZDP-189'. Handle made of cocobolo wood. It usually takes a few days for the cutler to make one knife, and weeks for it to be delivered to its owner. I was interested in obtaining a ZDP-189 blade when 'Chef for Hire' host Ryan Hong introduced it to me. I got mine through Razorsharp.
ZDP-189 is a powder metallurgy martensitic stainless steel made by Hitachi Metals of Japan. ZDP-189 is mainly promoted for the very high hardness 66-67 HRC. Metal composition are high carbon (3%) and high Chromium (20%) with 1% Molybdenum and 0.3% Vanadium. This steel is very hard to come by. Not only is it expensive, Hitachi is not selling it to anyone. Only a select group of manufacturers are allowed access to it. To the best of my knowledge, they are all Japanese at this point. These manufacturers are also the ONLY ones allowed to heat treat it - leading to the speculation that a lot of the secrets behind its performance is related to not just its composition but how its heat treatment has to be handled. This remains a closely guarded secret by Hitachi and by their close circle of selected manufacturers.
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