Kitchen samurai.... Please fall-in.

[sORe-EyEz]

btw, how much is the Microplane grater in the prev page? ;p

looks like it will make short work of pineapples!!

 

[zac08]

btw, how much is the Microplane grater in the prev page? ;p

looks like it will make short work of pineapples!!

Time for pineapple tarts??

 

[sORe-EyEz]

Time for pineapple tarts??

not yet, but if see good thing, buy 1st. wait gone liao, 1 2 buy too late...

 

[KopiOkaya]

how much is the Microplane grater in the prev page? ;p

Microplane grater costs S$70 each at Tangs Orchard.

For pineapples, may i suggest using a mandolin instead. Microplane, even for a coarse perforations grater, may be too fine for the job.

A very good buy is the Matfer Mandoline 2000S.

Matfer Mandoline 2000S [photo: amazon.com]

 

[KopiOkaya]

the modern 2-stage hone is not the right tool to re-profile the knife- i have tried & failed. besides, i think its too much effort for a knife under $10 & badly chipped.

Reprofiling of knives MUST be done on a 'wet and dry' bench grinder, follow by a series of fine smoothing and touching-up on whetstones with different grit sizes.

There is simply no way you can reprofile a knife with a steel/ceramic (2-stage) hone. :nono:

i have found a general hardware store that has a piece of very fine grinding block, it's only $6, but i did not buy it as there are surface imperfection (quite a deep hollow near 1/3 of the block). does it matter? its so fine there is a layer of powder... :sweat:

In this case, that is a grinding block, not a whetstone (yes, there are differences). Professional-grade artificial whetstones are made from a composition of bonded fine ceramic, silicon carbide (carborundum) or of aluminum oxide (corundum). Most ordinary grinding stones are simply compressed and bonded fine carborundum (silica carbide) powder. They are much harder and more coarse. Professional-grade whetstones will sharpen your knife more evenly, thus your blade will feels and cuts smoother.

I personally use Japanese whetstones. These stones are to be used with water as lubricant (using oil on a whetstone is deleterious to the stone).

Japanese stones are softer and have a few advantages over harder stones. First, because they are softer they do not become glazed or loaded with the material they are sharpening. New particles are constantly exposed as you work with them and thus they continue to cut consistently. Second, they can be lubricated effectively with water (rather than oil, which can ruin the stone) so nothing but water is required. Finally, because they are soft, the worn material and the water form a slurry which in conjunction with the stone, sharpens and polishes the blade. The disadvantage is that they wear out faster than other types of sharpening stone, although this makes them easier to flatten.

As for natural whetstones, although there is a certain amount of romance associated with them, there are also some drawbacks. First, over hundreds of years, the best quarries have given up much of their best stone. This scarcity causes high prices for a good quality consistent stone. Lesser quality stones have problems of consistency and may have occasional larger pieces of grit or soft spots.

Although there is a certain amount of romance associated with using stone which is found naturally, there are also some drawbacks. First, over hundreds of years, the best quarries have given up much of their best stone. This scarcity causes high prices for a good quality consistent stone. Lesser quality stones have problems of consistency and may have occasional larger pieces of grit or soft spots. With this in mind, and with modern technologies, artificial stones came to the market. There have been a variety of formulations over the years and the quality of artificial stones continues to increase.

According to Wikipedia.com, one of the most revered natural whetstones is the yellow-gray Belgian coticule, which has been quarried for centuries from the Ardennes. The slightly coarser and more plentiful "Belgian blue" whetstone is found naturally with the yellow coticule in adjacent strata; hence two-sided whetstones are available, with a naturally occurring seam between the yellow and blue layers. These are highly-prized for their natural elegance and beauty, as well as for providing both a fast-cutting surface for establishing a bevel and a higher-grit surface for refining it.

The most common natural whetstones available in Singapore are Arkansas stones. These stones come in medium-coarse to fine grit size (from about 400 to 1,000), and are relatively pricey. These stones do take more effort to sharpen your blades compared to Belgian coticule, and the finishing is not as refine.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

Microplane grater costs S$78 each at Tangs Orchard.

For pineapples, may i suggest using a mandolin instead. Microplane, even for a coarse perforations grater, may be too fine for the job.

A very good buy is the Matfer Mandoline 2000S.

Matfer Mandoline 2000S [photo: amazon.com]

thanks for the tip, then i'll not buy the Microplane then.

BTW, there's a 1inch wide version under $40 from a store at Adelphi selling baking stuff. the Microplane in the earlier post is under $70.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

hi KopiOkaya,

looks like the knife is a goner...:bsmilie:

from what you have said, the $6 stone looks like a bargain. i have not been able to find them anywhere else. most place only carry the rather coarse silicone carbide with 2 different grit surfaces.

at $6 its not much of a damage.

 

[whizzard]

You can either use an utility knife or a cheese knife. I use an utility knife to cut my young Gouda (my all-time favorite cheese).

Wusthof Classic 6-inch utility knife

Wusthof gourmet cheese knife [photos: cooking.com]

Thanks! I think I'll go with the Wusthof gourmet cheese knife.

 

[KopiOkaya]

thanks for the tip, then i'll not buy the Microplane then.

BTW, there's a 1inch wide version under $40 from a store at Adelphi selling baking stuff. the Microplane in the earlier post is under $70.

You can purchase a 'Microplane-clone' (Made in Taiwan) for S$22 at Sia Huat in Chinatown, however, only the real McCoy can claim to shave hard cheeses like snowflakes.

at $6 its not much of a damage.

But it may do much damage to your knives. Invest in a good whetstone will help save problems later.

 

[KopiOkaya]

Thanks! I think I'll go with the Wusthof gourmet cheese knife.

Do visit Razorsharp for all Wusthof cutlery.

I was at Razorsharp this morning. Currently, they have a cheese knife set (comes with a wooden cutting block) on sale for less than S$100.

 

[KopiOkaya]

Wow, looking at all those knifes make me feel like picking one up and stabbing people!

Tsk... tsk... That is not fuinny. :nono: This is a kitchen knife thread. Not a "how to stab people with knives" thread.

We are serious too, so please don't OT.

 

[KopiOkaya]

This is the latest addition to my traditional Japanese knife collection.

Masahiro 210mm usuba [photo: KopiOkaya]

The word 'usuba' means 'thin knife' in Japanese. Usuba is commonly known as Japanese vegetable cleaver.

The difference between Japanese and Chinese cleavers are:

• their blades are narrower in width.
• their blades are single-beveled.
• their blades have thicker spine, thus feel heavier despite their smaller size.
• they are forged knives (whereas most Chinese cleavers are stamped knives), thus harder (higher HRC)
• they are usually made of harder steels (mainly high carbon steel, white steel or blue steel).
• their rounded blades make them perfect for rocking during chopping.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

You can purchase a 'Microplane-clone' (Made in Taiwan) for S$22 at Sia Huat in Chinatown, however, only the real McCoy can claim to shave hard cheeses like snowflakes.

But it may do much damage to your knives. Invest in a good whetstone will help save problems later.

nah, knock-offs are not worth $22! :devil:

i guess i'll give the $6 stone a try. i use cheaper knives to minimise my lose. :sweatsm:
if its a lousy stone its $6 for the stone + under $10 for the knife down the drain.

not too expensive a lesson. :sweat:

 

[KopiOkaya]

i guess i'll give the $6 stone a try. i use cheaper knives to minimise my lose. :sweatsm:

As long as you are happy.

To be very frank, my first whetstone was a 'hand-down' from my grandmother (she is the first kitchen samurai I have known). That stone costs only 40 cents when she bought it in the 1930s. :bigeyes:

 

[plsoong]

Harrow all, and special thanks to ex photobum, now kopiokaya?! for the nice writeup and thread!

can i ask something very amateurish ? I cook alot, especially now that i'm in Germany and worse off, in a super small town....

But, there is a nice shop with lotsa cooking stuff including knives (esp wusthof!), microplanes, french cast irons griddles....etc...

anyway, is there any particular wusthof knife that is good for cutting through thick chunks of meat?

I know that there's Zwillings and henkles, but i'm just wondering if the wusthof knives are better? I was quite surprised that i seem to find more WMF rather than Z&H here.....

Also, any particular knife to recommend to dissect cooked springey meats from the bones, say of a chicken/duck?

I got so frustrated that i kapoked a surgical scapel from the hospital and used it with the blade. Only issue is that the blade is WAY TOO SMALL to deskin a slab of pork belly smoothly!

 

[KopiOkaya]

I know that there's Zwillings and henkles, but i'm just wondering if the wusthof knives are better?

Wusthof knives, in general, are indeed better than Henckels. Even when I compare their top-of-line knives (Professional S vs. Classic Ikon), Wusthof blades retain their edges better and longer. In addition, Wusthof knives are more responsive to the stone, thus easier to sharpen.

Also, any particular knife to recommend to dissect cooked springey meats from the bones, say of a chicken/duck?

What you will need are a boning knife and a poultry shears. Wusthof makes both.

Wusthof Classic Ikon 140mm boning knife

Wusthof 260mm poultry shears

[photos: cooking.com]

 

[plsoong]

Wusthof knives, in general, are indeed better than Henckels. Even when I compare their top-of-line knives (Professional S vs. Classic Ikon), Wusthof blades retain their edges better and longer. In addition, Wusthof knives are more responsive to the stone, thus easier to sharpen.



What you will need are a boning knife and a poultry shears. Wusthof makes both.

Wusthof Classic Ikon 140mm boning knife

Wusthof 260mm poultry shears

[photos: cooking.com]

Oooohhh...

thank you sifu....

Wah...the sheares...... ....OUCH....i can feel the thin bones crunching under them.........

how much did you purchase the microplane professional? I'll see if it is cheeeper to get it here b4 going back....

 

[KopiOkaya]

how much did you purchase the microplane professional? I'll see if it is cheeeper to get it here b4 going back....

It costs about S$70.

Since I have a Tangs Citibank Visa card, I have got some discount.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

As long as you are happy.

To be very frank, my first whetstone was a 'hand-down' from my grandmother (she is the first kitchen samurai I have known). That stone costs only 40 cents when she bought it in the 1930s. :bigeyes:

bought that el-cheapo whetstone, used water while working on the blade. i was wondering if fine clay like sediments are a norm. its abit lime green colour. :dunno:

i could be on the stone the whole day & not know if i've done things correctly!! :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

 

[KopiOkaya]

bought that el-cheapo whetstone, used water while working on the blade. i was wondering if fine clay like sediments are a norm. its abit lime green colour. :dunno:

i could be on the stone the whole day & not know if i've done things correctly!! :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

This is normal. The clay sediment helps to polish and cool the blade at the same time.

Make sure you rinse the whetstone with clean water when you switch sides.