JT Hats
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.



Messermeister Kitchen Prep Set of 3 | Meridian Elite Trio w/ Scalloped Bread Knife, Paring & Chef’s

1 min read

Messermeister Kitchen Prep Set of 3 This set of three useful knives offers a good look at the quality and workmanship of Messermeister, an established German cutlery company which only began marketing in the U.S. in 1984. If you’re familiar with Henckels and Wusthof, you’ll recognize the style of Solingen, Germany, but there are some differences here as well.

Full tang blades and forged bolsters mark a traditional design popular in Europe and America for many years, but instead of the repetitive handle pattern of better-known German companies, Messermeister offers a refined grip. The slim handle profile of the 3-1/2-inch paring knife in this set improves the balance between the handle and the taper ground stainless steel blade. The well-rounded handle slabs of the Messermeister handle design increase comfort in use without reducing grip strength.

Instead of the usual straight-edged serrated bread knife, Messermeister prefers the slightly concave and scalloped edge shown in this nine-inch pastry knife. Designed to cut accurately through hard crusts and tender loaves, the scalloped edge slices without compacting the structure of bread, cake, or rolls. A rocking cut slips quickly through the tough bottom crust of home baked bread.

The genuine workhorse knife of the set would be the eight-inch plain edge chef’s knife. Since the forged bolster does not extend the full width of the blade, you get the strength of a forged design but with improved cutting edge access. The Messermeister Chef’s Knife is capable of many different chores in the kitchen, from light chopping and dividing large cuts of meat to mincing and dicing of herbs. Each part of the blade has a different specialty.

Messermeister backs their knives with a lifetime 100% product satisfaction guarantee.

Find this Messermeister Knife Set:

 

JT Hats
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.



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