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.
Wusthof Chinese Vegetable Cleaver, Full Tang | Asian Kitchen Gourmet 8 Inch
1 min read
This lighter, 8-inch Chinese Cleaver from the Wusthof Gourmet series is actually the Chinese equivalent of the chef’s knife and serves most of the same functions. Built with the Gourmet pattern of laser-cut steel and full tang handle, this handy slicer shouldn’t be used like a butcher’s cleaver.
The vegetable cleaver differs in several ways from the heavy European butcher’s tool. Thinner high carbon stainless steel for blade and tang makes the knife an excellent slicing tool and easy to handle. Instead of the wide bevel of a meat cleaver, the edge is taper-ground like a cook’s knife. The slightly convex cutting edge is amazingly efficient for mincing and dicing. Rock it over fresh herbs like a mezzaluna knife, and it will seem twice as fast as a chef’s knife once you get the hang of it.
The wide blade keeps guiding fingers and knuckles well above the cutting board and makes working with larger vegetables easy. Some skilled Asian cooks use this knife more often than any other. Many modern versions are made with rat tail tangs and ferrule-reinforced handles, but Wusthof uses their more reliable riveted slab handle build. The strong blade needs no bolster, and the simple polymer slab grip provides plenty of grip and control.
Maintaining any plain edged Gourmet knife is easy. The steel is hardened to provide a tough cutting edge that restores quickly with a honing steel and can be reworked at home with flat whetstones. Keep the polish intact by washing the knife by hand, not in a machine.
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.
The Diamond Edge Pro knife and scissors sharpener from Smith Abrasives combines electric and manual sharpening systems for quick and accurate refurbishing of knives...
This lighter, 8-inch Chinese Cleaver from the Wusthof Gourmet series is actually the Chinese equivalent of the chef’s knife and serves most of the same functions. Built with the Gourmet pattern of laser-cut steel and full tang handle, this handy slicer shouldn’t be used like a butcher’s cleaver.
