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.
Even though eight of the knives in this 26-piece knife block set from Wusthof are steak knives, many home chefs could be overwhelmed by this many choices of working blades. Minimalists will find the collection excessive, but part of the draw is the ability to tackle any recipe and have the right tools at hand. Add the look of the oiled hardwood block and the traditional solid construction people have come to expect from Wusthof, and it makes a tempting option for the owner of any large kitchen.
This type of Wusthof knife uses a tried and true combination of riveted handle slabs and strong forged high carbon stainless steel blades. The knives are very well built with full-width, full-length tangs and machine washable polypropylene handles with the look of solid hardwood. This is an old style of knife, heavier than many modern laser-cut steel knives, but it’s the style many chefs trained with or inherited. Some would own nothing less. Budget-conscious shoppers or chefs interested in modern types of kitchen blades would want to look at other possibilities as well as this old German cutlery standard.
If you’re outfitting a large kitchen and need the specialty knives that make fine cuisine possible, this is an interesting choice. Four different sizes of cook’s knives — the fundamental kitchen blades — form the backbone of the assortment. Bird’s beak paring knife, forked-tip tomato knife, and a slender boning knife expand the possibilities even more. For other butchering and carving work, the carving knife, filet knife, and heavy cleaver fill the gaps. Bread knife, utility knife, and standard paring knife round out the knife set, which also includes a honing steel and kitchen shears. You’ll find nothing delicate in this selection — add a high quality slicing knife to cover all the zones.
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...
Even though eight of the knives in this 26-piece knife block set from Wusthof are steak knives, many home chefs could be overwhelmed by this many choices of working blades. Minimalists will find the collection excessive, but part of the draw is the ability to tackle any recipe and have the right tools at hand. Add the look of the oiled hardwood block and the traditional solid construction people have come to expect from Wusthof, and it makes a tempting option for the owner of any large kitchen.
