Chuck Piercy
TVWBB Fan
Thanks Kevin. What are the signs you look for to tell if a cook has those innate skills? And I promise I will get back on topic after your reply.
Who makes the BEST knives?
- Thread starter Chuck Piercy
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Intellectual and creative vigor.
For the former, I usually ask various questions about food - likes and dislikes - and about their experiences with food, specifically, dining experiences they've either had or created that are especially memorable, and why so. I'm mostly interested in how they tell these stories rather than their content - the vibe, if you will.
For the latter, I'l hand them a steak or a piece of fish, or an eggplant or a few portobellos and tell them to cook me whatever I've given them and include a sauce. Mise en place will be conventional but with a few extra things and some oddities there. Other available items they can use (or not) I'll assemble nearby on the line. Then I go do something somewhere else in the kitchen where I can glance over periodically.
Rote cooks give themselves away, in most cases, pretty quickly. They will have numerous questions (virtually none of which I'll answer); creative cooks rarely will ask a thing. I look at how they assess and approach the mis en place and the assembled potential ingredients (rote cooks will usually ignore the unfamiliar or unknown) and I watch their faces. It's often easy to see rote cooks thinking backward to something they've done many times before as their intent seems to be to choose something familiar and comfortable, so as not to screw it up. Creative cooks look, well, creative. Most of them will glance here and there and then just start prepping or cooking. Their expressions usually tell me they're winging it - making decisions as they go - but they look utterly comfortable doing so.
For the former, I usually ask various questions about food - likes and dislikes - and about their experiences with food, specifically, dining experiences they've either had or created that are especially memorable, and why so. I'm mostly interested in how they tell these stories rather than their content - the vibe, if you will.
For the latter, I'l hand them a steak or a piece of fish, or an eggplant or a few portobellos and tell them to cook me whatever I've given them and include a sauce. Mise en place will be conventional but with a few extra things and some oddities there. Other available items they can use (or not) I'll assemble nearby on the line. Then I go do something somewhere else in the kitchen where I can glance over periodically.
Rote cooks give themselves away, in most cases, pretty quickly. They will have numerous questions (virtually none of which I'll answer); creative cooks rarely will ask a thing. I look at how they assess and approach the mis en place and the assembled potential ingredients (rote cooks will usually ignore the unfamiliar or unknown) and I watch their faces. It's often easy to see rote cooks thinking backward to something they've done many times before as their intent seems to be to choose something familiar and comfortable, so as not to screw it up. Creative cooks look, well, creative. Most of them will glance here and there and then just start prepping or cooking. Their expressions usually tell me they're winging it - making decisions as they go - but they look utterly comfortable doing so.
Chuck Piercy
TVWBB Fan
Good stuff Kevin, I can imagine the trials you have to endure hiring staff. I hire and fire for my company and hate it, But it all pays off every once in a while when you find a good one.
As far as my intentions for school,"As of the moment" is the kicker. I already have a couple small catering gigs and I am working hard to ensure that develops. After I complete my degree I will be ACF certified and will go where the good lord guides me. In the mean time I plan on catering when I can, and coking on the KCBS circuit as well.
For first semester the only knives required are a chefs, bread and paring knife.Then for the next term, a boning knife, 10"+ non-serrated slicer and a 12" serrated slicer and thats it.
As far as my intentions for school,"As of the moment" is the kicker. I already have a couple small catering gigs and I am working hard to ensure that develops. After I complete my degree I will be ACF certified and will go where the good lord guides me. In the mean time I plan on catering when I can, and coking on the KCBS circuit as well.
For first semester the only knives required are a chefs, bread and paring knife.Then for the next term, a boning knife, 10"+ non-serrated slicer and a 12" serrated slicer and thats it.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Develop a niche. It's more where the money is. With the (unfortunate, imo) success of FoodTV years back, demand for cooking schools ramped up and so now we're awash in them. Wages and salaries have tanked in the past many years with all the grads.
Where are you with your knife purchases?
Where are you with your knife purchases?
Chuck Piercy
TVWBB Fan
Well hopefully my niche is butt kickin BBQ and food from the fire. But who knows, if you have any ideas on a lucrative niche I am all ears. I almost think that these days I will need to open a BBQ joint to fulfill my passion and an organic veggie joint to make a living. If I could just find a bridge between the two...hmmm
Here is the list of my weapons of choice i have purchased for my culinary adventure....
Mac Professional Dimpled Slicer 10 1/2",
-CLASSIC IKON panini knife - 4124 (8")
-Global G-2
-Wüsthof Classic Ikon Hollow-Ground Chef’s 8"(got as a gift,will probably stay at home)
-Shun (alton brown) angled paring-mho725
-Henckels 12" serrated slicer
-Cutco 22 butcher
-my big honkin cleaver
-Apex 2 kit from edgepro
I still need a boning knife, although I have done well up to now with a cleaver and my rapala fillet knife, I probably need to learn the more delicate/classic methods.
I have put a Tojiro honesuki, a high quality sashimi and a few others on the wishlst.
TVWBB ROCKS
Here is the list of my weapons of choice i have purchased for my culinary adventure....
Mac Professional Dimpled Slicer 10 1/2",
-CLASSIC IKON panini knife - 4124 (8")
-Global G-2
-Wüsthof Classic Ikon Hollow-Ground Chef’s 8"(got as a gift,will probably stay at home)
-Shun (alton brown) angled paring-mho725
-Henckels 12" serrated slicer
-Cutco 22 butcher
-my big honkin cleaver
-Apex 2 kit from edgepro
I still need a boning knife, although I have done well up to now with a cleaver and my rapala fillet knife, I probably need to learn the more delicate/classic methods.
I have put a Tojiro honesuki, a high quality sashimi and a few others on the wishlst.
TVWBB ROCKS
Just in case this info is useful to anyone...
I have only had to sharpen my Global G-2 once since I bought it back in May (6 months ago) and even then I probably didn't have to - I just wanted to play with my Edge Pro Apex. That being said, the knife only gets used a few minutes a day (preparing supper). At the same time the edge is still scary sharp.
The way I keep it so sharp is by doing 3 light passes (on each side) on a ceramic rod. Very light passes, with no pressure aside from gravity. I run the entire length of the blade against the rod, and I do appx 20 degreees the first time, 15 the second time, and 10 the last time. This is vital for keeping the knife sharp. The few times I didn't steel, the difference was like night and day. Before steeling, I was splintering my vegetables when slicing them, but after steeling, the knife literally just falls through.
I have only had to sharpen my Global G-2 once since I bought it back in May (6 months ago) and even then I probably didn't have to - I just wanted to play with my Edge Pro Apex. That being said, the knife only gets used a few minutes a day (preparing supper). At the same time the edge is still scary sharp.
The way I keep it so sharp is by doing 3 light passes (on each side) on a ceramic rod. Very light passes, with no pressure aside from gravity. I run the entire length of the blade against the rod, and I do appx 20 degreees the first time, 15 the second time, and 10 the last time. This is vital for keeping the knife sharp. The few times I didn't steel, the difference was like night and day. Before steeling, I was splintering my vegetables when slicing them, but after steeling, the knife literally just falls through.
I have a set of Chicago cutlery that I got 25 years ago. They hold a razor edge. They get the steel before every use and if needed the stone maybe 1 time a year. they get used every day. They may not be the most expensive knives in the drawer but they are the sharpest.I would buy another set tomorrow If I were looking for a set of quality knives.