Category Archives: kitchen gadgets

Beware of sharp objects: my visit to Knifewear

Posted on by bruleeblog

Two things on my food bucket list have been to 1. take a class on proper knife techniques and 2. buy myself a good quality, wickedly sharp knife.

I have been eyeing the sharp and pointy goods at Calgary’s Knifewear ever since I heard about them way back when they first opened inside Bite Grocerteria. They have since moved into their own location and – if the crowd of people I saw in the store was any indication – are successfully growing their business.

Knifewear display case

Knifewear display case

Knifewear, founded by Chef Kevin Kent, specializes in high quality Japanese chef knives. They regularly hold classes on knife sharpening with waterstones, as well as a basic knife cutting class.

I happened to be in Calgary over the Family Day long weekend and took advantage of my visit by signing up for Knifewear’s Cut Like a Chef class. For about two and a half hours, we learned how to slice, dice and not cut our fingers off. Kevin and Rob, another talented knife artiste, tag teamed the class. We covered varied techniques such as dice, julienne and brunoise, as well as some more “exotic” cuts like tourne. Other useful things that we learned included the proper way to use a honing rod, cut up an onion, and slice up a pineapple.

Cut Like a Chef class

Cut Like a Chef class

Taking this class also gives you the chance to try out a selection of their knives. I started out using a Shun knife, and eventually ended up with two more knives on my cutting board. At the end of the class, all the attendees are offered a 10% discount on any knives in the store if they were bought that day.

You can test out knives before you buy them.

You can test out knives before you buy them.

I had good intentions of only buying one knife and of sticking to a pre-set budget. But the knives seduced me, and I couldn’t stop myself. A gift card from some friends helped to defray some of the costs (I have the bestest friends ever!!) but I left the shop much poorer and spent way more than I had originally planned.

The shop, filled with partly people from my class but also with many walk-ins.

The shop, filled with partly people from my class but also with many walk-ins.

There were many, many knives to choose from. Hand forged knives, factory forged knives, long knives, short knives – the choices were overwhelming. I was especially drawn to the Fujiwara knives, which have a finger notch in the blade that makes holding these knives especially comfortable, and the Konosuke knives, which have these gorgeous cherry blossoms polished onto each blade and also felt very comfortable in my hand.

A bunch of the knives I was considering.

A bunch of the knives I was considering.

There were some other knives that I liked as well, and in the end my decision was based on either buying one knife out of the two I mentioned, or buying two knives at a lower price point. In the end I felt that it made more sense for me to buy two different knives than to blow all my money on one knife.

Here are the sexy beasts that I came home with:

My new sharp and pointy toys!

My new sharp and pointy toys!

From left to right: one ceramic honing rod (smooth), one Masakage Kumo Gyuto 180 mm knife, and one Masakage Asai Masami VG10 Petty 120 mm. Both knives are hand forged from VG10 stainless steel and laminated with layered nickel Damascus stainless steel.

From the Knifewear website:

“Asai Masami, born in 1948, works in Takefu Village, Echizen in Fukui Prefecture. His blades are known for a refined and long lived edge. In 1980, Echizen was the first production centre for forged blades to be awarded the nationally recognized Traditional Craft Product accolade. Blades have been hand forged here since Muromachi period (1392-1573).”

“[The Kumo knife] series is named Kumo (cloud) because the blades look like clouds on a really cool day. The Damascus steel is manipulated by hand to give this great dreamy look. The rosewood and pakka wood octagon handle give the blades a nice light feel and forward balance. Katsushige Anryu san is a 70 year old blacksmith with 52 years experience who works in Takefu Village.”

My knives will get their first sharpening for free. I haven’t cut myself yet, but I have to admit that I have thought about stocking up on bandages. I’ll let you know if I nick any major arteries.

Knifewear
1316-9 Ave SE, Calgary
www.knifewear.com

 

Adieu Le Gnome

Posted on by bruleeblog

Word has been going around the city about the closing of Le Gnome, one of Edmonton’s long-standing specialty kitchenware stores. They apparently couldn’t come to a new rental agreement, and will be closing at the end of the month. (West Edmonton Mall has been notorious for years for having high rental fees.)

On Friday I had to be at the mall for another reason, so I swung by Le Gnome to see if there were any deals and to say goodbye. This place was one of the first stores I went to when I started to explore cooking. It’s where I bought my garlic press (based on their recommendation), and it’s where I bought my beloved pepper mill. They were often one of the most expensive places in town, and sometimes I felt like they were being a bit condescending when I asked questions, but the range of their selection was always good and their advice was usually right.

Le Gnome

Le Gnome

Clearance sale signs pepper the windows. Lots and lots of people were inside. It was like Boxing Day shopping all over again. The entire store is on sale at 30% off, and shelves were rapidly emptying as people looked for deals. I picked up another Peugeot pepper mill – this time as part of a birthday present for my mother. I also picked up a few gadgets here and there including a couple of dishes. I seriously thought about buying a Le Creuset 6.75 qt or a Staub, but ultimately decided that the discount wasn’t big enough for me to justify it to myself right now. The line up to pay was long and it took about 15 minutes just to reach the cashier.

If you are planning to pick up anything at the sale, I highly recommend going as soon as humanly possible. They were almost out of pepper and salt mills, and whole sets of china were quickly disappearing.

Goodbye Le Gnome. Thanks for everything.

Tupperware citrus peeler

Posted on by bruleeblog

The Tupperware citrus peeler is a silly looking gadget that is one of the key tools in my kitchen. Years ago I heard people rave about them but never knew where to find them. I didn’t know anyone who sold Tupperware and these things weren’t sold in the stores. They were often given away at Tupperware parties but weren’t something that a person could necessarily purchase. One year, while at the trade show of Klondike Days (Edmonton’s old name for Capital Ex, the annual summer fair), there was a Tupperware stall. I asked the lady about the peeler and to my excitement she agreed to sell me some. I ended up buying five of them; three went to family members and I hoarded two for myself.

The little hook part is dragged along the skin to cut it open. The opposite flat end is amazingly efficient at poking into crevices and shaving off pith.

Nowadays, you can buy these things off of eBay and other online places so there is no need for searching anymore. But my little blue peelers are still going strong so I think it will be a while before I need new ones.

Tupperware citrus peeler

Tupperware citrus peeler

Chopsticks

Posted on by bruleeblog

Chopsticks are an interesting and versatile utensil that have always been a part of my life. I actually find it easier to eat spaghetti out of a bowl with chopsticks, than on a plate with a fork and spoon.

And they aren’t just for eating either; there’s many a time when I’ve used them for cooking. Long chopsticks make a great stirring utensil for tall stockpots or stir frying. I’ve used chopsticks to pop items out of tiny jars, in replace of tongs, and even for draining pasta directly from a pot.

There are many kinds of chopsticks – Japanese have pointy ones, Chinese have ones with blunt ends, Korean-style chopsticks are metal and flat. I hate the sound of any kind of metal rubbing together, so eating at Korean restaurants are usually a careful experience for me.

I’ve been asked before how you eat rice with chopsticks. Well, in some cultures, the rice is stickier so that you can easily pick it up in clumps with your chopsticks. In the Chinese culture, you pick up your bowl, bring it close to your mouth, and use your chopsticks to shovel the rice. This is perfectly reasonable in Chinese settings, but in other cultures it is considered rude. There are actually quite a few universal etiquette rules as well, along with the culture-specific ones.

Children are taught how to use chopsticks at a young age. Nowadays you can buy fancy schmancy kid-sized chopsticks that are connected at the top like these easy training chopsticks or these Hello Kitty chopsticks that come with finger loops (fyi – those two are affiliate links, just trying something out and if I don’t like it I will remove).

But when I was growing up, we did it the old fashioned way, using only a pair of short chopsticks (take-out chopsticks are usually the right length), a rubber band, and a piece of paper.

To be honest, I never could hold the chopsticks in the absolute correct position and at some point my parents gave up and just let me use this modified grip I adopted. I can actually use the correct form now but it takes me forever to eat that way, so I usually don’t bother.

As to how to wash them, my mom taught me this little trick as I got a little older and started helping out with the housework. Soap ‘em up with your sponge – individually if they have food caked on them but you could also do a few at a time if there’s no debris. Then, under running water, gather a bunch of them in your hand (I would say no more than 6-8 chopsticks as it gets more difficult to handle when you add more than that). Holding the bundle in one hand, bring your palms together under the water with the chopsticks pointed in a vertical direction, and rub your palms together while being careful not to drop any of the chopsticks. The chopsticks will rub together and make a clattering sound while the soap is rinsed off. Easy peasy.