Cooking Resources

Greg Who Cooks · 02-05-2012, 05:42 PM

I like to use my 8" santoku, because the blade has more curve than a chefs knife. I hold the handle in my right fingers and tip in my left fingers, then rock it with a slight up and down motion. This works fine on nuts but really works fantastically well mincing garlic, ginger, onions, etc.

kitchengoddess8 · 02-05-2012, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gourmet Greg

I like to use my 8" santoku, because the blade has more curve than a chefs knife. I hold the handle in my right fingers and tip in my left fingers, then rock it with a slight up and down motion. This works fine on nuts but really works fantastically well mincing garlic, ginger, onions, etc.

What brand is your Santoku?

Greg Who Cooks · 02-05-2012, 10:49 PM

Oh, sorry, should have included that: J.A. Henckels International. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond, as part of a set. I bought the set plus added several additional pieces for total cost of about $300, one of the best cooking tool expenditures of my life.

kitchengoddess8 · 02-05-2012, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gourmet Greg

Oh, sorry, should have included that: J.A. Henckels International. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond, as part of a set. I bought the set plus added several additional pieces for total cost of about $300, one of the best cooking tool expenditures of my life.

Wow, that sounds very cost effective, I paid over $100 just for my Wusthof 8" chef's knife, which I am definitely going to return.

Greg Who Cooks · 02-05-2012, 11:11 PM

I've been trying to access the BB&B site but my Internet connection is a horrible nightmare and I can't check them to find my set. My Henckels santoku is their 7" model 31170-180. However their prices are IMO prohibitive unless you buy the entire set, or are satisfied with just one knife, not any way to go in my opinion.

And you should be aware of BB&B 20% off coupons. Not only did I get 20% off, but I wanted to buy a less expensive set that they didn't have in stock so the manager offered to give me a more expensive set ($300 IIRC) at the same price as the set I had originally wanted, a deal I could not refuse.

Anyway go buy whatever you like at BB&B and try it out for a couple weeks, return it if you don't like it. And make sure you get the coupons. Ask about that in the store.

kitchengoddess8 · 02-05-2012, 11:20 PM

Hi Greg, I'm so frustrated with the BBB coupon issue. I have signed up for them many times on their website and called customer service, but I have never received a coupon. I think they issue them according to zip code, and some zip codes never get them. Ugh!

**PrincessFiona60** · 02-05-2012, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitchengoddess8

Hi Greg, I'm so frustrated with the BBB coupon issue. I have signed up for them many times on their website and called customer service, but I have never received a coupon. I think they issue them according to zip code, and some zip codes never get them. Ugh!

This link will take you to a site where you can get the coupon e-mailed to you and just print it out.

Best Deal: 20% off Bed Bath Beyond Coupons, Printable Bed Bath Beyond Coupon

kitchengoddess8 · 02-05-2012, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

This link will take you to a site where you can get the coupon e-mailed to you and just print it out.

Best Deal: 20% off Bed Bath Beyond Coupons, Printable Bed Bath Beyond Coupon

Thanks! I'll try it and see if it works.

TATTRAT · 02-06-2012, 02:39 AM

sometimes a knife isn't needed:
Put the nuts on a cutting board, put another cutting board on top, and tamp with a heavy #10 can.

What application are the nuts being used for?

Also, as mentioned, mezzalunas are designed for just such a thing, it just depends on the volume of nuts to be chopped/crushed. . .

TATTRAT · 02-06-2012, 02:46 AM

More than one way to skin a cat.

TATTRAT · 02-06-2012, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HistoricFoodie

Typical celebrity chef marketing ploy, KF. That is not a mezzaluna.

A mezzaluna is a highly curved blade with a handle on each end. You rock it back and forth, over the food, to chop it. They come in both single and double-bladed versions.

If you get one, go for the double blade. A single bladed mezzaluna is even more awkward then your knife.

There is a learning curve involved, developling the feel for a mezzaluna. And, in general, you need a good-sized work surface. But once you become comfortable with one it's about the fastest manual way of chopping things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HistoricFoodie

Only trouble with that style, JustPlainBill, is that you just about have to use it with a wooden bowl. They're not that effective on a flat cutting board.

My Mom used one for years, and I still have it (along with the bowl she used). For me it's too much trouble to dig out a wooden bowl, and then have to clean it as well.

KG, the thing to understand is that it's just a round knife. You can chop anything with it that can be chopped with any other knife. If you don't mind using a wooden bowl, it might be the best choice for you.

You are right in regards to that knife not being a mezzaluna, but you don't have to come across so smug . Offer up something with some substance, besides an empty worded opinion.

Also, A mezzaluna is exactly that, a "half moon", so to imply that what bill posted needs a bowl is wrong. It can just as easily be worked over a flat surface, rocking back and forth, like ANY OTHER mezzaluna.

justplainbill · 02-06-2012, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitchengoddess8

Do you find it easy to use? What kinds of foods can you chop with it?

Chestnuts, walnuts, basil, pine nuts, garlic, fresh thyme, lovage, spinach, chard, chicken livers, ...

justplainbill · 02-06-2012, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HistoricFoodie

Only trouble with that style, JustPlainBill, is that you just about have to use it with a wooden bowl. They're not that effective on a flat cutting board.

My Mom used one for years, and I still have it (along with the bowl she used). For me it's too much trouble to dig out a wooden bowl, and then have to clean it as well.

KG, the thing to understand is that it's just a round knife. You can chop anything with it that can be chopped with any other knife. If you don't mind using a wooden bowl, it might be the best choice for you.

My mother and her mother also. I have their mezzalunas and wooden bowls which are almost historic ( 60 - 100 years old). I find them easier to store and clean and more durable than the newfangled gadgets.
The curve of the blade matches the curve of the bowl and the bowl prevents the ingredients from escaping onto the counter or table.
I use the blade in both a rocking as well as a straight up and down (chopping) motion.

HistoricFoodie · 02-06-2012, 06:57 AM

Wow, that sounds very cost effective, I paid over $100 just for my Wusthof 8" chef's knife, which I am definitely going to return.

KG, whether you're talking knives, dishes, or cookware, buying single-items from open stock is always more expensive than buying kits and sets. The downside is that unless you know exactly what you want, and shop around, sets aren't the best way to go for most people.

Greg, apparently, made out fine. But most of the time sets include things that you'll never use, while, at the same time, leaving out pieces that you want. And you're back to open stock anyway.

Something else to keep in mind. In this and related threads we've been using brand names. But every brand has multiple lines, with different price points.

I know that good knives can be exensive. But considering that knives are the single most important kitchen tools; and that good knives will be handed down to your grandchildren, you really shouldn't look at price so much as quality and usability.

Daddy always said, "don't be afraid to buy the best; you'll never be disappointed." That's the way you should feel about your kitchen knives.

And keep them sharp!

kitchengoddess8 · 02-06-2012, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TATTRAT

sometimes a knife isn't needed:
Put the nuts on a cutting board, put another cutting board on top, and tamp with a heavy #10 can.

What application are the nuts being used for?

Also, as mentioned, mezzalunas are designed for just such a thing, it just depends on the volume of nuts to be chopped/crushed. . .

I'm using them mostly to put in yogurt and sometimes cookies or muffins.

ChefJune · 02-06-2012, 11:56 AM

I have a chef's knife that I reserve for chopping nuts and chocolate so my "good" knives won't get munked up. and for large quantities, I use the pulse button on my food processor.

Merlot · 02-06-2012, 07:33 PM

The mezzalunas are designed like several types of knives we give our patients with arthritis, never saw the likeness between them until now.

taxlady · 02-06-2012, 07:55 PM

I only recently hear of mezzalunas, but was familiar with ulus (Inuit woman's knife) Ulu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I guess it's a kind of obvious way to make a knife.