In article >,
(Alex Rast) wrote:

> at Wed, 30 Mar 2005 06:50:02 GMT in <KatraMungBean-7F8EC2.00500230032005
> @corp.supernews.com>, (Katra) wrote :
>
> >I _hate_ slicing fresh carrots!!!
> >Dad likes them a lot tho' so it has to be done.
> >He prefers them in bite sized chunky slices.
> >
> >If I try to slice them on the cutting board with the chef's knife,
> >they are so crisp they tend to want to "pop" off as I slice them
> >and go all over the kitchen! Crispy beasts.
>
> I second Bob's advice. Your chef's knife needs to be *really* big. I find
> even an 8" knife is a bit too small. 10" is OK. 12" is better. As everybody
> says, it should be *really* sharp. Get a sharpening stone if you don't want
> to go down to your local cutlers frequently. The rocking motion is
> definitely what you need. Be sure that the carrots are lined up over the
> center part of the blade. If they're near the tip the knife may "push" the
> carrot off the end, and if they're near the bolster the extra thickness can
> send them flying. Really serious popping is almost always the result of a
> dull blade. Essentially you're bludgeoning the carrot with a dull knife,
> and at some point the fibers snap. The basic method has worked for me even
> for whopper carrots (1.5 lbs, about 3" in diameter) If you do several
> carrots at once, alternate the directions they point, pack them together
> like sardines and you'll have better slice control.

I'll just have to really try to get the old chef's knife really sharp
then. It's 10". Then I'll hide it.

Every time I get the knives sharpened, dad decides to "hone" them metal
against metal claiming that I don't know what I'm talking about when I
complain he is dulling them. :-(

He likes to sharpen knife edges against each other!

What a crock...

I really really need a good, quick, in home sharpener that is faster and
easier than a whet stone or steel.

What about crock sticks?
--
K.

Katra wrote:

> I'll just have to really try to get the old chef's knife really sharp
> then. It's 10". Then I'll hide it.
>
> Every time I get the knives sharpened, dad decides to "hone" them metal
> against metal claiming that I don't know what I'm talking about when I
> complain he is dulling them. :-(
>
> He likes to sharpen knife edges against each other!
>
> What a crock...

It's roughly equivalent to buffing with a steel. But it needs to be a
gentle process and the correct angles need to be maintained.

> I really really need a good, quick, in home sharpener that is faster and
> easier than a whet stone or steel.
>
> What about crock sticks?

Forget them. Get a ceramic sharpener that looks like a butcher's steel.
Use it like one and it'll keep your knives in good shape. I also like
diamond-impregnated steels (about $30) and they're very good for
resetting the edge of a knife that's somewhat dulled.

To get a good edge to begin with, use a stone with medium and fine grit
surfaces. Once you get the good edge and use the ceramic, the knives
will stay pretty sharp.

Pastorio

Katra wrote:

> I _hate_ slicing fresh carrots!!!
> Dad likes them a lot tho' so it has to be done.
> He prefers them in bite sized chunky slices.
>
> If I try to slice them on the cutting board with the chef's knife,
> they are so crisp they tend to want to "pop" off as I slice them
> and go all over the kitchen! Crispy beasts.

I do them on the cutting board in groups of 3 or 4. Once in a while
they pop but it isn't really a problem. Could you possibly used frozen
coin carrots? That way both of you are happy.
>
> So, I generally use a good sharp paring knife and hold them in my hand,
> slicing them into a bowl by cutting thru them with my thumb as a
> backstop. The drawback to that is that if my knife is sharp enough,
> I end up with fine little slices in my thumb. Rarely deep enough to
> be a real cut (unless the knife is REALLY sharp which has happened a
> couple of times!) but it's really annoying!!!
>
> Is there such a thing as a thumb guard, or is there a better way
> to slice carrots?
>

Grizzman wrote:

> i have worked in restaurants where, when i was cutting fish i had to
> wear a chain mail glove which protected my hand. any restaurant supply
> house should have em

I need one of these! I bought a new four sided grater. It's been years
since I used one, prefering either the food processor or small hand held
graters. Don't you know, the first time using the new one, I found out
the hard way thumb knuckles go through quite nicely. They take a long
time to heal though.

I was just going to post a thread about baby carrots -- bought some this
week that tasted ok raw, but used some in soup today, and they tasted
bitter. But some whole carrots taste bitter to me, too. I try to stick w/
Bunny Luv brand -- they are always sweet. I've never seen Bunny Luv "baby"
milled carrots.

Does anyone have a problem w/ bitter carrots?

Chris

Katra wrote:
>
> They have some HUGE heavy cleavers at the oriental market that I
> frequent! They are under $10.00 each too.
>

You don't need a huge heavy one. They may have some smaller ones that are
intended to be veggie cleavers. I have one (got in in Chinatown in SF, but
it's actually made by Dexter/Green River) that cost me $25, and I love it.
I use it for veggies and more. It's my knife of choice for many/most jobs
in the kitchen.

I have a huge, heavy cleaver as well -- that's for cutting apart chickens.

Chris

Chris Neidecker wrote:
> I was just going to post a thread about baby carrots -- bought some this
> week that tasted ok raw, but used some in soup today, and they tasted
> bitter. But some whole carrots taste bitter to me, too. I try to stick w/
> Bunny Luv brand -- they are always sweet. I've never seen Bunny Luv "baby"
> milled carrots.
>
> Does anyone have a problem w/ bitter carrots?
>
> Chris
>
>

Yes, in most stores in my area there are usually 2 stacks of carrots.
The carrots grown in Canada which are always less expensive. They do
look like carrots but that is as close as they come. Then there are
carrots grown in California which are sweeter and taste like carrots.

"Chris Neidecker" > wrote in
news:dB03e.30321$b_6.28969@trnddc01:

> Katra wrote:
> >
> > They have some HUGE heavy cleavers at the oriental market that I
> > frequent! They are under $10.00 each too.
> >
>
> You don't need a huge heavy one. They may have some smaller ones
> that are intended to be veggie cleavers. I have one (got in in
> Chinatown in SF, but it's actually made by Dexter/Green River) that
> cost me $25, and I love it. I use it for veggies and more. It's my
> knife of choice for many/most jobs in the kitchen.
>
> I have a huge, heavy cleaver as well -- that's for cutting apart
> chickens.
>
> Chris
>
>
>

I have 3 cleavers a small one I use daily for veggie chopping I got with
my wok from the wok shop. A medium size for mild meat use and a horking
biggie for the cutting of bones (both from lee valley). I really enjoy
the little cleaver and do use it a great deal. The other two get limited
use as I live alone and rarely butcher a whole steer or chop up the wiley
chicken.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Continuing to be Manitoban

On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:50:37 -0600, Katra
> wrote:
>
>Believe it or not, my _favorite_ kitchen knife is a large "Eagle's claw"
>brand filleting knife!

<snip>

And one of my favorite kitchen knives is a cheapie Deglon ($20US). It
has an offset handle that allows you to chop in the middle of a
chopping block, not on the edge of the chopping block to allow your
fingers some space:
________
////////

It's serrated, but has held an edge for 4 years now.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA


"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

"George" > wrote in message
...
>>
>
> Yes, in most stores in my area there are usually 2 stacks of carrots. The
> carrots grown in Canada which are always less expensive. They do look like
> carrots but that is as close as they come. Then there are carrots grown in
> California which are sweeter and taste like carrots.

Really? I will take a closer look next time I'm in the store. I'm pretty
sure the Bunny Luv carrots are grown in Calif. I thought it was just me,
but I've noticed that my 4-year-old can tell the difference, too.

In article <gz03e.30320$b_6.3355@trnddc01>,
"Chris Neidecker" > wrote:

> I was just going to post a thread about baby carrots -- bought some this
> week that tasted ok raw, but used some in soup today, and they tasted
> bitter. But some whole carrots taste bitter to me, too. I try to stick w/
> Bunny Luv brand -- they are always sweet. I've never seen Bunny Luv "baby"
> milled carrots.
>
> Does anyone have a problem w/ bitter carrots?
>
> Chris
>
>

Never have here...
Maybe they are being overcooked???

Not sure!

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article >,
"Bob (this one)" > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > I'll just have to really try to get the old chef's knife really sharp
> > then. It's 10". Then I'll hide it.
> >
> > Every time I get the knives sharpened, dad decides to "hone" them metal
> > against metal claiming that I don't know what I'm talking about when I
> > complain he is dulling them. :-(
> >
> > He likes to sharpen knife edges against each other!
> >
> > What a crock...
>
> It's roughly equivalent to buffing with a steel. But it needs to be a
> gentle process and the correct angles need to be maintained.

I don't think he does that. ;-)
He is having FAR too much fun!

>
> > I really really need a good, quick, in home sharpener that is faster and
> > easier than a whet stone or steel.
> >
> > What about crock sticks?
>
> Forget them. Get a ceramic sharpener that looks like a butcher's steel.
> Use it like one and it'll keep your knives in good shape. I also like
> diamond-impregnated steels (about $30) and they're very good for
> resetting the edge of a knife that's somewhat dulled.

Cool! I'll have to check that out.
What about electric sharpeners?
I've been afraid of damaging my blades.

>
> To get a good edge to begin with, use a stone with medium and fine grit
> surfaces. Once you get the good edge and use the ceramic, the knives
> will stay pretty sharp.
>
> Pastorio

Ugh. So, I really need to learn to use whetstones eh? <lol>

Ok, thanks!

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article >,
Serendipity > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > I _hate_ slicing fresh carrots!!!
> > Dad likes them a lot tho' so it has to be done.
> > He prefers them in bite sized chunky slices.
> >
> > If I try to slice them on the cutting board with the chef's knife,
> > they are so crisp they tend to want to "pop" off as I slice them
> > and go all over the kitchen! Crispy beasts.
>
> I do them on the cutting board in groups of 3 or 4. Once in a while
> they pop but it isn't really a problem. Could you possibly used frozen
> coin carrots? That way both of you are happy.

Well... I try to use more fresh produce.
So much of the frozen produce is just plain dried out! :-P

But, thanks!!!

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

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In article <dB03e.30321$b_6.28969@trnddc01>,
"Chris Neidecker" > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
> >
> > They have some HUGE heavy cleavers at the oriental market that I
> > frequent! They are under $10.00 each too.
> >
>
> You don't need a huge heavy one. They may have some smaller ones that are
> intended to be veggie cleavers. I have one (got in in Chinatown in SF, but
> it's actually made by Dexter/Green River) that cost me $25, and I love it.
> I use it for veggies and more. It's my knife of choice for many/most jobs
> in the kitchen.
>
> I have a huge, heavy cleaver as well -- that's for cutting apart chickens.
>
> Chris
>
>

Groovy! :-)
I've never really ever tried a cleaver.

The folks at the oriental market really are friendly when asked
questions! I can ask them about knives and other stuff in their kitchen
dept.

I know they are always willing to give advice for what, to me anyway, is
"wierd foodstuffs". <G>

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article >,
Monsur Fromage du Pollet > wrote:

> "Chris Neidecker" > wrote in
> news:dB03e.30321$b_6.28969@trnddc01:
>
> > Katra wrote:
> > >
> > > They have some HUGE heavy cleavers at the oriental market that I
> > > frequent! They are under $10.00 each too.
> > >
> >
> > You don't need a huge heavy one. They may have some smaller ones
> > that are intended to be veggie cleavers. I have one (got in in
> > Chinatown in SF, but it's actually made by Dexter/Green River) that
> > cost me $25, and I love it. I use it for veggies and more. It's my
> > knife of choice for many/most jobs in the kitchen.
> >
> > I have a huge, heavy cleaver as well -- that's for cutting apart
> > chickens.
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
> >
>
> I have 3 cleavers a small one I use daily for veggie chopping I got with
> my wok from the wok shop. A medium size for mild meat use and a horking
> biggie for the cutting of bones (both from lee valley). I really enjoy
> the little cleaver and do use it a great deal. The other two get limited
> use as I live alone and rarely butcher a whole steer or chop up the wiley
> chicken.

Heh! I think I get to do at least 1 deer per year... ;-)

I have about 8 roosters out in the chicken yard I should slaughter, but
I'm just not not not in the mood at this point in time!

The feed store has promised to take them off my hands. They go there
tomorrow.

No charge.......

I may hatch some muscovie ducklings for meat this year the way the hens
are producing eggs at the moment! I need a new incubator tho'.

BIG meaty ducks!!! Well worth the plucking time. I don't mind doing
ducks as much now that the poultry list introduced me to the "secret"
for scalding waterfowl! A bit of dish detergent in the scalding water
takes care of the oily feather problem beautifully!

Hey, if anyone here wants some muscovie duck eggs, e-mail me! I am up to
10 hens and 3 drakes so fertility should be better now. I eat the eggs
if they are not being put up for hatching.

Mixed colors, big, beautiful and personable birds!

And yes, I know how to ship hatching eggs. <G>

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra