Knife Sharpening Made Easy

“How do I keep (or get) my knives sharp?”

That’s one of the most common questions I hear in my cooking classes, and even when I’m catering in-home dinners parties. Seems to be an on-going problem for most people.

Folks are always dazzled when I grab a steel and swish my knives a couple times to return the edge to “shaving sharpness”. That’s something that we, as Chefs, learn very early in our training. If not, well, it’s a life of torture working with dull (and dangerous) knives.

That’s not the whole process, though. Putting an edge on a knife is a two-stage procedure that involves sharpening (creating minute grooves along the knife’s edge), and honing (straightening these grooves into a fine razor’s edge). This process is usually done with a stone and steel.

However, most don’t have access to this kind of knife sharpening education, and for them it’s always a challenge to not only get a razor’s edge on their knives, but be able to maintain it.

Well, your wait is over folks! My VERY good friend and fellow Chef, Maurice Thiebaut, has the answer to your knife sharpening prayers. He has been providing the “sharpening solution” for a while now, and when I finally got my hands on it… I was impressed!

As I said, I’ve been trained in “the ways of the knife” for many years, and am always skeptical (at best) when I hear about the next best thing in knife sharpeners. They come, they go, and then there’s another one to follow. So when I tried this one I wasn’t prepared for what I found. Not to doubt Maurice, but how good can a simple hand-held knife sharpener be?

As it turns out, excellent, easy and efficient… three killer qualities for any product destined for long-term survival in the revolving-door of kitchen gadgetry. The CWP Ultimate Knife Sharpener is easy enough for the unskilled novice to master quickly, but efficient enough for a Master Chef’s toolbox (I know it will always be in mine). It’s even reversible for left or right handed use.

The CWP Ultimate Knife Sharpener comes with the dual-purpose tungsten-carbide/ceramic head for the sharpening AND honing required for maintaining a sharp knife.

It also comes with an inter-changeable dual diamond sharpening head, essential for the high-quality expensive knives that we use as Chefs. Get this… it evens sharpens ceramic blades… unheard of in other sharpeners!

I’ve checked around, and most hand-held sharpeners (which I haven’t tried) go for $40-50 and up. This complete, Chef tested knife sharpening system goes for $29.99 (plus tax and shipping of course).

I highly recommend The CWP Ultimate Knife Sharpener, and suggest you check it out yourself. My buddy Maurice has even added a special gift for all my Foodies that purchase one (for a limited time).

Drop on over to THE CWP ULTIMATE SHARPENER and see for yourself what a great deal this is. Did I mention you get a special gift for being one of my flock

Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin

Posted in Catering Info, Food Facts, Foodie Ramblings..., Recipes & Repairs || 11 Comments

Wedding Catering Advice

Hey There… me again…

I got an interesting (I thought) question today. Figured I’d share it with you in case you need or know of someone that can use the info. The question:

“I am doing my nieces wedding. She requested stuffed shells as they are italian lovers. I have no way to cook at the facility so must do it at home and deliver 30 minutes away. I have to time it perfectly . I have no problem cooking ONE 20″ x 14″ loaded pan of pasta however I have 3 ovens in my neighborhood which will have two pans (one on top of the other)loaded. How long should I cook them and at what temp.

I have a horrible fear of 170 people cutting into runny or uncooked pasta

HELP!”

Here’s my answer…

Tricky situation you have there. Whenever I do remote functions I try to rent a kitchen near the site to alleviate long travel times. Then I have a hotbox (potable warming closet) to hold whatever I need to at 150 degrees… a must. I would try to rent/source either one, but especially a hotbox, since you seem to have adequate oven space, although scattered around a bit. Don’t worry… I’ve done that too

If you can’t find a kitchen nearby, I would…

1. par-cook the pasta to VERY al dente and stuff them.

2. make your sauce and “cool it” so it doesn’t continue to cook the pasta until you’re ready to

3. pan the shells, sauce them, cover with foil and refrigerate

3. when ready, heat the pans at around 350 degrees until serving temperature, 140 or so (probably around an hour-ish) leave a cushion of 15 minutes

4. transport and store warm “somewhere”

Leave this to the last possible minute, and if necessary, make them wait for you, not the other way around. Weddings “always” run late… that’s pretty much a given. With all the receiving lines, speeches and stuff it takes longer than “you” will want. Explain to your niece the advantages of last minute service and them waiting 5-10 minutes, over the disadvantages of mushy pasta. It’s still a tricky venture, but that’s probably your best chance.

That’s my two cents… U.S. or Canadian

Relax! Make a good, solid, nearly foolproof plan, and just “let it happen”… nothing else you can do…

Feel free to add your two cents…

Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin

Posted in Catering Info, Foodie Ramblings... || 57 Comments