Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

After using and being happy with my Cutco, stop giggling!, I went straight to the Shun. Oh my what I was missing. I only use two of them: a 10" Chef that we call "The Samurai" and my 3" paring "Son of Samurai". The buggers are so sharp my 5" serrated that I used on almost exclusively tomatoes no longer gets used. I still use my Cutco carving knife because it works rather well but besides that, it's all about the Shun.

I run them over a Shun steel before every use and they stay scary sharp.

From what I understand, Gordon can cook a storm but because he doesn't try to get cute and cuddly, insert your Legasse reference here, for the media he is labeled a as a jerk. If there was a hidden camera in the kitchen of any known chef they'd all be labeled as jerks because they don't take any guff from their staff for numerous reasons. You only get to be the best by pushing yourself and all who are working for you to be the best possible with no excuses for second place. I appreciate that Gordon stands by his work, legacy and self. He isn't putting on any P.R. image. Gordon is Gordon whether you like it or not. Bravo!

I think that the biggest problem with kitchen appliances is that they aren't designed by people who use them but by engineers who are trying to produce a product at a certain price point that is determined by marketing idiots who honestly feel that the more the device claims to do the easier it is to sell. Thus we have products that are designed to be made cheaply and try to do too much.

For instance: I love and use all the time my Kitchenaid stand mixer but there is no reason why it should be so loud. Some quality bearings and close tolerance gears could turn it into a quiet machine that appeals to the home cook because when you have it on you don't have to yell to your spouse "Hand me the CREAM!" That would maybe add $20 to the price of the machine but they don't do it because the marketing dudes have said that if it retails for over a certain price, they will never sell them. Well if they did, I'd scrap my perfectly good one for the new whisper quiet model.

Pans should have the lids from the other pans in the series fit them. For instance the lid on my 5qt Calphalon saute pan works nicely on my 12" Calphalon omelet pan but no other lids will fit nicely on my 10", 8" or 6" pans. When hanging them they nest fine but they won't if put flat. Ugh!

Spice grinder cups should have a simple "O ring" seal on the blade shaft so that the whole cup and blade as a single assembly comes out for cleaning.

Blenders should have water resistant motor bases so that you can hose them off without damaging the circuits. Oh and they only need an On/Off switch with a Pulse button. That's it. Simple.

It would have to be a brewpub that features a number of beers that I brew. Everything about it would be seasonal and I don't mean the produce I mean the menu items. Hearty items like cassoulet, lasagna, wellingtons in the winter. The fall would have things like spit roasted game, wild salmon, braised ribs. Summer would see enchiladas, curries, tagine. And always beers that reflected the menu. Stouts and porters in the cold months with barrel aged barlywines for after. Dunkelweiss and hoppy IPA's when it's hot.

Yeah that sounds nice. Now I just need a lot of money and some wise fool to run it for me.

Braising is probably my favorite cooking method. It is easy, turns cheap meat into something splendid and produces its own lovely sauce. What's not to like? I braise year round and change up my approach depending on the season. In the summer I'm as likely to braise chicken thighs in stock and herbs for chicken salad or tacos as much as I braise short ribs in red wine and prunes in the fall.

If we were looking for entertainment, we wouldn't be watching the food network. Why don't they get it? They aren't actors....they are regular people who cook. Personally, I don't think any of them are star quality. Being on the food network is like being "a flash in the pan." None of them have lasting power. You're in....and then your're out. Not so on PBS

Anyone who thinks that performing for a camera is easy has never tried to do it themselves. It takes time and practice to become comfortable. Cut her some slack.

Note to FN: You should immediately fire the stylist and the set decorator. Both looked cheap and cheesy. Put her in a proper kitchen with a chef's coat and watch her comfort level rise.

Joannabar - have used a Chef's Choice sharpener for years. Donated the old one (with the ceramic/diamond honing oscillating thingies) and got a new model 130 a couple of years ago. Three slots. Does a great job on the eclectic collection of knives that I have - a 40+ year old L. L. Bean carbon steel chef's knife, a couple of Sabatier's, Wustoff Trident, a loooong Dexter Russell slicer, a few Chicago Cutlery, etc.

The nice thing about the new sharpener is that it gets right to the heel of the blade - the old one didn't. Cooks Illustrated testing lab likes it, too.

As far as using a whet stone - I can, but it takes a LOT of practice and experience to get it right. The Chef's Choice does a great job, and does it quickly.

I have Forschners in my knife kit and Henckels I received as a gift at home. I like my Forschners better. They're sturdy little beasts, crazy affordable, and hone really easily!

@Liz - what a great observation. It's like someone at TVFN woke up late because their alarm didn't go off and their first thought was, "OMG! I have to make a new show today!"

@guttergour - ITA - Burrell kicks the crap out of the non-chef, cooking-wannabes on TVFN.

Also - to her prepping many dishes at once - I do this all the time! Especially for a party - I can have four things going at once. Two of them might be hands off like something in the oven or something cooking a long time on the stove but it's unrealistic to think people cook one course at a time. Burrell prepared two courses and the most efficient way to do this is to consider the steps and amount of time required for all tasks in both recipes then figure out how each task can be accomplished in a timely manner to have everything ready when needed.