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Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
"I'd love to urge you to reconsider your stance--there is such thing as an aesthetically designed kitchen gadget that lives up to cooks' standards!"
Nikki, I'd actually really like to see a series on this!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have to admit that I'm skeptical of the long-term quality of these knives; I'd love to see a follow-up in a month and then six months down the road.
I also have to ask others' opinions: Is a bread knife an essential? If you can get only two knives, I can definitely see getting a chef's knife, but I'd go for a good paring knife long before a bread knife.
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 73: Sometimes Only Dark Chocolate Malted Milk Balls Will Do: What's Your Weakness?
I was going to die earlier this week if I didn't eat a grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich. Buttered Italian bread, crunchy peanut butter, grilled in a cast iron skillet with another on top to weigh it down (I like my sandwiches flat, for some reason). So, so good, especially when I paired it with some dark chocolate with sea salt.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
What you'll find is that sometimes gadgets are just about making cooking fun, and that's exactly what this does.
No way. I'm with Alton Brown: The only unitasker I want in my kitchen is a fire extinguisher. And maybe an olive pitter. I'll figure out another use for it, and justify it to myself that way.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
"I'd love to urge you to reconsider your stance--there is such thing as an aesthetically designed kitchen gadget that lives up to cooks' standards!"
Nikki, I'd actually really like to see a series on this!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have to admit that I'm skeptical of the long-term quality of these knives; I'd love to see a follow-up in a month and then six months down the road.
I also have to ask others' opinions: Is a bread knife an essential? If you can get only two knives, I can definitely see getting a chef's knife, but I'd go for a good paring knife long before a bread knife.
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 73: Sometimes Only Dark Chocolate Malted Milk Balls Will Do: What's Your Weakness?
I was going to die earlier this week if I didn't eat a grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich. Buttered Italian bread, crunchy peanut butter, grilled in a cast iron skillet with another on top to weigh it down (I like my sandwiches flat, for some reason). So, so good, especially when I paired it with some dark chocolate with sea salt.
Serious Reads: A Short History of the American Stomach, by Frederick Kaufman
Born Again Bodies is another great example of this, with a focus on how Christianity has shaped what/how we eat. Starving for Salvation does a similar thing, but argues that Christianity's shaping of what/when/how we eat has led to eating disorders. BAB gets a little bogged down in the middle, but they're really both good reads.
Buenos Aires Is a So-So Food City
Matt from mattbites.com had a different take on this city, posted today: http://mattbites.com/2009/05/31/buenos-aires-round-up/
Cook the Book: Eugenia Bone's 'Well-Preserved'
Oh, and I plan to buy out much of the basil from my local farmers' market and make enough pesto to freeze for the winter. I tried this last year, but always managed to eat it all, week after week. :)
Cook the Book: Eugenia Bone's 'Well-Preserved'
I'd love to preserve tomatoes and strawberries. I've never tried watermelon rind preserves, but they sound interesting, and it's awesome that foods that are often considered "waste" can be preserved and eaten.
Snapshots from the UK: British Blue Eggs
@Kerry: I didn't mean to embarrass you! I'm just grumpy in the morning before I have my coffee. Good save on the intro.
Snapshots from the UK: British Blue Eggs
there is a reason why dying and dying are spelled the same way.
Well, they're not. It's "dying" and "dyeing." I wish there was better editing on the articles on Serious Eats; I'd definitely prefer quality over quantity.
That said, interesting article!
Cook the Book: 'The Modern Baker'
Mine's not a huge success, but more of a serendipitous mistake. I accidentally doubled the butter in a batch of brownies (which I was already advertising as the best around). I wondered why the batter was so glossy, but it wasn't until I was eating a brownie that I realized what I'd done. I make them that way all the time now.
Blogwatch: Did You Know 'Adidas' Are Grilled Chicken Feet?
Eek! They look like little hands. Which is somehow worse than looking like little feet.
What's Your Take on Cake Ice Cream?
Oh, but the ice cream with cake hunks in it is AMAZING. I had birthday cake ice cream at Jake's in Atlanta. So, so good. Their other flavors are also fantastic, particularly the coffe & doughnuts, which has real Krispy Kremes in it.
Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Bacon of the Month Club
Azured -- what do you do with the bacon grease? I've fried eggs in it, but what else is it good for?
Green Tea Breath?
WTF? The only acceptable toothpaste flavor is mint, or mayyyyyybe cinnamon if you're feeling frisky. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Bacon of the Month Club
Crispy, anywhere from just beyond pliant to cinders -- it's all delicious.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
If you don't own a bread knife, a good steak knife works great for cutting bread!
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
Unlike other commenters, I have one of these and after trying it a few time, decided I hate using it. I'm going to have to give it away.
If your apples are slightly bumpy or misshaped, it doesn't work well. Adjusting the wingnut to change how much peel is coming off is harder to do than you would think. The suction cup on mine has never satisfactorily attached to any surface I've used. The metal parts started rusting after the first use.
The last time I used it, I decided a paring knife would have taken me about half the time. Good riddance!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
@Truffels: I agree with you up to a point. I have a very nice Henckels set, along with a couple of Wusthofs. However, they were all horrendously expensive! Not everyone is willing (or able) to shell out a substantial sum for cutlery. Inexpensive knives, and by inexpensive I mean less than $50, are attractive to wide range of people simply because of that factor.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I don't like gadgets that are too kitschy. I have a collection of Wusthof Trident knives that work well. Knives for professional use are best forged in one piece from bar to steel, with blade, bolster and tang individually shaped in a series of processes to produce a well-balanced tool.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
Do they pass the ultimate test ? Will they take off a clean slice of your finger tip a 1/16" thick and not realize it ? Or do they, like all serrated blades deliver a painful sawing ? I did a really good one not too ling ago, it hurts to recall it. Gross subject, Yes ? But it happens to all and I use serrated blades for bread and tomatos primarily. I just don't like the sawing through food as compared to a sharp smooth blades clean slice !
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
This gadget (available in many places other than the overpriced WS) is a lifesaver at holidays. You can stick the kids working the apple slicer while you prepare the pie crust. Apple pie is not the same without this thing!
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
Why add more clutter to your kitchen if you can just use a paring knife? The time saved is really not that much.
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
This is not a really NEW invention. My grandmother had one exactly like it iver 50 years ago. Works well and it's fun to crank it when you're having to stand on a stool to reach the cutting board..
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
@SSGsnuffy: I have one of these not from Williams-sonoma, which looks like it in every other way. Got it from the hardware store. Has a screw clamp on the bottom, so it has to attach to the edge of the table. That's sometimes inconvenient in terms of the juice that gets created, but on the other hand, I don't have to worry about the suction cup going (I've had other gadgets where the suction cup failed eventually).
@eric214. On my model and it appears on this model there's a wingnut screw that lets you adjust the amount of peel that's removed. This is way more peel than needs to be removed - unless it's an old, punky apple, which won't give a thin peel.
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
I saw one of these at the Christmas Tree Shop this weekend...probably not as good of quality as WS but less expensive
Gadgets: The Apple Peeler/Corer
SSG, the suction bottom actually works pretty well! It's one of those things that you might have to do two or three times to get it right, but once you get it right, it's not going anywhere.
Erich, the peeler is adjustable--it has a little screw that you loosen and you can change the positioning on it to control how much you want to take off. The largest setting will be wide enough to theoretically cut shoestring potatoes (it's a little hit or miss in my experience) but the thinnest setting will just skim the surface. What Tom says about the juicy mess is entirely true, though!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I found a pink Santoku knife at my Target for $6.19! Going back today to find the Chef's for the same price.
They are incredibly sharp that I already nicked my finger. Yea me!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
@runningwithscissors: i have a bread knife that i bought at a kitchen store in NYC for twelve bucks. it works perfectly. if you buy unsliced bread, it's indispensible, and inexpensive ones are fine.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I found a couple of ceramic knives at Harbor Freight Tools. A 6" "chef" knife at $20.00 and a 4" paring knife for $15.00. They may be available on line as well.
I don't think even my Henkels out of the box could cut a ripe tomato as thinly as these. Since they are ceramic, you can't do the Jacques Pepin puree garlic trick, and the paring knife does not have a sharp point, but otherwise they are incredible.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have an irrational fear of those adorable little colored knives. Even though I know that they are SHARP, their colored blades make them seem like benign children's toys. I haven't bought one becuase I am convinced that I would quickly lose a finger if I did.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I bought a set of the Komachi knives at Costco and I've had them for about 5-6 months. They still work just as beautifully as they did the first day. I have 3 different paring knives, a chefs knife, a bread knife, and a santoku knife. These are the best knives I've ever used (so far, haha).
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
Psst...bread knives make great tomato knives too.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
when I read this I was intrigued enough to look into buying one but whilst they are only $10 in the US they are £30 in the UK (about $50) so im going to do a little searching first see if I cant find it cheaper somewhere else
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
runningwithscissors -- I have every intention of including more pretty gadgets in my existing column! I'm glad to see there's mutual interest :)
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have one of these and i love it. And I got it at TJ Maxx for $4.99
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
The bread and chef's knives are $9.95 right now at Amazon. I pre-ordered a the bread knife and a paring knife ($7.99). I have a lot of really good knives, but they're pretty and I'm a sucker for pretty.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I enjoy using my friend's knife when I cook over at her house, and am considering purchasing one for myself. Bread knives, in general, are fantastic, as they can be used for much more than just bread. I use mine for hard sausage as well.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
to answer some questions:
like blogkitten said, the color isn't paint--it's a non-stick coating. And the colors are meant to help distinguish the knives from one another (like color-coded cutting boards would).
according to the knife experts that I consulted, these can be sharpened with any normal sharpener or steel, so no worries there.
moibec--are you sure what you had was by this brand? other companies make colored knives but these are a little different. I'd love to urge you to reconsider your stance--there is such thing as an aesthetically designed kitchen gadget that lives up to cooks' standards!
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have that bread knife (same color!) and i've used it every day for two years in a restaurant kitchen without any problem ever. Great knife. My old sous chef used the same model to trim the base of his xmas tree years ago and still uses for food to this day.
I wouldn't use a PK chef's knife, though, too lightweight.
Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
I have one of these and I love it! I have wrist problems, so I appreciate that it's lightweight and the easy grip handle is fantastic. Makes cutting butternut squash something I can actually handle without pain again.
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What you'll find is that sometimes gadgets are just about making cooking fun, and that's exactly what this does.
No way. I'm with Alton Brown: The only unitasker I want in my kitchen is a fire extinguisher. And maybe an olive pitter. I'll figure out another use for it, and justify it to myself that way.