Sunday was kitchen knife sharpening day. I do this a few times each year to keep them in good condition. We received these knives from my father-in-law as a Christmas gift in the early 1980's. There are five knives and a sharpener set in a wooden block. The chef's knife has the company name - Carvel Hall, emblem - a steelsmith hammering a blade on his anvil, and the words "Great Blades Since 1895" laser etched onto the blade. They are nice knives: molybdenum steel blades, full tang construction, and riveted wood handles. I've sharpened them many times over the years, so I know each blade intimately. When someone inadvertently nicks one of the blades, it can take years for the imperfection to be honed away. Once, someone snapped off the tip of the paring knife. I was horrified. To this day, no one has taken responsibility. Now - after perhaps a decade - the paring knife has a decent point again. It's funny how much time it can take to repair the damage caused by a single careless moment ... and not just with kitchen knives, but in our personal relationships as well.
There is a filet knife in the set too. It has a thin blade and fine delicate edge. It is designed to filet meat and fish ... and nothing else. It is not designed for cutting vegetables or chopping up a whole chicken for parts. The edge is not designed for that kind of abuse; it is designed for slicing raw meat and nothing else! I get upset when I see people using the filet knife for something other than it's intended purpose; but even if I don't see them, I still know. All I need to do is look at that fine edge: If it looks as bad as the other knives, then I know it's been used just like the other knives. When you look at the big picture, it's kind of silly to get hung up on something so trivial; but since I'm the one who has to keep them sharp, it's hard not to care.
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I can relate - I have a pair of scissors that are strictly for cutting fabric. They are very sharp and make a nice clean cut. They live in my sewing box, out of reach of everyone else. But I have more than once had to stop people from using them when I had the sewing box open at the table. I don't want to have to buy another pair. Now kitchen knives I don't pay much attention to. Maybe I should.
ReplyDeleteMy wife had a nice pair of sewing scissors. I was taking apart a couch, and since it was fabric covered - I used her scissors. There were cords inside it; and when I cut them, I found - to my horror - that the cords had thin steel wires in their centers. Her scissors where ruined; and she's never let me forget that - even after twenty years. On the bright side, I can now sharpen scissors just as well as knives. Even so, I still know better than to touch her sewing scissors.
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