March 24, 2007
And It Cuts Like A Knife
We've all heard the old adage that there's nothing more dangerous in the kitchen than a dull knife. A sharp knife cuts cleanly through things. A dull knife forces you to use more pressure, then may bounce off the surface of the onion you're trying to slice and onto another surface, such as--for instance--your hand. Ouch!
Our favorite knife sharpener in town is Henry Westpfal, at 105 West 30th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. Broadway Panhandler on 8th Street between Broadway and University also sharpens knives, as does Samurai Sharpening Service in the Chelsea Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We've also seen a knife sharpening truck on the streets of Park Slope. You can do it yourself, too; eGullet has a guide here, as does knifecenter here.
On March 31st, Broadway Panhandler is having a charity knife sharpening event. For $10, you can have up to three knives sharpened while you wait and the proceeds will be donated to City Harvest, and you can hone up on your knife skills noon to 4:30 with free demos from Wusthof.
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what's the best way to transport big kitchen knives to one of these places?
"A dull knife forces you to use more pressure, then may bounce off the surface of the onion you're trying to slice"
"Bounce off"?. What a stupid idea. Yeah careful cause it might 'bounce off' the onion and stab you in the chest 17 times.
Stupid.
A dull knife will not only bounce it will slip and cut your fingers.
i sharpen my own kitchen knives, it's theraputic.
"A dull knife will not only bounce it will slip and cut your fingers"
How can it cut your fingers if it's DULL?
I don't know about hurting yourself using a dull knife, but a sharp knife is much more pleasant and easier to use, so it makes sense to keep your knives sharp. BTW, There are kits (IE Lansky) that enable even the clumsy to sharpen knives well.
God, do I really have to explain this? Yes, a dull knife is more dangerous, because you have to work harder to cut through that butternut squash, bagel, or chicken leg, possibly slipping and running the blade across your hand.
The best way to transport your knives if you don't have a cloth knife wrap is to wrap them individually in newspaper and put them in your backpack/messenger bag, etc.
westpfal completely destroyed my knives, forcing me to replace them all. Stay far, far away.
the knife sharpening truck also drives around manhattan occasionally: velvet-sea.blogspot.com/2006/10/mikes-original-grinding-truck.html
Watching the 'samurai' lady at the chelsea market... I would never take my knives there -- she has no clue about bevels...
Unfortunately as of May, 2007 Westphal will be closing. They lost their lease. Currently (April, 2007) they do not have a place to go. The lady there told me they will keep their phone number and to check it for an updated status.