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Show WASATCH COUNTY COURIER : JUNE 6, 2001 ES st ae Ac kor Ase)2 oo B7 ae _ The Art of Sharpening Knives Carey home. Dad never let the already sharp blade touch the meat until giv- ing it a few swipes on his bone-handled honing rod or “steel.” The sound of the | blade gliding along the honing rod was a Pavlovian experience, as young — Carey mouths watered in anticipation. Many who cook expect a knife to perform at peak although they do little more than wash it. They spend hours in the kitchen preparing culinary delights only to massacre them with a dull knife.. 7 A razor-sharp knife can make a world of difference when carving the turkey at Thanksgiving or slicing ham during the holidays. | All knives are not created equal. Most are made of carbon steel. They hold an edge well, but they are tough to care for. When washed, if they are not promptly dried, they will easily stain. On the other hand they are the manufacturers have combined beauty with function to come up with a steel alloy known as high-carbon stainless _ steel. These knives of the future combine the sharpening properties of carbon steel with the stain-resistant qualities of stainless. Simply stated, sharpening a knife involves grinding the steel blade against something abrasive like a sharpening stone. While there are a myriad of sharpening devices on the market, the most effective is the whetstone. It is an abrasive block make from natural stone. Some whetstones are made from manufactured materials such as ceramic, aluminum oxide or carbonium. Whetstones are made with crane degrees of abrasives. The smaller the abrasive material, the finer the stone and the smoother the finish. A whetstone works best when lubricated with a touch of light-grade machine oil or water. Some stones work properly only when used with water. Dispatches from Japan | the past. Something about building screens at Shinjuku, Shibuya. and the ~ definition televisions. ak ewe been: Ginza. This place is a monument to ignored as just one more of thousands | now for the future. Japan may not yet | the future. of gaijins walking the streets; I have be the world’s best teacher on issues I was here once cio: 20 years been praised as the: father of the like diversity, or democracy, or even blonde-haired, blue- eyed kawahi sustainability, but it has much to comago, and stayed only long enough to | Fischer. mend it as an important model for the learn that the Japanese people were But this time around, I have facd global village flying so eo in Our, very kind, the countryside was beautito poke further behind the obvious direction. ful, the trains were prompt, and that It will be a world of more people the setting for the movie Blade Runner and to test my childhood observations about that which really matters. and less space. A world that will strive | hadn’t been airbrushed in. Though the Japanese economic miracle has So far, my prepubescent self has been to keep the strength of its religious had its share of knocks since then, it vindicated. No “Yankee, go home!’— and cultural traditions while searching MATTHEW continues to show results, and now— not once, not even at the former for commonality among all beliefs. A HEIMBURGER on the strength of a strong dollar—I world where tolerance, health, and Industrial Promotion Hall (now the PECIAL TO THE COURIER am here again and old enough to look “A-Bomb Dome”) in Hiroshima; nor efficiency will be highly prized, and — beneath the sign advertising Disney’s beyond appearances. sorely tested. For those of us hiding he view from where | write is But those appearances are still latest, Pearl Harbour. Though it out in the mountains of Utah, there dazzling. takes longer to exit the urban sprawl, will be much to adjust to. starkly urban. Tokyo, and by extension Japan, is Hakone, Miyajima, and Yufuin are Knowing that we reap what we Red lights blink on highrises in all a place of incredible contrasts. still beautiful patches of countryside sow, some of us have been reluctant to directions and a steady breeze is carThough “marriage of East and West” is that define Zen’s wuwei to include do much toward building the internarying tomorrow's storm in from the a tired cliché, it is useful here, now, for external, alongside internal, grace. tional community. We are either preEast China Sea. I am eleven stories up the five senses are continually flooded And the trains, well, they are a wonoccupied, scared, or set-in-our-ways. in a city where eleven stories isn’t by experiences along just such lines: der. They arrive the exact moment But others have been busy breaking enough to attract the attention of anywhen they are supposed to and take ground. Buddhist calls to meditation overpowone, and certainly not the hundreds of ering the ubiquitous sounds of car and you to where they said they would. Know his etapan is doing so. bus traffic. A working geisha in a taxi They are fast and efficient and expenThe country is openly wrestling with thousands of commuters who pass by each morning. Butthe last Shinkonsen - avoiding eye contact on the backsive and worth it. They are the the challenges of modernism, globalhas pulled into Tokyo Station for the ization, and international diversity. streets. A peaceful Shinto shrine nesembodiment of the Japanese people night and—for now—there is a resttled between office buildings on a busy themselves. Even as it is building ever skyward, it Certainly no success can compenis still breaking new ground. And, at less calm over this city of extremes. downtown street at Shinagawa. Tokyo is home to over 12 million sate for failure in the home. But as far least from this small apartment on the Starbucks Coffee just outside the entrance to the great Meiji-jingu. A as I can see, homes here are still intact of the Earth’s residents—and an irreelevénth floor in the heart of Tokyo, I woman in a stunning kimono wading like what I see. as well. Japanese society, for all of its sistible draw for many more of its most ambitious. It is a city on par with New through a sea of businessmen in ties. _ past blemishes, has taken the best of A sumo in line for the Peter Pan ride at _ the West and matched it with the York, London, and Paris in that it is not ’ strength of the East, creating in the Matthew Heimburger is a professor Tokyo Disneyland. only the center of a national identity, of American Civilization at Brigham. — _ The same model is true in cuisine, process a fascinating society whose but a beacon to international obserhybrid culture works. Somehow it entertainment, and response to forYoung University. He lives in the Heber vance as well. And, while the guideeigners. I have enjoyed yakitomi and works. Valley with his wife and son. At the books correctly point out that Tokyo Those red warning ents. those moment, however, they are traveling houses more national historical treassashimi: I: have stood outside aMcDonald’s only to see two more in beacons outside my window, are saytogether in Japan. This dispatch was ures than most other cities in Japan ing something quite profound. the distance. I have watched ongoing received—via e-mail—directly from combined, it is hard to see the tovii samurai dramas on wide screen, high Something about leaving the past in — Tokyo. gates from behind the large-screen TV Ty rust- and stain-resistant. In contrast to a carbon steel knife, the stainless steel knife is hard to sharpen, due to its excellent wear- resistance. Always on the cutting edge, knife | um in their steel makes them virtually hands, do the other edge, always making sure to draw the blade toward you. Periodically wipe the blade with a stone’s surface. Don’t be stingy when clean soft cloth or paper towel, and using the lubricant. It can make a dif have a close_look at your progress under ample light. . | ference in the finished product. Knife sharpening is a lot like sanding Don’t expect to be a pro immediatewood where you start with a coarse ly. It takes practice. With time and a bit — of patience you'll find that holding the paper and complete the job with fine paper. In the same fashion, start the correct angle will become easier and sharpening process using a stone with _ the back-and-forth motion natural. a coarse surface and repeat the process— - The final step involves removing the waste metal, which is created on a stone with a fine surface. Separate when sharpening, but not ground off stones can be used for each phase; however, a combination stone (one with during the process. These particles ~ are wire-like burrs along the knife’s both surfaces) is less expensive. edge. This “wire edge” is not readily _A few essentials required when. sharpening are above-average light, visible, and must be removed for the knife to be truly sharp. The tool most eye protection and a location where commonly used to remove the wire metal particles won’t contaminate food. edge is called a “steel” or steel-honing Start by placing the whetstone on a stable surface with its end facing you and > rod. These are available at most department stores and fine cutlery lubricate the stone with oil or water. shops. Use a steel with a secure hanContinue to add lubricant periodically dle that is protected by a guard to during the sharpening process. Lay the heel of the blade. flat on the avoid injury. As with the whetstone, the angle stone with the edge of the knife facing ‘between the blade and the rod should _ you. The spline of the knife should be be maintained at about 15 degrees. slightly raised so that the angle Beginning at the blade’s heel, draw the between the blade and the stone is knife along the rod toward the handle, about 15 degrees. Gently draw the blade across the maintaining a steady, gentle pressure. Flip the blade over and ret the stone, making several passes — movprocess. ing it from the heel toward the tip as T _ We learned this from our dad During his stint in World War II, he was a meat cutter in the Army. As kids, we were _ spellbound by dad’s “war stories” about Marseilles, New Caledonia and Fiji. - Instead of the standard issue rifle, dad settled for a carving knife. He remained proud of his trade, and no dull knives ever were found in the length of the blade. Next, switching an (ny PM | TT TMT rie you go. Be careful to catch the entire © j a The lubricant acts to carry away metal _ particles as they are removed from the surface of the knife. The lubricant also helps to suspend these particles to pre-vent them from being ground into the | ale easiest to sharpen. Knives made of stainless steel are the easiest to care for. They are unbelievably wear-resistant and the chromi- || A sharp knife can job easier and safer. CAREY ae eT ORES Po eee BY JAMES AND |