Large Fierce Mammal

If you spend any time here, you’ll know that Mrs. LFM and I enjoy good food and drink, and for us, cooking is a passion. Speaking for myself though, I enjoy cooking most when it involves knife work.

It’s said that a much handled tool takes on the soul of its master. There’s a truth in this that, as a blade guy, I discovered a long time ago and practice to this day – when a knife first comes into my possession, I use it exclusively for every cutting task it can possibly be applied to. It may be instantaneous, or it may take weeks, but eventually there will come a day when that knife suddenly seems sharper than before. Its use becomes effortless and all conscious thought is removed from any task it’s called upon to do so that it seems to know of its own accord what needs to be done. That’s the day when I know it has become a part of me.

I’ve celebrated the art of kitchen bladecraft before in my articles Kitchen Knife Technique and More Kitchen Knife Technique, but today found an article in the highly recommended blog, The Art of Manliness that was too good not to share.  One of the vital components of The Art is a grasp of basic knife skills, and our man’s 20 April 2011 article titled Kitchen Fundamentals: Basic Knife Skills is a must read. Just click the title and then practice what he preaches, for only through dedication may you achieve enlightenment!