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Talking survival knives with survival expert Leon Pantenburg

September 17, 2011 / Tim / 6 Comments

The Cutting Edge recently spoke with Leon Pantenburg, who runs the fantastic site Survival Common Sense and teaches survival courses, on what makes a good survival knife. To learn more indispensable survival skills, check out his site.

1. What are the traits of a good survival knife?

It depends on the person and where you are. In the wilderness I would want a non-folder, fixed-blade knife with a good sheath and want the blade to be between 4 to 6 inches long. I don’t want a serrated edge, I don’t want a gut hook, and I don’t want a handle that’s going to be slippery because this knife will be called upon to do a myriad of things.

Also, it’s critical that it’s lightweight and compact because otherwise it won’t be carried. It doesn’t matter how good of a piece of equipment it is. If it’s back in the car because it’s too heavy, then it does you no good.

2. Do you think a straight edge, serrated or partially serrated blade is best?

I don’t like serrated for a number of reasons. One, their value is limited. They’re good for sawing ropes and that’s pretty much it. Two, once they get dull, most people can’t sharpen them without special equipment. Three, the serrated edge takes away a good chunk of your knife’s usefulness because you can’t really slice with a serrated edge. Generally, I don’t see any value that warrants taking an inch or two from your blade to have serrations on it. I must point out that most of these survival knives are designed by people who work in cubicles and don’t use the equipment.

3. For those who might not know, is there a difference between a survival knife and a combat or tactical knife?

This whole tactical thing is a joke. They take a knife, blacken the blade and call it a tactical knife. In reality, a tactical knife with a blackened blade is only useful if you’re sneaking up behind someone in the dark or some fantastic situation that’ll never happen. If you look at World War II knives that were actually tactical, they weren’t all camoed up. If you look at a Marine KA-BAR knife, which was a standard tactical or combat knife, it looked like a normal knife. I never heard of anyone getting shot because someone saw their knife.

The Bizarre Design of Ergo Chef Knives

September 14, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

This morning, Dana Cowin, the editor-in-chief of Food and Wine magazine, tweeted about the Ergo Chef’s bread knife: “4 any1 w/wrist injuries, #fwtestkitchen ‘s Marcia swears by Ergo Chef bread knife. Gr8 w8 + balance.” For you non-tweeters out there, this means that Marcia, who is apparently a cook in in F&W’s test kitchen, reports that the Ergo Chef bread knife has great balance and is a comfortable weight, making it good for anyone who has had wrist injuries.

If you’re like me, your immediate question is…why? I did a bit of research this morning to figure that out. The Ergo Chef knives have bizarre looking designs. The knives actually look like they were put together improperly or damaged before being put on the market (check out the curve of that handle!). However, the angle is designed to ease any discomfort you may get in the wrist while chopping; it also allows for greater precision and faster cutting. Plus, each blade is forged from a single piece of high-carbon German stainless steel, meaning these knives can cut longer without needing to be sharpened.

Has anyone tried these knives? Could you tell a difference between the Ergo Chef knives and regular kitchen knives?

World’s Largest Pocket Knife

September 12, 2011 / Tim / 11 Comments

World's Largest Pocket Knife There has always existed the mantra that bigger is always better. For example, you have giant SUVs, massive airplanes and huge orders of french fries.

In our latest next installment of weird knives, one man took this mantra to the extreme by creating the world’s largest pocket knife.

I’ve heard a lot of people say they must own one of the world’s biggest pocket knives because they can barely get it into their pocket, but those people have obviously never seen this humungous knife, which is an astounding 12 ft. 8 in. when opened. This 268.9 lb definitely takes the cake (which is good because this knife could cut any sized cake).

The knife was designed by a Portuguese artist Telmo Cadavez and handmade by Virgílio, Raúl and Manuel Pires in 2003. It also holds a special place in the Guinness World Records.

Despite its impressive size, this kind of defeats the whole purpose of the pocket knife. If you can’t get it into your pocket (let alone a door frame), is it really a pocket knife?

I know this knife is probably only for artistic purposes and was never created for practical use (unless the designer was expecting Paul Bunyon to make a triumphant return), but the massive pocket knife is still pretty cool.

Out of kitchen knives? Consider using a MacBook

September 10, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

Circulating around the Internet as of late have been a number of pictures and videos of people using their MacBooks for odd things. This Japanese video shows Apple’s popular laptop being used to cut through, guess what, an apple.

According to the MSNBC blog Gadgetbox, Macbooks have also been used to cut onions, carrots, and bacon. It’s a cool fact, but I think I’ll still stick with my usual set of kitchen knives. What about you?

Developing Kitchen Knife Skills: How to Cut a Chili Pepper

September 7, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

No longer are chili peppers limited to spicy Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. The small, green peppers can be found in everything from steak marinades to mashed potatoes. If you don’t know how to handle them, you are keeping yourself from trying great new recipes. Plus, you miss out on an easy way to add some pizazz to basic dishes of your own.

If you have avoided hot peppers in the past, however, we understand. Knowing how much spice the peppers have can be intimidating if you don’t know how to cut them properly. To help you avoid burning your skin or mouth and to introduce you to the world of cutting chilies, we got back with Kathy Maister, who helped us out on the How to Slice an Onion post. Ms. Maister’s site StartCooking.com is a great resource for busy people who are just learning to cook.

Grab your paring knife

Remember when we told you that Ms. Maister had three knives she couldn’t live without? Those were her paring knife, serrated knife, and chef’s knife (she commented on the onion article emphasizing that these must be “sharp!”). If you were wondering why the tiny paring knife is a necessity for the kitchen, here is your answer. Cutting any small pepper is the perfect use for a paring knife. The short, pointed blade makes it easy to deftly cut and seed a pepper.

Be careful!

Peppers get their spiciness from oils that are primarily in the seeds and ribs. When you cut into a pepper, you run the risk of getting these oils on your hands. Because of this, many people wear kitchen gloves while handling peppers. Gloves are not necessary, but, if you choose not to wear them, be mindful of your hands. Try to avoid contact with the ribs or seeds and clean up well when you finish cutting.

Cut the pepper in half

Cut the pepper in half with your paring knife. You can now see the whitish colored ribs inside the pepper.

Seed the pepper

By taking out the seeds and ribs, you are removing most of the pepper’s heat. There are two ways to go about seeding. When using a paring knife, hold the stem of a pepper half and slide the knife underneath the rib. Moving away from the stem end, slide the knife down the sides, popping out the rib and seeds. If any seeds are left behind, scrape them out with the blade’s backside. Ms. Maister says you could also seed the pepper with a spoon or melon baller – just scoop out the insides!

Slice the pepper lengthwise

Once you’ve seeded the pepper, you can chop it. Cut strips going lengthwise on the pepper half. Space the strips according to the size you want. If you are chopping, make larger spaces, but if you are mincing, the slices should be closer together.

Slice the pepper across

Now, slice the pepper in the opposite direction. Space your slices just as you did in the last step. Repeat with the other side. You should now be left with a chopped, diced or minced pepper that is ready to be tossed into your dish!

Clean up

The pepper’s oils can linger on your skin and underneath your fingernails for many hours. If you didn’t wear gloves, make sure you wash your hands with water AND soap after you finish handling the pepper. Even after a good scrubbing, Ms. Maister says you should avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes just to be safe. The oils would hurt badly if they started to burn you here!

Know your peppers

Since so many hot peppers can be easily confused, it’s good to know what different ones look like and how spicy they are. Ms. Maister has a great list of peppers with their pictures and heat index on her site.

Without a knife, a life is lost to a burning vehicle

September 7, 2011 / Tim / 6 Comments

Traffic Accident It’s tragic when there’s an article in which a pocketknife could have led to the story being featured in our Knives Save Lives series. Unfortunately, what happened on a Los Angeles Freeway a week ago did not end as well as the other stories.

According to the Los Angeles Times, which we found via Knife Rights, an 11-month-old girl died in a burning car Aug. 28 after no one on the scene had a knife to cut her out of a car seat.

An SUV crashed into a stopped Nissan Altima on the freeway, which caused the vehicle to burst into flames with a woman and child inside. Nearby neighbors heard the crash and screams, so they immediately headed over to the area that sees quite a number of accidents.

According to the article, Salvador Martinez went to the scene and saw a curly-haired child in the backseat with flames quickly growing. Others tried to help out by tossing buckets of water on the flames and looking for a water hose, but it was to no avail. The fire was not dying.

Martinez broke the window and tried to pull her out, but the seat wouldn’t budge and the fire was searing his arms. He yelled for a knife or scissors, but no one on the scene had anything. By the time someone came back with a knife, it was too late.

Should Boston convenience stores need a license to sell knives?

September 6, 2011 / Tim / 6 Comments

Want to buy a blade in Boston?

Well, doing so may soon be trickier, if two Boston city councilors get their way.

Michael P. Ross and Tito Jackson plan to propose an ordinance Thursday at a Boston City Council meeting that would require all merchants selling knives in the city to be licensed in order to do so.

The councilors say the ordinance is a response to the high number of stabbings in the city and a recent undercover sting operation that caught many convenience store owners selling knives to underage buyers.

“Clearly, these knives are dangerous weapons being sold casually in a convenience store, and they’re being sold to children,’’ said Ross.

In an email, the knife advocacy group Knife Rights urged its members in the Boston area to express their opposition to the measure and adding the following.

There is no indication that there has been any factual connection made between violence committed with knives in the city and these retailers, or that licensing would actually help the situation any more than simply enforcing the existing law on the books.

SOG Knives introduces limited edition "Gunny Series"

September 5, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

Gunny Fixed Blade

If you’re not familiar with The Gunny, you really don’t know knives. The Gunny, whose real name is R. Lee Ermy, is a retired Marine drill instructor and noted actor. He’s appeared in such films and shows as Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Leaving Las Vegas, Toy Story, The Simpsons and many more.

So, what does this guy have to do with knives?

Well, not only is he the official spokesman of SOG Specialty Knives, but he’s also worked with knifemakers to design his own knife sets.

Earlier this summer, SOG Knives and Gunny released two amazing limited edition fixed blade and folding knife to create the “Gunny Series.”

The knives are limited to 1,000 pieces each, but that’s not the amazing part. Continue reading

A new crop of balisongs, folders and scrimshaws from Thai knifemaker Suchat Jangtanong

September 2, 2011 / Tim / 10 Comments

While recapping the activity at the Blade Show in June, I mentioned coming across the knife designs of Mr. Suchat Jangtanong. I’ve begun to take more interest in these knives as I’ve learned additional details about them and the team that produces them.

Mr. Jangtanong is a third-generation knife maker living in the Uthai Thani province of Thailand, which is located in the central part of the nation approximately 200 kilometers from Bangkok.

He is part of a five-person knife making team called Thita (meaning strong and stable), which consists of a former tattoo artist turned scrimshaw designer, a monk, his sister and two others. Thita is also the name of one of the members who does the anodizing and manages operations.

All of the knives are made from Damascus steel and the handle materials are presentation grade. Additionally, many contain a unique assisted opening mechanism created by Suchat. There are also a number of meticulously-carved scrimshaws.

The knives are exclusively sold by Keith Newman and many of them can be found on Arizona Custom Knives in addition to Keith’s new website Mr.Damascus Knives, which features about a dozen of Thita’s models at the moment and will be adding more soon.

Keith recently sent me over a few pictures of some of team Thita’s new designs. Check them out and let us know what you think.

Developing Culinary Knife Skills: How to Dice an Onion

September 1, 2011 / Tim / 3 Comments

There are a few basic skills that are necessities in the kitchen. If you’re a home cook in training, you’ll have to master these or always be faced with stumbling blocks when you cook. Don’t get too intimidated, though; many of these culinary steps have to do with cutting, dicing, or chopping staple ingredients. And if you’re a Knife Depot fan, it’s probably safe to assume you know a bit about knives. This means it shouldn’t take too much to make sure you’re comfortable putting away your Bowie knife and sharpening your kitchen knives.

To help you in this learning process, we reached out to Kathy Maister, the woman behind StartCooking.com. Her website is a wonderful guide for learning the basics of cooking and picking up some easy, tasty recipes. We asked Ms. Maister about one of the most basic skills: dicing onions. Diced onions are a regular part of recipes, but many people are unsure how to tackle the root veggie. Here are Ms. Maister’s tips on choosing the right knife for the job, dicing onions, and cleaning up after the job.

Choosing your knife

There are three knives Ms. Maister couldn’t live without: a chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife. That said, she also recommends you dice the onion using whatever knife with which you feel the most comfortable. If you’re choosing from her trio of knives, the chef’s knife has the length and strength needed to help you get through a big onion. So as long as you aren’t worried to use the big knife, it’s a great choice!

Cut off the stem end

Take a look at your onion. There are obviously two ends: the root and the stem. To identify which is which, look for the stringy roots hanging out of the skin; that’s the root end. The stem end protrudes and is usually covered in skin. Cut about half an inch off the stem end.

Cut the onion in half

Stand the onion upright on its now-flat end. Cut it vertically in half from the root to the bottom.

Peel the onion

The uncertainty of how to hold an onion while cutting is what makes onion dicing a daunting task for so many people. On her website, Ms. Maister shares a really easy trick for using the onion’s skin as a holder. It changes the way you peel the onion, so read the steps first. However, if you don’t share in the conundrum of how to hold an onion, go ahead and peel it. With the cuts you have made, the skin should peel off easily. Frequently, the top layer of the onion will also come off – this is fine.

Make slices towards the root

Point the knife blade towards the root end and make vertical slices to within ½” of the root. Ms. Maister uses ¼” spaces between cuts for chopped onions as a size guideline. Since diced is the middle ground between chopped and minced, make your cuts only slightly less spaced out than ¼”.

Make horizontal slices

If you used Ms. Maister’s trick for making a holder out of the skin (like we did), this is when you’ll be holding it. Otherwise, hold the onion by the root end and make sure you keep your knuckles in to avoid nicking yourself with the knife. Now, cut parallel to the root, slicing all the way through the onion. Keep your slices spread out the same distance as you did in the last step.