I learnt to cook with this 4 inch bendy cheapie !

R

roaduck

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Feb 26, 2023
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CHINESE-COBRA-1970-BREAD-KNIFE.jpg

Today I was Spring cleaning my main kitchen junk drawer and joy - of - joys I found my Mother`s main cooking knife - I couldn`t believe I discovered it in the back of the drawer !

The multi-course meals that my Mum created with next to no knives and kitchen tools were unbelievable in the late sixties / early seventies.

I came across a really battered Brazilian Tramontina Inox stainless bendy utility knife and after being neglected and undiscovered for over 30 years I managed to get a useable single-bevel edge on it with a 400 grit diamond plate.

I couldn`t find my Mum`s sole 5 inch Sabatier utility blade but found the two that Stefania ( My Mother ) used for everything in the kitch.

She must have used it for over 25 years and you can tell it was sharpened on a door step for decades; it is over fifty years old.


Plus I found an old Chinese bread knife from when I was young ; I started cooking when I was 7 or 8 in the early seventies.

Does anyone else remember a favourite kitchen knife you learnt to chop and slice with?

TRAMONTINA-4-INCH-KNIFE.jpg
 
I remember Ekco and maybe Robeson being in my grandmother's and my mother's kitchens back in the 70's. Those would have been easy to find at places like Sears, JC Penney, Kmart and Woolworth back in the day.
 
My Mom had about 6 kitchen knives - all completely dull.

As I started sharpening at around age 12, I was quickly forbidden to sharpen the kitchen knives, as she liked to cut many vegetables STRAIGHT DOWN INTO HER HAND while holding them (essentially using her hand as a cutting board) and obviously this was dangerous with sharp knives.

😅

Nonetheless she was a great cook.
 
That`s a lovely knife T thisisallen .It`s in fantastic condition as well.
It`ll probably be more than usable as an antique...and beyond.
The old German and French knives were built like tanks.
 
I think a 4" knife is a great general purpose length. It can handle fine tasks, and is large enough to handle other jobs without extra effort.

I could get by with just my 4" Victorinox paring knife in the kitchen.
 
All my mother has been using in the kitchen for about 20 years is a 10cm Victorinox paring knife. Not the same one though. They tend to go missing (forgotten at self catering resorts or accidentally left in the garden), but when she does lose one, she just goes out and buys another one. Like replacing an oil filter on a car. No emotion attached. I also have one and it's the only knife she will use when she visits me.

Before that knife, I remember her using a small paring knife about 6 or 7cm long called a Kitchen Devil, and a very worn, cheap, nameless 20cm chefs knife that is probably older than me. Both those knives are still lying around somewhere in a drawer at my parents' house. The little Kitchen Devil was probably the first knife I used to help make food for the family when I was young.

I myself have been using a 19cm Victorinox carving knife for about 95% of my cooking for years, and would get by quite fine if it was my only kitchen knife.
 
My paternal grandma and grandpa were older when they had my dad (im 35 for reference). Grandma learned to cook on a coal fired stove and didnt have electric until the late 1950's. When I was kid I loved to hunt and fish with grandpa and loved to learn from grandma how to turn our game into a wonderful dish for everyone to enjoy. My grandma always used old hickory knives and I regret that i don't have any of her knives to use now. One thing I do have is her recipes with my own unique twist that she approves of. She has severe dementia and grandpa has passed. I got lucky and got some wonderful recipes from old Appalachia that are priceless (to me).
 
roaduck said:
CHINESE-COBRA-1970-BREAD-KNIFE.jpg

Today I was Spring cleaning my main kitchen junk drawer and joy - of - joys I found my Mother`s main cooking knife - I couldn`t believe I discovered it in the back of the drawer !

The multi-course meals that my Mum created with next to no knives and kitchen tools were unbelievable in the late sixties / early seventies.

I came across a really battered Brazilian Tramontina Inox stainless bendy utility knife and after being neglected and undiscovered for over 30 years I managed to get a useable single-bevel edge on it with a 400 grit diamond plate.

I couldn`t find my Mum`s sole 5 inch Sabatier utility blade but found the two that Stefania ( My Mother ) used for everything in the kitch.

She must have used it for over 25 years and you can tell it was sharpened on a door step for decades; it is over fifty years old.


Plus I found an old Chinese bread knife from when I was young ; I started cooking when I was 7 or 8 in the early seventies.

Does anyone else remember a favourite kitchen knife you learnt to chop and slice with?

TRAMONTINA-4-INCH-KNIFE.jpg
Click to expand...
It's always a joy to rediscover old kitchen tools and treasures, especially ones with sentimental value. Many people have a favorite knife that they've used for years and have become accustomed to its weight, balance, and edge. Some may have inherited a knife from a grandparent or parent, while others may have purchased one that just feels right in their hand. What's important is finding a knife that works for you and learning how to maintain it properly to keep it sharp and in good condition.
 
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