OK, it may not be the "ultimate" test, but is daunting for most kitchen knives.
During the warm months in Idaho I generally help out a friend who owns a produce stand. Since this is Artichoke season, they are in great supply and there are a lot of left over artichokes (Green Globe, the ones with the little thorns on the ends of the leaves).We always have a bunch that start turning brown and that most customer won't buy, so they go in the bargain box and a few days later the garbage. I rescue them, since even at the point, the heart is relatively unaffected. Eating the tiny bites at the base of all the leaves is too much trouble anyway and it's what makes artichokes the only food I know of in which you have more left when finished, then when you started. I'm getting to the point...really.
So, I bring tons of these things home. I cut off the tops down about 1/2 way (maybe a little more, just above the choke) and then trim the rest of the leaves off the bottom as I turn the bottom of the artichoke round and round. Perfect for steaming. Cook much faster and are still delicious.
Point is, I don't think I've ever cut anything in the kitchen that dulled knives as fast as these old, tough, fiberous artichoke leaves. If your knife can stand up to this....whoa. Ask you grocery store produce guy/gal if they have any about to go in the trash. Oh......BTW, the winner is......my new/old CS Twistmaster monster knife.....not exactly a kitchen knife.
During the warm months in Idaho I generally help out a friend who owns a produce stand. Since this is Artichoke season, they are in great supply and there are a lot of left over artichokes (Green Globe, the ones with the little thorns on the ends of the leaves).We always have a bunch that start turning brown and that most customer won't buy, so they go in the bargain box and a few days later the garbage. I rescue them, since even at the point, the heart is relatively unaffected. Eating the tiny bites at the base of all the leaves is too much trouble anyway and it's what makes artichokes the only food I know of in which you have more left when finished, then when you started. I'm getting to the point...really.
So, I bring tons of these things home. I cut off the tops down about 1/2 way (maybe a little more, just above the choke) and then trim the rest of the leaves off the bottom as I turn the bottom of the artichoke round and round. Perfect for steaming. Cook much faster and are still delicious.
Point is, I don't think I've ever cut anything in the kitchen that dulled knives as fast as these old, tough, fiberous artichoke leaves. If your knife can stand up to this....whoa. Ask you grocery store produce guy/gal if they have any about to go in the trash. Oh......BTW, the winner is......my new/old CS Twistmaster monster knife.....not exactly a kitchen knife.
