18 comments posted

1. Posted by Adam – 07/26/2010

   So how do you pick them up? The ones in the middle look unreachable.

2. Posted by Sandman – 07/26/2010

   The outer one has the blade shape of a chef’s and the design of a bread knife without the serrations. I would say it’s almost useless.

   Also I would think the chef’s knife would be kind of flimsy without a middle, and things would get caught in the hollow portion.

   I guess the big paring knife would be ok, but still no middle of the blade might make cutting awkward.

   The small paring knife’s handle looks to small to be comfortable.

   I would say this set is more about kitchen decoration rather than actually cooking.

3. Posted by Amy – 07/26/2010

   Isn’t there a knife block made that fits into a drawer? I think I saw one advertised somewhere.

4. Posted by Sandman – 07/26/2010

   For some reason my brain rebels at looking at the second photo. I have to work to see it as a three D object rather than carved into the surface.

5. Posted by Jason – 07/26/2010

   In terms of space, I think my regular cheapo knives in a wood block takes up as little space as these when set vertically. As art, it’s pretty; as a solution to cutting back clutter — not so much.

6. Posted by Kathryn Fenner – 07/26/2010

   The bottom knife is a carving knife–the thinner blade is slightly flexible to get in between joints on a bird and slice very thinly. Depending on the rigidity of the metal, I agree that the next one up might be too flexible with the hole in the middle to function well as a chef’s knife, and I might have just taken out the small paring knife (I only use a small paring knife, large chef’s knife, carving knife, and a serrated bread knife). I think the decision to take three knives out was more aesthetic than functional.
   Nice concept!

7. Posted by Anita – 07/26/2010

   This looked nice to me, but then I don’t exactly know much about knives. I have 2 that I use on a regular basis, and that’s enough.

   But I did forward this to my boyfriend who loves to cook and aspires to be a chef. His comment:

   “It looks pretty… but any knife with a space in the middle is asking for trouble cutting larger items. It doesn’t seem very practical in my opinion. The handles for the carver as well as the paring knife also look uncomfortable, with very little grip.”

8. Posted by Reader – 07/26/2010

   It’s attractive, but as someone else has said, the old vertical woodblock knife holder takes up less space, holds many more knives (I think ours holds at least 20) and isn’t limited to a specific knife.

   I also would want to know something about the quality of the knives. The MOMA collection has lots of beautiful objects that aren’t truly functional.

   I would have thought this would be a candidate for the Wednesday column.

9. Posted by Rue – 07/26/2010

   Artistically speaking, they’re gorgeous. Functionally speaking, who knows…but I’ll join you in staring at their gorgeousness!!

10. Posted by WilliamB – 07/26/2010

    I’m not sure they’re practical.

    I will assume, for the sake of argument, that the reason they cost more than my rent is whatever it takes to make the holey knives sturdy. Because if they’re not sturdy then all bets are off.
    - The handles look more artistic than comfortable, especially the paring knife.
    - Are the knives sharpenable?
    - How hard is it to remove a specific knive from the assembled set? I know that spending more than a fraction of a second would drive me nuts.
    - The cut food will fall through the holes, how much would this mess up my cooking? They’re not workable if you want to make pretty piles of cut food, such as half an apple in a small tarte. Would it make it harder to cut bread, meat, cheese?
    - Where are the rest of the knives I want? The set contains my minimum of chef’s and paring, but what about steak knives, granton slicer, bread knife? If I need a block for these I might as well but the rest of my knives in the block as well.

    @Sandman: I have the same problem with the pix.

11. Posted by Emily – 07/26/2010

    Knowing me, I would probably sever an artery trying to get one out. I think I’ll keep my magnetic strip.

12. Posted by Kathryn – 07/26/2010

    It’s not uncluttered if you have to keep a separate tool on hand to smash your garlic cloves with.

13. Posted by arvin – 07/26/2010

    You’re better off just getting one really good chef’s knife that would be able to handle most of your needs.

14. Posted by Amy – 07/26/2010

    I would never buy them, but they are beautiful.

    For laughs, I would love to see this re-posted some Wednesday and see the critiques sway from against these knives to their defense! Just as an experiment.

15. Posted by klutzgrrl – 07/26/2010

    beautiful lines. elegant.

16. Posted by Shang Lee – 07/26/2010

    This is just beautiful…

17. Posted by Leah – 07/27/2010

    I use a magnetic strip too, and I just use three knives on a regular basis: bread knife, chef’s knife, paring knife.

    This is certainly beautiful . . . but not for me at pretty much any price point.

18. Posted by Jeni – 07/27/2010

    Ugh. That’s a set of knives that would be impossible to hold properly, by pinching the blade right above the bolster (see: Google Images), not to mention incredibly difficult to hone. It doesn’t say “good design” to me; it says “overly priced safety hazard.”

    Me, I’ll stick to my restaurant supply knives and magnetic strip. They’ve served me well for years and will continue to serve me well.

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If you are considering buying an electric knife, particularly a cordless one, you may not be aware that there are several types available. Many people become interested in buying such a knife after seeing an impressive commercial on TV, such as that for the Sonic Blade cordless knife (one of a number of brands of these knives on the market which advertise regularly). They see how the knife easily cuts through all kinds of foods making carving of joints of meat very easy and cutting through tough foods without turning a hair.

You might then go and look for similar appliances and find not only the Sonic Blade but also a few other types of cordless knife, some of which are much cheaper and others more expensive.

The cheap electric knives such as the “One Touch” generally work on batteries which you have to replace. This can get very expensive if you are going to use you knife often, so think twice about “saving money” with these.

The other main category of cordless knife is a rechargeable electric knife and the Sonic Blade fits into this category. This means that you plug the knife in and recharge it after use so that it is fully charged for the next time you want to use it. There are reports that some of these knives (including the Sonic Blade) fail to gain enough power from a single recharge and are unable to work for long enough to cut a whole joint of meat before needing to be recharged. This may be a failing in the appliance or it may be caused by not following instructions about charging the appliance, as overcharging can weaken batteries over time.

Within the category of rechargeable electric knives to think about, are the professional cordless knives which are designed to be used by chefs. These are much more expensive than the knives meant for home use but they also do not have the apparent power problems associated with those knives. If you want to be sure that your knife will work well, be prepared to pay more for a cordless knife that will serve you well.

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If you are considering buying an electric knife, particularly a cordless one, you may not be aware that there are several types available. Many people become interested in buying such a knife after seeing an impressive commercial on TV, such as that for the Sonic Blade cordless knife (one of a number of brands of these knives on the market which advertise regularly). They see how the knife easily cuts through all kinds of foods making carving of joints of meat very easy and cutting through tough foods without turning a hair.

You might then go and look for similar appliances and find not only the Sonic Blade but also a few other types of cordless knife, some of which are much cheaper and others more expensive.

The cheap electric knives such as the “One Touch” generally work on batteries which you have to replace. This can get very expensive if you are going to use you knife often, so think twice about “saving money” with these.

The other main category of cordless knife is a rechargeable electric knife and the Sonic Blade fits into this category. This means that you plug the knife in and recharge it after use so that it is fully charged for the next time you want to use it. There are reports that some of these knives (including the Sonic Blade) fail to gain enough power from a single recharge and are unable to work for long enough to cut a whole joint of meat before needing to be recharged. This may be a failing in the appliance or it may be caused by not following instructions about charging the appliance, as overcharging can weaken batteries over time.

Within the category of rechargeable electric knives to think about, are the professional cordless knives which are designed to be used by chefs. These are much more expensive than the knives meant for home use but they also do not have the apparent power problems associated with those knives. If you want to be sure that your knife will work well, be prepared to pay more for a cordless knife that will serve you well.

1. Spanx Underwear Covers All Types of Women
2. Riding Lawn Mowers
3. What is the Safest Liposculpture Technique?
4. Popular Types of Massage
5. Types of Tanning Lotions

If you are considering buying an electric knife, particularly a cordless one, you may not be aware that there are several types available. Many people become interested in buying such a knife after seeing an impressive commercial on TV, such as that for the Sonic Blade cordless knife (one of a number of brands of these knives on the market which advertise regularly). They see how the knife easily cuts through all kinds of foods making carving of joints of meat very easy and cutting through tough foods without turning a hair.

You might then go and look for similar appliances and find not only the Sonic Blade but also a few other types of cordless knife, some of which are much cheaper and others more expensive.

The cheap electric knives such as the “One Touch” generally work on batteries which you have to replace. This can get very expensive if you are going to use you knife often, so think twice about “saving money” with these.

The other main category of cordless knife is a rechargeable electric knife and the Sonic Blade fits into this category. This means that you plug the knife in and recharge it after use so that it is fully charged for the next time you want to use it. There are reports that some of these knives (including the Sonic Blade) fail to gain enough power from a single recharge and are unable to work for long enough to cut a whole joint of meat before needing to be recharged. This may be a failing in the appliance or it may be caused by not following instructions about charging the appliance, as overcharging can weaken batteries over time.

Within the category of rechargeable electric knives to think about, are the professional cordless knives which are designed to be used by chefs. These are much more expensive than the knives meant for home use but they also do not have the apparent power problems associated with those knives. If you want to be sure that your knife will work well, be prepared to pay more for a cordless knife that will serve you well.

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2. Riding Lawn Mowers
3. What is the Safest Liposculpture Technique?
4. Popular Types of Massage
5. Types of Tanning Lotions

Broken soap dishes, towel racks and grab bars are replaceable–but as a rule should not be duplicated. In most cases it is easier to use one that is attached differently.

Most accessories are originally set into tile walls with portland cement, which is messy to handle. It is therefore best to replace a grab bar or towel rack with a type that can be screwed into the wall. A light soap dish can be easily applied with tile adhesive; select one without a grab handle, so that you will not be tempted to pull yourself up on it.

To replace a soap dish, first remove the dish from the wall. With a utility knife, score the grout around the soap dish. Protect the adjacent tiles by covering their edges with masking tape. Then, wearing goggles, lightly hammer the broken parts of the dish to loosen them. Set a cold chisel in the groove made by the knife and tap it to force out the dish. Remove the old grout and tile adhesive.

Select a replacement dish that will take up exactly the same number of tile spaces as the old one. Attach the replacement by applying a coat of tile adhesive to the back of the soap dish, then hold it in place with masking tape until the adhesive sets. Wait at least 24 hours for the cement to dry thoroughly, then seal the joints with grout.

Replacing a grab bar or towel rack is just as simple. If a grab bar or towel rack breaks, do not gouge out the cement or remaining ceramic piece, but try to get it as flush as possible with the surrounding tiles. Protest the tile with masking tape and, wearing goggles, use a hammer and cold chisel, then the sanding attachment on an electric drill to remove as much protrusion as possible.

There are many types of knives around. Here you will find the most popular and the most useful.

Boning knives as it names implies is used for removing the bones from joints of meat. The typical blade on a boning knife is approximately 15 cm in length the blade. The blade tends to be narrow and quite rigid.

Butter knives are quite small and have a blunt edge as they do not need to be sharp. The blade also tends to be quite flat. These are used for spreading butter, jam and marmalade.

Cheese knives are used for cutting hard and soft cheese. The blade is usually quite narrow and flat with a curve at the end which has a forked tip.

Chefs knives are the most common knife in the kitchen and if you own no other knives this is the one you should have. Its main use is chopping, slicing and dicing. They come in various sizes the smallest being 15cm ranging up to 30cm for the more experienced cook.

A cleaver is a very broad knife with a blade of about 15cm in length. It is generally used for cutting meat, it also ideal for pounding due to its broad edge.

Filet knives have a thin flexible blade, which is about 30cm in length. This type of knife is ideal for filleting fish and removing its skin.

Mincing knives can be either single or double bladed. They are specifically designed for chopping food into very small pieces. They are a curved blade with a straight handle attaching to both ends of the blade.

Paring knives are also an essential knife to own after the chefs knife. Paring knives are quite small with a thin narrow blade, which tapers to a point. It is very versatile and can be used for peeling, chopping and coring. This is the best knife for use with small foods such as herbs.

Sandwich knives as the name implies are specially designed for cutting through bread because of their serrated blade. Not just for slicing through sandwiches, these knives can also be used for cutting pies and soft fruits.

Slicing or carving knives can vary enormously in shape and size but the most common being a rigid blade about 20m in length. The blade has a pointed tip and is specially designed for carving meat away from the bone. Often carving knives come with carving forks which are made to compliment the knife.

Electric knives can be useful too for the less experienced knife user. These work on the principle of two blades moving back and forth independently of each other. They cut through a multitude of foods from fruit, bread and meat.

Utility knives are similar to a paring knife only with a longer blade. It is used for items which are too large for a paring knife and too small for a chef’s knife.

There are many types of knives around. Here you will find the most popular and the most useful.

Boning knives as it names implies is used for removing the bones from joints of meat. The typical blade on a boning knife is approximately 15 cm in length the blade. The blade tends to be narrow and quite rigid.

Butter knives are quite small and have a blunt edge as they do not need to be sharp. The blade also tends to be quite flat. These are used for spreading butter, jam and marmalade.

Cheese knives are used for cutting hard and soft cheese. The blade is usually quite narrow and flat with a curve at the end which has a forked tip.

Chefs knives are the most common knife in the kitchen and if you own no other knives this is the one you should have. Its main use is chopping, slicing and dicing. They come in various sizes the smallest being 15cm ranging up to 30cm for the more experienced cook.

A cleaver is a very broad knife with a blade of about 15cm in length. It is generally used for cutting meat, it also ideal for pounding due to its broad edge.

Filet knives have a thin flexible blade, which is about 30cm in length. This type of knife is ideal for filleting fish and removing its skin.

Mincing knives can be either single or double bladed. They are specifically designed for chopping food into very small pieces. They are a curved blade with a straight handle attaching to both ends of the blade.

Paring knives are also an essential knife to own after the chefs knife. Paring knives are quite small with a thin narrow blade, which tapers to a point. It is very versatile and can be used for peeling, chopping and coring. This is the best knife for use with small foods such as herbs.

Sandwich knives as the name implies are specially designed for cutting through bread because of their serrated blade. Not just for slicing through sandwiches, these knives can also be used for cutting pies and soft fruits.

Slicing or carving knives can vary enormously in shape and size but the most common being a rigid blade about 20m in length. The blade has a pointed tip and is specially designed for carving meat away from the bone. Often carving knives come with carving forks which are made to compliment the knife.

Electric knives can be useful too for the less experienced knife user. These work on the principle of two blades moving back and forth independently of each other. They cut through a multitude of foods from fruit, bread and meat.

Utility knives are similar to a paring knife only with a longer blade. It is used for items which are too large for a paring knife and too small for a chef’s knife.

Every child loves to put things together. They love getting the pieces to a project and assembling themselves. This was the concept of the Lego toys, waffle blocks, and model companies around the world. This desire to assemble things and take things apart can be easily met by creating wooden projects that fit together by interlocking fingers which are easy to put together and easy to take apart. By providing a few simple pieces, a toy wheel, axel, some block pieces, a child can make a car, a train, a wagon, or anything else their minds can come up with.

The idea in making these simple pieces would be to allow the child to be able to take the item apart and reassemble it at any given time. This means that the joints in the piece have to fit together solid enough to hold while be loose enough to come apart. This can be accomplished by designing the toy as a while and then cutting it out piece by piece, checking the fit on each piece before moving on. All rough edges should be sanded down and the corners should also be sanded down to provide a safe and comfortable toy. A non-toxic paint should be applied with a latex clear coating to provide some protection between the wooden pieces.

When making the toy wheel, special care is needed. The toy wheel should be able to go onto the dowel that would become an axel, but it should be able to freely spin. The hole for the toy wheel can have a fair amount of slop in it to allow the toy wheel to spin freely on the dowell. An idea to consider when making the toy wheel would be to make a solid “hubcap” that would attach to the end of the dowel but not to the toy wheel. This would allow the toy wheel to spin freely between the hubcap and the block that the dowel is set upon.

To make it easier for the child to attach the axel to the blocks, a shorter dowel should be used so that it does not have to go across the under body of the vehicle which is being made. By providing four or more axels, each individual toy wheel can be added separately and a small hole can be used in the design of the blocks to hold the axel.

The idea of making wooden pieces that fit together to create toys, is not new. People have been creating toys like these for generations. There have always been “Linking Logs” and wooden blocks that functioned as fun and safe toys for the children of the family. The idea of using pieces to create one or more vehicles or designs is not new either. What makes it unique though is the interaction that one has with the project and the details in which one puts onto the pieces. There will never be a set like what you can create for your child. That is what makes the pieces valuable and an heirloom for future generations. Who knows, your great-great grandchildren may play with the toy wheel that you made for your child.

Why Would You Want A Rechargeable Electric Knife?

Most people who buy an electric knife do so initially for the purpose of carving large joints of meat. No matter how sharp your manual carving knife may be it always seems to be impossible to carve up thin and evenly cut slices. We often up practically hacking at the meat in a desperate attempt to get everyone served before the meal goes completely cold.

The events which cause the most carving angst are of course Christmas and Thanksgiving. You spend hours in the kitchen producing a sumptuous feast for the family and friends and then you bring the magnificent turkey to the table. You pick up your carving knife and in minutes the expert carving has deteriorated into an unseemly wrestling match between you and the turkey.

Carving large joints of meat can be tricky and requires the right technique. An electric knife can make the job a great deal easier giving you far better results in less time. It is easier to control how thick or thin the slices are. Properly carved meat is more tender and therefore much more enjoyable.

An Electric Knife Has Other Uses

Not only will an electric knife be a great help with carving but it can tackle lots of other things too. It will perfectly slice most types of food such as -

• fruit