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Sur La Table classes
following Kramers
sharpening Q&A
shop store
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Newsletter
October 2010
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Sur
La Table classes
It's that time of year - I have scheduled knife maintenance classes at various Sur La Table retail locations around the country. It would be great to see you there.
The focus of these classes is the maintenance of all types of knives, use of ceramics & steeling techniques, and the use and care of sharpening stones.
As usual, I have made efforts to schedule most of the events on the weekends, during my spare time, so we can keep our regular shop hours. The tour begins on Saturday, October 30, and ends on Friday, December 4. Locations include Oregon, California, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Below are the details of each class. For more information, please contact the location of the event, provided below.
Oregon
Sur La Table, Portland
Sat, Oct 30 @ 4:30pm
Knife Skills/Maintenance Demo
Brewery Blocks
1102 NW Couch Street
Portland, OR
97209
(503) 295-9685\
California
Sur La Table, San Francisco
Fri, Nov 5 @ 6:00pm
Knife Skills/Maintenance Interactive Class
Union Square
77 Maiden Lane
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 732-7900
SOLD OUT
Sur
La Table, Palo Alto
Sat, Nov 6 @ 12:00pm
Knife Skills/Maintenance Demo
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real #57
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 289-0438
Sur
La Table, San Francisco
Sun, Nov 7 @ 12:00pm
Knife Skills/Maintenance Interactive Class
Union Square
77 Maiden Lane
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 732-7900
SOLD OUT
Sur
La Table, Los Angeles
Fri, Nov 12 @ 6:30pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
The Original Farmer's Market
6333 W 3rd Street (at Fairfax)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 954-0121
Sur
La Table, Newport Beach
Sat, Nov 13 @ 12:00pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
Fashion Island
832 Avocado Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 640-2330
Texas
Sur La Table, Dallas
Fri, Nov 19 @ 6:00pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
4527 Travis Street
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 219-4479
Sur
La Table, Houston
Sat, Nov 20 @ 2:00pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
1996 West Gray
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 533-0959
Virginia
Sur La Table, Arlington
Thur, Dec 2 @ 6:30pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
Pentagon Row
1101 S. Joyce Street
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 414-3394
Pennsylvania
Sur La Table, King of Prussia
Fri, Dec 3 @ 6:30pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
The Court at King of Prussia Mall
690 W. Dekalb Pike - Suite 2068
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(484) 612-0046
Michigan
Sur
La Table, Troy
Sun, Dec 5 @ 12:00pm
Knife
Skills/Maintenance Demo
Somerset Mall
2801 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 264
Troy, MI 48084
(248) 283-1057
following
Kramers
We really enjoy seeing what you're up to with your Kramer and we'd like to encourage you to share pictures, and let us share them with you.
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Here's a custom Kramer
10"
Chef knife (euro) polished to a mirror.
Thanks to Chris Harris, for this awesome photo and his kick ass polish
job!
Here's a 6" Kramer Chef knife hangin' out in a small French kitchen on the 6th floor of Anne Legg's place in Paris.
We
are pleased to see the superb condition of her 11 year old knife, and
happy to see it travelling!
Happy Birthday, Anne.
sharpening Q&A
Keeping your blade sharp is like cutting grass--if you let it go for a
long time it's a much bigger job. If you do it on a regular basis, it's
a lot less work.
You don't need to be a professional sharpener. Get in touch with your
inner-Bladesmith and spend some sharpening time regularly. Are you up
for the challenge?
Here
are some common questions about sharpening. For more tips, check out the
Sharpening page on our website.
***
What
is the ideal sharpening angle?
The optimum sharpening angle is relative to your cutting technique and
what you are cutting. Some chefs prefer a more acute angle, while other
chefs who are doing more heavy-duty work need a more obtuse angle. There
is no perfect bevel angle for all knives and chefs.
For most chefs knives its 12-15 degrees; for a rough guide, place a matchbook
against the steel or stone and then place the knife against the matchbook
this should get you in the ballpark.
***
Do
you use the same angle on all knives?
Not necessarily, although you can. It really depends on how the knife
is going to be used. I've known some old timer butchers who prefer a very
strong edge (20-24 degrees on both sides) on their boning knives. This
allows them to lay the knife against the bone of whatever they are cutting
and push the knife along following the bone. Because of the geometry,
the "edge" is up off the bone and won't catch.
You may also have a heavy German style chef knife that you like to keep
a strong edge on so that you can easily cut through lobster tails or cut
chickens in half.
On a slicer I like to keep a very shallow edge or keen edge which will
get wicked sharp because I'm never going to cut a bone or shell with it
so the edge can be much more like a razor blade.
***
What
is the best sharpening method for stainless steel knives?
For both carbon and stainless steel knives, I recommend using a ceramic
hone on a regular basis to keep your knife razor sharp. Once the hone
no longer brings the edge back to the level of sharpness you desire, it's
time to use water stones.
shop store
We're testing out some different apparel ideas. Let us know what you
think.
We have 100% organic cotton black aprons made in a Fair Trade facility dyed with low-impact dyes with white water-based ink. These classic 3-pocket style aprons are high-quality with sturdy fine twill and drape nicely.
We also have embroidered black knife cases with our logo in white. The cases are made of a sturdy ballistic nylon and have a padded plush interior lining.
Check out the Ordering page on our website.
To order email or call Ariel in the office (360) 455-4357.
aprons
white
water-based ink on black organic cotton
28"W x 24"L and 0.75"W neck
classic
3-pocket style
sturdy fine twill
extra long ties
$28.50
visa/mc
plus shipping
knife cases
white
thread on black ballistic nylon with
padded, plush interior lining
19"L x 5"W and 0.75" thick
$15 visa/mc
plus shipping
________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your interest in my work, and your patience.
Bob Kramer, Master Bladesmith, ABS
www.kramerknives.com
(360) 455-4357
kramerknives@earthlink.net
