COUNTRY LIVING: CANNING MEAT
posted by bluehenge at
11:54 AM
Monday, May 09, 2005
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS: "MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS "
posted by bluehenge at
8:53 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS: "Many knife enthusiasts prefer blades of high carbon content. These alloys have small grain size and will temper to a high Rockwell index of about R60. They take a superior edge - and stay sharp longer than the high-chromium alloys. "
posted by bluehenge at
8:19 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "The tops and leaves can be picked off heavy-stemmed herbs like basil. This practice shortens the drying time and gives better flavor and color."
posted by bluehenge at
8:19 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "The oils are the strongest in the plants at this time."
posted by bluehenge at
8:19 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "Most herbs for culinary use are ready to harvest just before flowers appear on the plant. If you harvest them after the flowers appear there will be a reduction in flavor."
posted by bluehenge at
8:18 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "Adding herbs creates a spicy, tangy, and refreshing difference in a recipe. In addition to flavoring specific dishes, herbs add small amounts of vitamins and minerals."
posted by bluehenge at
7:42 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "As soon as the herbs have been cut, waste no time in getting them ready for drying. If the foliage is dirty, wash the leaves, then shake off the excess water."
posted by bluehenge at
7:42 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
COUNTRY LIVING: HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS: "Most herbs for culinary use are ready to harvest just before flowers appear on the plant. If you harvest them after the flowers appear there will be a reduction in flavor."
posted by bluehenge at
7:42 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: CANNING MEAT
COUNTRY LIVING: CANNING MEAT: "If you don't raise your own animals as we do, but still would like the convenience of canned meat, you can simply pick out your favorite cuts from the store and start from there. Or, you might find one day that beef, pork or poultry is on sale for an astonishing price. Buy some now and can it for later use."
posted by bluehenge at
7:41 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: CANNING MEAT
COUNTRY LIVING: CANNING MEAT: "Why can meat, when you can freeze it? I get asked this question quite often. Certainly you can freeze meat, either cooked or frozen and that is a convenience in itself."
posted by bluehenge at
7:41 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS: "Knife tip: Spray knife hinges with WD-40, liquid wrench, or other lubricant, then open and close knife 10-15 times to work in oil. This will protect your knife parts from rust, corrosion, and damage resulting from parts scraping each other."
posted by bluehenge at
7:41 AM
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS
COUNTRY LIVING: MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS: "Many knife enthusiasts prefer blades of high carbon content. These alloys have small grain size and will temper to a high Rockwell index of about R60."
posted by bluehenge at
7:41 AM
HOW TO HARVEST & STORE HERBS
Most herbs for culinary use are ready to harvest just before flowers appear on the plant. If you harvest them after the flowers appear there will be a reduction in flavor.Do not cut the herbs too close to the ground, if you leave some lower foliage you may be able to get several cuttings during the growing season. The best time of day to harvest herbs is in the early morning, just as the sun dries the dew from the leaves. The oils are the strongest in the plants at this time. As soon as the herbs have been cut, waste no time in getting them ready for drying. If the foliage is dirty, wash the leaves, then shake off the excess water. The tops and leaves can be picked off heavy-stemmed herbs like basil. This practice shortens the drying time and gives better flavor and color. For herbs like parsley, leave most of the stems on until after drying. The most common method of drying herbs is also the most picturesque. The mention of herb drying inevitably conjures up images of colorful bunches of herbs hanging from a nail in someone's kitchen. To dry herbs this way, simply gather the herbs and tie them in small bunches. These should be hung in a warm, dark and airy place for about two weeks until they are dry. A variation of this would be to put each bunch in a perforated paper bag, then hang it up to dry. This method helps prevent the herbs from getting dusty, but will increase drying time by several days. This is a good way to dry the seed heads of coriander, dill and parsley. Gather seed heads in the early stages of ripening, just as seeds turn from green to gray or brown. Harvest them as soon as the dew dries in the morning for maximum flavor. Another variation of air drying is to take the herb plants apart and spread those parts on screens to dry. A clean old window screen works well. Prop it up to permit the air to freely circulate through the screen. Place it out of direct sun, but avoid damp locations. The fastest drying method is oven-drying. Heat oven to 150 degrees F or less. Place herbs on sheets of brown paper. Cut some slits in the paper to maximimze air flow through the herbs. Leave the oven door ajar to allow moisture to escape. In three to six hours the herbs should be crispy-crumbly. Store your dried herbs in an air-tight container, such as a glass jar. Herbs must be thoroughly dry before sealing in jars. Check after a few hours and again after a few days to make sure there is no evidence of moisture in the container. If condensation develops, remove the herbs and dry them further to prevent molding in storage. Leave the herb foliage whole for storage. The flavor is retained longer when whole leaves are stored. Crumble the leaves when you are ready to use them. Keep dried herbs in a dark place. This preserves the natural color. Remember to label all containers before storage, especially if you're a novice herb user. It's hard to tell all those grey-green leaves apart, and you'll have to rely upon knowing the different fragrances of herbs to identify them.
The flavoring strength of a dried herb declines with time and exposure to air and light. Properly stored dried herbs should retain their flavor about a year_just in time for replacement with your new harvest! Using herbs in the kitchen can transform an everyday, ordinary meal into an exotic experience for your taste buds. Adding herbs creates a spicy, tangy, and refreshing difference in a recipe. In addition to flavoring specific dishes, herbs add small amounts of vitamins and minerals.
posted by bluehenge at
7:14 AM
MORE KNIFE CARE TIPS
Many knife enthusiasts prefer blades of high carbon content. These alloys have small grain size and will temper to a high Rockwell index of about R60. They take a superior edge - and stay sharp longer than the high-chromium alloys. But high-carbon alloy blades tarnish quickly. Here's how to keep these blades shiny without hard-rubbing or using abrasives to remove tarnish.
Go to the hardware store and look for tarnish-removing chemicals with OXALIC ACID as the active ingredient (Tarnite is one commercial brand name). Just wipe it on and wipe it off. Several cycles will remove tarnish from even heavily-stained blades. A 9-ounce container is probably a lifetime supply.
If you get rust on your knife a S.O.S. pad and some alcohol will take the rust right off.
Knife tip: Spray knife hinges with WD-40, liquid wrench, or other lubricant, then open and close knife 10-15 times to work in oil. This will protect your knife parts from rust, corrosion, and damage resulting from parts scraping each other. It will also make it easier to open and close, as well as extend its life. VERY WORTHWHILE!!!
It is important to close a folding knife slowly and carefully, since snapping it shut will force the blade to hit the internal parts, thus dulling the edge.
Here is something for you: Most diving knives are of 420 stainless steel. But a few are 440c,which rust in the ocean easily, just a few hours! I am a SCUBA diver-I use one of my 440c diving knife for SCUBA DIVING, but never get rust.
The secret is : WD-40 only! That's enough!This way: I put a thick layer of WD-40 on the blade each time after one dive trip(not just one dive), after I rinse the knife in the tape water thoroughly, and let it dry then just let the WD-40 dried up. You put the knife back to the sheath,that's all! never rust, because you seldom need a knife for diving, a diving knife is not a weapon, just a tool, especially for getting away tangling( seaweed, or fishing net, or something else.) so you keep the
WD-40 on the blade when you dive, that's enough for protection.I have used this way for many years. It works. You don't need anything more.
So it is the same for taking care of any your knife:WD-40, let it dry,that's all! Simple?
Some comments and suggestions about sharpening methods, tools and results from my own experience:
After trying many stones, I've settled on the excellent ceramic stones offered by Spyderco. I use two Spyderco stones:
1. A 'bench' stone of medium grit for shaping the edge, and;
2. A small 2-sided combination stone for final finish, lightly removing the wire-edge, and routine touch-ups.
After I've formed and finished the edge to my satisfaction, I use a couple of leather strops to put a really fine finished edge on the blade. My strops are belt-leather cemented (or stapled, etc.) to a wooden paddle or board. I impregnate the leather with light oil and make a soft abrasive strop by applying a grit compound. You can control the degree of abrasiveness by using various grit compounds (the most commonly available would be jeweler's red rouge). If you lack confidence in your ability to maintain a constant sharpening angel, I highly recommend the Lansky system. I's really difficult to screw up with this tool.
I test for edge-sharpness and edge-uniformity by slicing ordinary newspaper pages. Hold one edge, slice slowly away from you, and move the blade from hilt to tip. A really sharp blade will 'whisper' through the page. A duller blade will sound harsher, as you can hear the fibers tear. Using the newsprint test, you will very easily detect any blade nicks or uneven edge sections.
I'm intrigued about a dry honing (stropping) system that uses two stropping surfaces:
1. A smooth dry strop for final polish, and;2. A rough dry strop that will hold abrasive powders. You control the abrasion by changing powder grit size. I'll try this system soon.
I hope this helps some knife enthusiast!
Go to the hardware store and look for tarnish-removing chemicals with OXALIC ACID as the active ingredient (Tarnite is one commercial brand name). Just wipe it on and wipe it off. Several cycles will remove tarnish from even heavily-stained blades. A 9-ounce container is probably a lifetime supply.
If you get rust on your knife a S.O.S. pad and some alcohol will take the rust right off.
Knife tip: Spray knife hinges with WD-40, liquid wrench, or other lubricant, then open and close knife 10-15 times to work in oil. This will protect your knife parts from rust, corrosion, and damage resulting from parts scraping each other. It will also make it easier to open and close, as well as extend its life. VERY WORTHWHILE!!!
It is important to close a folding knife slowly and carefully, since snapping it shut will force the blade to hit the internal parts, thus dulling the edge.
Here is something for you: Most diving knives are of 420 stainless steel. But a few are 440c,which rust in the ocean easily, just a few hours! I am a SCUBA diver-I use one of my 440c diving knife for SCUBA DIVING, but never get rust.
The secret is : WD-40 only! That's enough!This way: I put a thick layer of WD-40 on the blade each time after one dive trip(not just one dive), after I rinse the knife in the tape water thoroughly, and let it dry then just let the WD-40 dried up. You put the knife back to the sheath,that's all! never rust, because you seldom need a knife for diving, a diving knife is not a weapon, just a tool, especially for getting away tangling( seaweed, or fishing net, or something else.) so you keep the
WD-40 on the blade when you dive, that's enough for protection.I have used this way for many years. It works. You don't need anything more.
So it is the same for taking care of any your knife:WD-40, let it dry,that's all! Simple?
Some comments and suggestions about sharpening methods, tools and results from my own experience:
After trying many stones, I've settled on the excellent ceramic stones offered by Spyderco. I use two Spyderco stones:
1. A 'bench' stone of medium grit for shaping the edge, and;
2. A small 2-sided combination stone for final finish, lightly removing the wire-edge, and routine touch-ups.
After I've formed and finished the edge to my satisfaction, I use a couple of leather strops to put a really fine finished edge on the blade. My strops are belt-leather cemented (or stapled, etc.) to a wooden paddle or board. I impregnate the leather with light oil and make a soft abrasive strop by applying a grit compound. You can control the degree of abrasiveness by using various grit compounds (the most commonly available would be jeweler's red rouge). If you lack confidence in your ability to maintain a constant sharpening angel, I highly recommend the Lansky system. I's really difficult to screw up with this tool.
I test for edge-sharpness and edge-uniformity by slicing ordinary newspaper pages. Hold one edge, slice slowly away from you, and move the blade from hilt to tip. A really sharp blade will 'whisper' through the page. A duller blade will sound harsher, as you can hear the fibers tear. Using the newsprint test, you will very easily detect any blade nicks or uneven edge sections.
I'm intrigued about a dry honing (stropping) system that uses two stropping surfaces:
1. A smooth dry strop for final polish, and;2. A rough dry strop that will hold abrasive powders. You control the abrasion by changing powder grit size. I'll try this system soon.
I hope this helps some knife enthusiast!
posted by bluehenge at
7:09 AM
OUTDOORS, ETC
OUTDOORS, ETC: "Remember to keep your knife sharpened -- a dull blade can be more dangerous than a properly maintained one."
posted by bluehenge at
6:03 AM
OUTDOORS, ETC
OUTDOORS, ETC: "Do not store knives in their sheaths. The leather collects moisture and creates pits on the blade."
posted by bluehenge at
6:02 AM
OUTDOORS, ETC
OUTDOORS, ETC: "Modern knife steel is very high quality material, but all metal will corrode through time. "
posted by bluehenge at
6:02 AM
