Looking Sharp

A Quest to Rejuvinate My Henckels 

When I first got engaged I very eagerly researched and registered for quality items.  I have always loved to cook, and now with a new husband's pallet to experiment with- I took the role of filling my kitchen with the right tools very seriously.  Among those tools were my J.A. Henckels Block Set-similar to this one: (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=40793344). I chose a basic set with room to grow.  I have always followed the suggestions of care, the most importatnt one being to hand wash the knives.  So nearly four years later, and after lots of recipes and hand-washes, some of these knives were becoming dull.  I used FaceBook as a vehicle to ask others where to go locally to get them professionally sharpened, something that the care book recommended.  After a few suggestions, I followed up on one and called Shinnecock Hardware in Hampton Bays (http://www.acehardware.com/mystore/index.jsp?store=08017&cid=localstore08017).

 I was told that it was $5 a knife and they didn't do serrated, which was fine since I was mainly concerned with my 2 chef knives, paring knife, and fillet.  My husband loves this hardware store so I figured it was worth a try.  I dropped them off Monday morning and was asked by Court, the man who would do the sharpening, when I wanted to pick them back up.  It was arranged that I would pick them up the following morning, which I did, and I quickly brought them home and put two to the test.  They were brand-new, almost dangerous sharp, thanks to Court and his expert sharpening skills!  If you too are passionate about your kitchen tools, I recommend paying Court a visit once every other year, or sooner based on your knife use.

One last note....I'm also passionate about my pots and pans set, hoping to have the same ones that I received as a wedding shower gift from my mother for many years to come.  Again I never run them in the dishwasher and often use Barkeepers Friend to wash them safely. You can find this in grocery stores as well as Bed, Bath, & Beyond and is a must have if you too are looking for longevity out of your cookware!