I helped out with a Game Dinner for a Fish and Game Club I am a member of. We had 130+ people there and I was of course "the knife guy". I think I sliced down like 20+ Venison and Elk roasts and another guy did like 3 roasts. Tons of Potatoes, smoked sausage links (3' sections each, like 7 sections), 2 deep fried turkeys, etc. I was beat at the end of the day; I had worked 3rd shift the night before, went home, changed, grabbed my boards and knives and went to start helping from like 9am to 4pm or so. The table of course was not the right height for me so I could feel it in my back and shoulders. I gained a lot of respect for the guys that do this professionally day in and day out! Kudos to you guys!!
I wrung out my Ittosai Santoku (cheap $40 from Hidatool, kuroichi outside, blue inner core), Tojiro 330mm gyuto, Fujiwara Teraysau Nakiri, Kikuichi Elite Carbon 240mm gyuto, Shun Wasabi 240 Yanagiba and 210 Deba, Green River 10" carbon butcher knife and a couple paring knives. I had to touch up a few edges (especially when slicing the roasts) and other guys used the knives to help out, too. One of the guys was surprised at how well the 4 5/8" VG-10 damascus paring knife worked on potatoes. They razzed me for bringing that many knives and my sharpening stones (only had to use the 5K Rika and strop a couple of times), but I think they were surprised at how sharp they were and how well they worked. We used the Shun Wasabi Deba for cutting cheese and meatballs and stuff, worked pretty good for a cheap knife. The same series Yanagiba did pretty well, but I would have liked to see more knuckle clearance, fatter handle, longer blade and better edge holding, so I guess I'm going to be looking for a taller 300mm Suji or Yana soon!! The 330mm gyuto did pretty well slicing the roast; the longer blade worked nicely on the fatter roasts and had more cutting edge to use.
The guys were surprised at how different knives worked for different things, like the Nakiri for potatoes, the Deba for cheese, and just halving meat balls and stuff like they, the gyuto and yanagiba for slicing, etc. They are used to the 1 knife does it all and takes a lot longer to do. They were also surprised at how light the knives were, too. I wouldn't be surprised if a few ordered a Gyuto or Yana or Suji for their cooking at home! One guy just got a new smoker and sausage grinder and wants to smoke pork butts and that type of thing, so we talked about the slicers and stuff.
All in all a fun, but very tiring day! My hats off to the BOH guys who make this type of thing happen on a daily basis!
I wrung out my Ittosai Santoku (cheap $40 from Hidatool, kuroichi outside, blue inner core), Tojiro 330mm gyuto, Fujiwara Teraysau Nakiri, Kikuichi Elite Carbon 240mm gyuto, Shun Wasabi 240 Yanagiba and 210 Deba, Green River 10" carbon butcher knife and a couple paring knives. I had to touch up a few edges (especially when slicing the roasts) and other guys used the knives to help out, too. One of the guys was surprised at how well the 4 5/8" VG-10 damascus paring knife worked on potatoes. They razzed me for bringing that many knives and my sharpening stones (only had to use the 5K Rika and strop a couple of times), but I think they were surprised at how sharp they were and how well they worked. We used the Shun Wasabi Deba for cutting cheese and meatballs and stuff, worked pretty good for a cheap knife. The same series Yanagiba did pretty well, but I would have liked to see more knuckle clearance, fatter handle, longer blade and better edge holding, so I guess I'm going to be looking for a taller 300mm Suji or Yana soon!! The 330mm gyuto did pretty well slicing the roast; the longer blade worked nicely on the fatter roasts and had more cutting edge to use.
The guys were surprised at how different knives worked for different things, like the Nakiri for potatoes, the Deba for cheese, and just halving meat balls and stuff like they, the gyuto and yanagiba for slicing, etc. They are used to the 1 knife does it all and takes a lot longer to do. They were also surprised at how light the knives were, too. I wouldn't be surprised if a few ordered a Gyuto or Yana or Suji for their cooking at home! One guy just got a new smoker and sausage grinder and wants to smoke pork butts and that type of thing, so we talked about the slicers and stuff.
All in all a fun, but very tiring day! My hats off to the BOH guys who make this type of thing happen on a daily basis!