Um, oops.
I meant to make that last one a new post and I just wrote over everything that I had in that one before. Great.

So, to clarify, "tomorrow" is Friday the 19th, and that will be the customer appreciation day.


*sighs*
That was not a bright move.

It's the holiday season...

and tomorrow (the 19th) is our customer appreciation day!

We will have tons of specials and, as we always do during the holidays, a wide and delicious range of homemade cookies to munch on while you're shopping. (Seriously, the cookies are the best part about working at the store during the holidays. Best fringe benefit in the history of the world.)
While visiting us on Friday, you can sign-up for our special in-store drawings that we will be having every hour. (No purchase necessary, you don't have to be there to win)
I won't be telling you details about all that's going on, because I want you to sign up for our email newsletter. If you had, you'd know about them! But here's a few hints: special prices on Wustof knives, Dovo manicure sets, Caswell-Massey products, and certain scissors. Perhaps there's even a special holiday gift for good customers, but you won't be sure unless you go visit!

For those of you who are online only shoppers, you might also have seen some things disappear off the website. Here's the official line on that one:

Due to higher than anticipated demand during this time of year, we are temporarily out of stock on some items. We have removed these items from our website display in order to make your shopping experience more efficient. In many cases we have comparable items still available, so we hope you will explore our website for alternate selections, or just drop by for a first-hand look. Should you still prefer the item you were originally seeking, please let us know and we can give you an estimated delivery date. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Also of note, we will be closing at 2 p.m. on the 24th.

Lions and Tigers and Bolts, oh my!

You might have noticed that we are having some inventory reduction sales. You might also have noticed that some of the things on sale are not things that you would ordinarily think of the Cutlery as carrying.

These would be keen observations.

Meat grinder plates make sense, but Dremel tool accessories and files/rifflers make a little less sense. Bolts... yeah, those seem like a mystery.

The rifflers/files and Dremel accessories make sense if you know my grandfather. He's very into making things with his hands. Lots of woodwork and he did scrimshaw for a while. The bolts have a different story.

These bolts are leftover stock from the Heimerdinger company when it was still a hardware store in downtown Louisville. As you might know, our family business dates back to 1861, and over time has included things like manufacturing of scissors, shears, and knives. This went on until the mid 50's (and we still have several pounds of leftover blanks for shears if someone is doing a historical project). Anyway, from the 1920's to the mid 60's, the store was primarily a hardware store. These bolts and things have been in storage since Heimerdinger Cutlery moved to Shelbyville Road in 1983.

Because of their age, the bolts aren't the sort you'll find at the hardware store today. (Or so I have been told. I don't go hang out at Home Depot, or anything).
These bolts are mostly black iron (aka, not galvanized, not stainless, etc.) and mostly they are carriage bolts, machine bolts, and stove bolts. A lot of them have rolled threads (meaning the hot metal was rolled on something to give it threads, instead of having them cut into the metal).
They might be of interest to people doing restoration, or reenactment, who are very into authenticity. Maybe some SCA people out there?

Nancy (the employee in charge of the website) will keep adding more bolts and things as time allows. I'll be posting a mostly complete list at some point. However, feel free to contact us if you want to ask about specific sizes.


Probably the most fun I had while I was working at the store during highschool was rummaging through the old hardware store stuff in the shop. It was a blast, I found all sorts of fun things: glass bubble things for levels, a manual hair clipper, old key-making machines, and just tons of things. Oh, and did I mention the barrel filled with nails?

Don't forget to vote!

That's it. Whole message in title.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Shopping season!

I'll be keeping an eye out for things that other people recommend and suggesting other things. My first suggestion is one that I will always always always have: The Kentucky Spring salad tongs.

Kentucky Spring salad tongs were recently spotted in the June 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine. They would have been spotted sooner, but that issue was hiding from me for a couple of months.

You might remember me raving about them last year, when they were written up in The Best of Everything column in the (Louisville) Courier-Journal. I got a pair for Christmas and I use them all the time. Simple design, but very effective (except with some cherry tomatoes, but who likes those anyway. bleah).

They're inexpensive, which makes them good for gift-givers on a budget who still want to give quality gifts. They flip open and closed, which helps save valuable drawer space. They're more stylish than metal cafeteria tongs, and just as easy to keep clean. They're handmade locally, making them good gifts for out-of-town relatives.

Speaking of gifts and the holiday season, it's time to start thinking about Turkey Day. If you don't have a good knife, it's time to start thinking about getting one. If you already have one, you might want to consider whether it needs sharpening. If you're bringing it to US to get sharpened, please do so ASAP. It's a very busy time of year for us, and we don't want to get too much of a sharpening backlog or someone might not get their knife back in time.

And on that note, here's a scene from West Wing, Season 2, episode 8.
For those who aren't wing-nuts, this is the episode where the President is having his intern, Charlie, run all over trying to find a good carving knife. At first he starts out looking for a good american made knife, but he ends up going with the best: a good german knife. I believe it was actually a Wustof knife, but I can't find the clip.

Fall News

Here's a news update for those of you who aren't on our emailing list. (Want to sign up? Send me a message.)

Celebration!
First up, from October 25th through the 31st, Heimerdinger Cutlery will be celebrating our 147th anniversary with a special open house.

We will be having special drawings everyday, plus one person will win a hundred dollar Heimerdinger Cutlery gift card. On the 25th, there will be free gifts for the first 25 customers who sign up for the e-newsletter, or who bring a friend to sign up for it if they are already on our list (both of you will get a gift!).

A special feature of our event will be our fall trunk show for Jon Hart Design products. Monogramming is available for items bought at the trunk show, and any orders placed during the trunk show will receive the monogramming for free (a $7.00 value).

New Items
You might remember my earlier post about Caswell-Massey and how awesome their products for men are. Now the ladies in the audience can get in on the fun as well, since we have started carrying a wider selection on C-M's products.
These include the Almond Cold Cream hand soap, cuticle cream, the new Pomegranate Orchard Soap (already available online), Dr. Hunter's Rosewater & Glycerine Hand Cream, and Dr. Hunter's Comfort Foot Cream. These make an excellent companion to our manicure sets, and smell really great.


Sales and Specials
Just in time for our event, our fall assortment of our ever-popular Wusthof-Trident knives has arrived. Come check out our specials for the holiday season.

We're also having an in-store special for a limited time. I won't tell you what it is, you'll have to go in and see for yourself! I will mention that it involves our lovely new Thorpe Furniture knife blocks...

More to come, soon.

Embroideries

We learned a lot of things at the Embroiderers' Guild's shindig. Here's a quick summary, that some of you might have received in our most recent newsletter.

Apparently Hardanger embroidery is making a comeback. For those who have to look it up, including me, it's also called Whitework embroidery. It's traditionally done on white cloth with white thread, but any colors can be used.
We have several suggestions for good scissors to use, including the ones pictured above. They might not be the best choice, unless you're traveling, in which case they are awesome. These folding scissors are remarkable, because the points are still nice and sharp. I admit to bias because I took the picture!
For non-traveling people, we have some forged Dovo embroidery scissors, and then we have a pair (shown on the right) that are technically Silhouette scissors. This last pair is wonderful for any sort of delicate work; they were originally designed to cut out paper silhouettes, a popular form of imagery in Victorian times. Veeeery intricate, sort of like this Hardanger stuff. Wow, to those of you who are trying to do this. Me, I'll stick with simple counted cross stitch on canvas.

The other hot-button topic from the shindig was cutting metallic thread. Serrated scissors really are needed if you are using metallic thread, but those are hard to find. However, did you know that we can customize your scissors for that purpose? Any scissor can be serrated so just bring it in and we will be glad to fix it up for you. Carl is also checking into ordering scissors that come with the serration, so that you all won't have to leave your scissors with us for a couple weeks. We'd love to be able to do it while you wait, but serrations take some time and precision.

Since the winter holidays are approaching and our best scissors come from Germany, you might want to stop in or order soon. If we have to special order something, we want to be able to get it to you on time!

Embroidererererer's are awesome!

Here's a picture of Carl and Glenna in our booth at the EGA's National Seminar. Apparently they had a blast, and our new scissors were a hit. A longer report will be forthcoming, so keep your eyes on this space.

On Screen

Question answering time! Want to know what type of knife is used in the opening of the TV show Dexter? In the season one opening, Dexter is fixing breakfast and he uses a knife to cut up various things, but the one we get the best view of is one he's slicing an orange with. It's a tomato knife, shockingly enough. Unfortunately, my TV isn't good enough for me to make out what the two itty-bitty lines of text on the back of the blade say, even when I pause the DVD.

So I can't tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it isn't. If you watch closely, you can see that the knife has a substantial bolster, and that the metal continues unusually far back into the handle. This leads me to suspect that the knife has an all-metal handle. Wustof's Culinar line is all-metal, but the knife has a subtly different shape and no writing on the reverse.

Anybody with a better TV than me know what it says?


If anyone is interested in hearing about knifes in other TV shows/movies, drop me a line. Or better yet, mail me the movie at the Cutlery.
(What? It could happen.)

A Stitch in Time...

Embroiderers' Guild of America (EGA) is having it's National Seminar at the Hyatt in downtown Louisville, from August 31st through September 5th. This year they are celebrating their Golden Gala (that is, their 50th Anniversary). The EGA is based in Louisville, and also has a blog.

For more information on the annual seminar and where it will be held next year, here is a link to the schedule posted on the EGA website. The brochure for the 2008 seminar is a blast to look at (gorgeous pictures), and someone snuck in a reference to a Peter Paul & Mary song. People after my own heart.

Sadly, the registration for this year has already closed, but for those of you who are already there, Heimerdinger Cutlery will be there, too! I bet you were wondering why I was posting this, weren't you?

On September 3rd (Wednesday), Carl will be at the Merchandise event, from 11 to 7. It will be held in the Golden Galleria. Carl will have some old stand-bys and some brand new products with him to the event. In particular some particularly attractive embroidery scissors from Dovo. I'd love to link you a picture, but they're so new we don't have them on the website yet!


Of potential interest to everyone in the audience is the EGA's National Stitch-In-Public Day, also on Sept. 3rd. Here's the official story:

EGA invites stitchers of all ages and skill levels to join in a day of community crafting that will celebrate the traditions and trends of needlework, right right where they are. There's no cost - just an effort to encourage community among stitchers. Embroiders, quilters, knitters and who will shine a light on their crafts Sept. 3 by stitching together in public spaces such as coffee shops, parks, malls – anywhere they can be seen. Let EGA Headquarters know about your event so photos, stories and updates can be shared online. Contact Brad at bcape@egausa.org if your chapter or group of stitchers wants to organize an event. Call (502) 589-6956.

Time for me to break out my cross stitch!

(By the way, did anyone else ever think that the saying "A stitch in time saves nine" had something to do with time travel? No? OK, too much Science-Fiction for me as a small child.)

Sharp on the (almost) silver screen

I'm thinking of adding a new recurring feature, where knives that show up in (non-cooking) TV shows or in movies are identified. Does that sound interesting to you all?
Of course, someone will have to take the arduous task of actually watching all those movies before the information could be posted. I wonder if I can get Carl to pay for my Blockbuster rentals. It's for work!

Whether that ends up happening, or not, I'll still try to answer one of the questions that someone was googling that pulled up this site. What is the knife in Dexter? I certainly hope the answer is in the first season, because that's the only one my friend has, and I'm just borrowing it.

Anybody in the audience have a guess?

(Note: Yes, girls watch movies with knives and violence in them. If you have any suggestions, I'll watch them as long as they aren't horror movies.)

"Staying Sharp"

The above is the title of an article about Heimerdinger Cutlery that was published in the Voice Tribune, Wednesday, July 30th. Here's a link to the article so you can read it for yourself!

Matthew Ralph came to the store with his photographer and they interviewed Carl, Glenna, and their daughter (my cousin) Nicole.

Here's a couple of excerpts:

Over the course of 147 years, Heimerdinger Cutlery Co. has sold thousands of knives and scissors – and even a few refrigerators along the way.

Since its establishment in 1861 by the son of a German tailor, the one constant in the Heimerdinger name has been innovation.

Unlike some of his ancestors, Carl E. Heimerdinger doesn’t hold patents on elaborate sharpening or cutting devices or run an elaborate manufacturing facility, but his decision to invest in e-commerce six years ago was just as innovative in terms of keeping the St. Matthews business afloat...

Today, purchases through the company’s elaborate Web catalog – heimerdingercutlery.com – account for about 50 percent of sales.

That’s good news for Nicole Heimerdinger, Carl’s gregarious 14-year-old daughter who knows the store like the back of her hand and likes the sound of “sixth generation business owner.”

Yeah, keep up that internet business, so I can keep blogging for your delight and entertainment! Or is that laying it on too thick?

Though the company has moved several times since it opened in a downtown storefront in the 19th century – moving to its current location at 4207 Shelbyville Road 25 years ago – reminders of the Heimerdinger legacy are always looming overhead in photographs of the past owners and a large pair of golden shears Carl’s father carved in the early 1920s. The shears used to hang outside the Market Street shop.

A refrigerator label from the early 1900s hangs on the wall as a reminder of some of the interesting items the company sold through the years...

“It’s very unique and very exciting being part of a business that’s been in the family so long,” Carl said. “There’s all of this history behind you.”

Even for those of us who aren't in line to own the business someday, the history is still strong. I started working in the store my junior year of high school, when I needed to earn some money for a school trip. I went in on Saturdays; a few years later I worked full time in the summer.

The store has always been a part of who I am. My dad brought me in when I was too young to see over the counters, when the most marvelous thing in the store was the tray full of Swiss Army knives, each in their own little section. The rows of gleaming knives in the display cases are paired with the whir of machinery from back in the shop where my grandfather and uncle were sharpening things. The sounds the displaycase doors make when someone slides them open and the challenge of climbing on to the tall stools behind the counter are an integral part of my memories of spending the weekend with my grandparents.

(It should be capitalized, "The Store." That's how we all think of it, and that's how everyone in the family uses it. In our address books, in conversation, even in my cell phone, that building is what we mean when we say "The Store.")

Even though I don't work in The Store regularly, and haven't for two or three years, I am still involved. The most obvious way is through this blog. But I can look at the website and see photos that I either took or assisted with. If you see a disembodied woman's hand on the website, it's most likely mine. During the holiday season or summer, if extra help is needed and I'm in town, I'll come in. I enjoy going to visit, talking with the people who work there, getting to play with new knives and things.

Some things you can't get away from, they're in your blood. Luckily, I love being a part of The Store.

I think that I shall never see...

Poetry time!

I don't know if you are familiar with Knife World magazine, or not. Each month, Knife World offers a wide variety of information about knives, knife books, and more. You'll learn about knifemakers, knife companies, knife values, knife history, and read stories of interest to all knife enthusiasts.
The summer I worked full-time at the store, I kept sneaking peeks at Knife World, because it's just that interesting.

It also has lighthearted features, personal essays and the occasional poem.
Here's an excerpt from Carl's favorite poem, that he asked me to post.


"I never met a knife that didn't like me"
by Don Evans

The most precious give, I've received in my life,
was a brand spanking-new, pocketknife.
With celluloid handles, and blades that would fold,
that my Dad gave to me, when I was seven years old.
It created a passion, from which I'll never be free,
and never have I met a knife, that didn't like me.

There's nothing in this world, you can give a boy,
that he can show his friends, with pride and joy.
As most of my friends, had pocketknives,
now I had one too, like the other guys.
And as I slipped it into my pocket, very lovingly,
I knew I'd never meet a knife, that didn't like me.

I still have that knife, along with hundreds more,
that hid in the attic, and behind every door.
Some knives I guy, have a certain appeal,
or I buy a whole box-full, 'cause I get a good deal.
And sometimes I just buy them, out of curiousity,
just to see if I've met a knife, that doesn't like me.

...
There are pictures of knives, that hang on the walls,
in the living room, kitchen, and down the halls.
Therea re pictures on the cieling, over my bed,
some folks like mirrors, I like knife pictures instead.
And though they are surrounding me, constantly,
I've still never met a knife, that didn't like me.

I've got dozens of knife books, I use in research,
I always take one to read, when I go to church.
But the preacher spotted it, and took one look,
now he's preachin' sermons, from outta that book.
And he's collecting, knives from A to Z,
Now he'll never meet a knife, that doesn't like he.

Then I met this gal, her name was Sue,
the perfect companion, she liked knives too.
For an engagement gift, she gave me a knife,
so there wasn't much choice, I made her my wife.
And as we walked down the aisle, we knew happily,
that we'd never met a knife, that didn't like we.

We'll jump in the camper, and drive hundreds of miles,
just so we can walk, up and down those aisles.
We walk for miles, legs getting unstable,
'cause that rare knife may be lying, on the very next table.
And when I find it, the right one it'll be,
'cause I never met a knife, that didn't like me.

...

(Originally published in Knife World magazine, March 1999, p. 33. Excerpted for copyright reasons, and the fact that it's really really long. You would be scrolling forever)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

If you've been in the store lately, you'll have noticed that we have rearranged and improved our displays on the front side of the building. The manicure sets have been moved into the case by the front door,

Not only have we rearranged that whole area, we also have some new products!
I've told you about the bags, etc. that we are featuring from John Hart Design, but I have sadly neglected Caswell-Massey's shaving "stuff." What do I mean by stuff? I mean shaving soaps and travelling cases, badger shaving brushes, preshave oil and aftershave balm, and some wonderful smelling soaps.


Who is Caswell-Massey?
Originating in 1752, Caswell-Massey is believed to be the fourth-oldest company in America. They use age-old methods in producing fine soaps, lotions, fragrances and other personal care items. Caswell-Massey products were chosen to reside in the White House by three different presidents: Washington, Eisenhower, and Kennedy (and we know which ones are which).


Caswell-Massey was also recently featured in the August/September issue of Modern Bride, in a section on attendants' gifts.(p. 140) According to the text, they're featuring the almond shave soap, brush and stand. However, looking at the picture, they are also featuring a refillable wooden bowl, which is part of what makes this gift elegant and nice.

But are they any good?
Well, Carl said he enjoys using the shave soap, but his favorite product to use is the after-shave balm. I have a lot of guy friends, so that's definitely going on my list for holiday shopping.
While I can't personally vouch for the quality of the soap in terms of using it on one's face, I am very opinionated about scents.

To be honest, I'm torn. When it comes to the almond soaps, I think I prefer the scent of our Col. Ichabod Conk over the Caswell-Massey. Colonel Conk soaps are more highly scented, which have a vintage appeal (particularly the Bay Rum, yum!). I think the stronger scent particularly lends itself to the almond scent.

On the other hand, the Caswell-Massey soap is packaged far more attractively for a gift. Luckily for me, other soaps come in the wooden bowl gift set: Greenbriar and Sandalwood. I love the scent of sandalwood, so that solves the dilemma for me. I'm thinking about having my affianced get that for one of his groomsmen. The other two are haphazard about shaving at best, though they might appreciate the after-shave balm.

Generally, all the Caswell-Massey products have a nice scent. They are more complex and lighter than the Col. Conk soaps we carry, rounding out the selection of products we offer. Even though the recipes for some of these soaps has remained virtually unchanged for decades (if not two centuries), they still have a classic feel that will appeal to modern users of any age.

Ultimately, you, dear reader, will have to decide what you like best.

Damascus

When there's free time in the store, one of my favorite things to do has always been to drool over pretty knives in Blade magazine or Knives Illustrated. (Hint: guys, make wallpapers of the pretty pictures for your free download section! Please!)

The general term "Damascus" is modernly used to describe metal with a visible grain pattern, sometimes with a texture, sometimes not. This can be created in many ways, from folding the metal to creating a mosaic of different steel rods to form any desired pattern.

Historically, Damascus steel blades were Middle-Eastern in origin, with legendary strength and sharpness.

If you're interested in the metallurgy and the history end of things, here's a very informative article from JOM, the Journal of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. (50.9 1998, pp. 58-64.)

I highly recommend going to look at an image search if you're curious. Sadly, copyright prevents me from posting pictures here. For really drool-worthy pictures, I recommend the two magazines above.

Looking on Youtube there are a lot of videos about how to make Damascus steel of different sorts. However, if you want a more professional sort of tutorial video, this2 DVD set by Mastersmith JD Smith looks like it would be pretty good. Does anyone have any recommendations?

It happened in Chicago, part 2

Somewhat belatedly, here is the last bit of Carl and Glenna's trip to the International Home and Housewares Show. I had a little trouble with format, which is why the big delay. (docx format, let me show you it.)
So here's the trip, in Carl's own words:

CHICAGO, PART 2
To digress a little bit, we arrived in ‘The Loop’ in downtown Chicago literally on the heals of the St. Patrick Day parade. Needless to say the residents were ‘restless’ and quite ‘happy’, shall we say.

Thankfully we decided to take the airport shuttle van, and our driver was a real pro, even took us through some of suburban Chicago, to avoid a traffic tie-up. And yes, they really do die the river green.
We saw it, but we went by so fast that there was no hope of a photo.

Anyway back at the ranch …er show, after we left the Dovo booth, we made our way to the Wusthof booth. Our representative, Ed Bartush, was there and spent quite a bit of time with us, showing a few new sets and such. Also, they have a new electric knife sharpener. The booth was quite busy, with lots of clients and prospective clients. Actually the attendance at the show was very good, and a number of booths like Wusthof were very busy.

From there we stopped for lunch (nothing amazing, but palatable). It was one of the few chances to sit down, though. In some cases, if you are a very good client of, say Wusthof or Dovo, you may be offered a seat at a table. At the house wares show in Germany, you would also be offered something to drink, and maybe a cookie. The only refreshment that was offered to us in this ‘old world’ tradition was at the J. A. Henckels booth.

By the way, we have been a dealer for J. A. Henckels for 104 years. My Great-grandfather went to the 1904 World’s Fair and met the Henckels people there for the first time. I will say that every booth we spent time in the different company's representatives were very helpful and informative.

After lunch we stopped back at the Dovo booth and snapped a picture of my wife and our representative. Earlier we had been to the Kershaw Shun booth and met the head of national sales. There have been delays in receiving the Shun knives, and he assured us that this was being dealt with, mostly with the building of a new factory here in the states.He took a lot of time and showed us the range of their lines. It was very cool. These knives, when we can get them, sell extremely well, and by the way are becoming the sweethearts of a number of the local chefs.

We walked by later, and who would be there but Alton Brown of the Food Network, signing autographs. Of course we got one!! Actually my wife posted up in the line waiting, and I went wandering because I had seen the Global knife booth. I was able to meet the people I had known only by their voices. I guess this is one of the things about going to the shows, except for the few companies that have representatives, is the fact that you get to put a name with a face.

I can safely say that we saw a majority of what we wanted to see, although rather hurriedly. We gathered a lot of info and made some contacts, which could hold us over for a year or two. However if the mood strikes again, we may just heading for the windy city sooner!!

Sounds like fun to me!

Fun in the Sun

Here are some fun and/or interesting things to cheer you up despite all the rain we've been getting. Enjoy!

How they did CG food in Ratatouille. Yum.


Did you know that Nintendo's Wii has a cooking game? Me neither. Go here to watch it.

5 dangerous things you should let your kids do and why you should let them do it. (video. give him a few minutes to get started.)

But this is probably not what he had in mind. How to make a knife out of a chainsaw. Not for the faint of heart, or the weak of arm.


and last but far from least, Ella Fitzgerald sings "Mack the Knife"

Coming Attractions!

If you're on our mailing list, you'll have either just received the lasted version of our newsletter, or you will be receiving it shortly.

If you're not on our mailing list, I'll be summing it up for you over the next couple of posts. (Plus some exclusive material for you faithful readers!)

Those of you who have been in the store recently might have noticed some new things. One is that we are now carrying products from John Hart Design. The Jon Hart Design collection includes over 150 custom items for travel, home, business, fashion, and just plain fun. These products are hand-crafted in Texas and are available in a variety of colors in coated canvas trimmed with the finest natural leather trim, in beautiful choices of all leather, in Denim trimmed in Acorn leather, or in Texas Mink with leather trim. All of the items can be monogrammed, with four styles available.

This line is so new and so extensive that we don't have it all online yet, but you can email or call us if you have any questions. Or we'd love to have you drop in the store, particularly on June 13th and 14th, Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Why then? Because we are hosting a Jon Hart Design Trunk Show. We'll have samples of various products available and all orders placed during the show receive FREE MONOGRAMMING ($7.00 savings per item).

Maybe I'll see you there.

I can hear the bells...

Hey folks, long time no blog. The joys of catching the family cold that's going around.

I have a very serious question for you to contemplate today: It's getting to be wedding season, are you prepared?


If you aren't involved in either planning your own or being sucked in to one that's being planned, it's likely that you have been invited to one. So you either need to register for gifts, or figure out what to get someone.

Heimerdinger Cutlery can help you solve all of these problems.

We have an online Wedding and Gift Registry which is ideal for a couple who is interested in registering at a specialty store. You can either call to discuss starting up your registry, or come into the store and get things filled out that way.

If you are looking for a gift idea for that special couple, you can also look and see what others have registered for, or here's my top 10 list.

Top 10 Wedding Gifts

1) A set of steak knives.
This is probably the most popular gift we see people coming into store to buy in wedding season. We carry a variety of Dexter Russell and Wustof sets, with special orders available for those who favor something we don't have in stock.
2) A knife block.
3) A cutting board.
These two are my own personal favorites for gifts. If the recipients are younger, it's less likely they'll have these. Since both of these can be decorative, as well as functional, they are well received, though I have run across the occasional person who doesn't want to use their cutting board "because it's too pretty" and they don't want to mess it up.
4) Kitchen shears.
My favorites of these are the Tricky shears, from Dovo. They come apart for easy cleaning and they are available in a bunch of different colors. I love the red ones, because they're easy to spot. This is also a good gift for those on a budget, or those wishing to give a combination of smaller items.
5) A steel.
Any kitchen where knives get used needs a steel. A steel can extend the lifespan of an edge, keeping a knife sharper for longer, until it needs actual sharpening. This can vary, for the home cook, from a year to every five years. Probably a steel would best be given in combination with an actual knife, any of the next three would make a nice set.
6) A paring knife.
Always useful. They are also available in a variety of shapes, so you could go with a sheepsfoot or birdsbeak knife to stand out in the crowd.
7) A carving knife/set.
8) A chef's knife.
Combined with a paring knife, this makes the most basic knife set.
9) A garlic press.
This is the tool I use the most in my kitchen, almost more than my knives.
10) Other kitchen gadgets.
There are so many to choose from. You could get some of the Kentucky Spring Salad tongs and a tomato knife to celebrate summer fun. You could get one of Ky Spring's cheese slicers and a little cheese board, to pair with a bottle of wine for the first time the happy pair entertains as a couple. A lemon zester or melon baller could be tied into the bow of a shower gift, or tied around a bunch of bright kitchen towels. Personally, I like the grapefruit knives, but there are hundreds of combinations and fun ways to make these into memorable gifts.

A good knife is always a good gift, because it will last a lifetime. Indeed it can even be passed on to the next generation, when they are starting their households. When I got my first apartment, my grandmother gave me a few of her older Wustof and Henckel knives. The durability and craftsmanship make them worth the expense, in my opinion. It's not as if you'll ever have to buy more than one.

(Note: the top picture was contributed by Sasha Ciconte, all rights are reserved by her. She's a nascent wedding planner in the Lexington area.)

Derby Day Hours

Hey folks, just letting you know that we're going to be closing early on Derby Day, 2 p.m.

In the meantime, which horse are you pulling for? I like Court Vision and Tale of Ekati. Mostly because of their names.

As you can tell, I'm not really an expert at picking horses. =)

Spring Sale!

Now through May 31st, we've got some special items on sale for our Mother's Day and Graduation Sale. Or you could be an early bird, come in for those pre-Father's Day low prices.

Select Wüstof knives will be 15% off regular price.
Also, while supplies last you will get a gift with a $50.00 purchase of Wüsthof products. A purchase of $100.00 or more of Wüsthof products will give you 10% off any in-stock cutting board of your choice.
Specifics will be forthcoming in the next post, or sooner if you are on our mailing list.

All in-stock manicure sets in leather cases by Dovo are now 10% off. Their normal prices range from $42.50 to $309.50.

Right now all of our reading glasses (+1.5 to +3.0) are $9.99. It should be noted that these should be purchased as a primary Mother's Day gift with caution. Only do this if your spouse has a sense of humor.

Spring News

It's a busy time of year, here in the cutlery. We're sharpening knives for Derby and gearing up for a spring sale. In the meantime, here's what's new...

New Products!
Come in and see our newest knife blocks and cutting boards. They are designed and crafted in Louisville, Kentucky by Thorpe Furniture. Incidentally, they are also gorgeous.

17-slot knife blocks in Cherry, Walnut and Maple $85.00
Cutting Boards in Cherry, Walnut, Maple, & Purple Heart
9" X 11" $50.00
12" x 14" $100.00

Spring Sale!

We are having a big sale this spring, with lots of great items on sale. Need gift ideas for moms or grads? I'll be making posts about some the best deals and my favorite items.
It should also be pointed out that we now have gift cards available for any amount you would require and we do free gift wrapping year round in our signature silver paper.

It should be noted that:
*This sale applies only to available in-stock items
*This sale does not apply to special orders
*There is a limited supply of certain items
*No additional discounts apply

It happened in Chicago, part 1

Carl and Glenna spent all day running around the Lakefront building. They were there from 8:30 in the morning until 5 o'clock at night.
Most of their time was spent visiting various vendors. Carl tells me that he had identified 50 different vendors that he was interested in, but in the 8 hours they were there, he and Glenna were only able to see about 40. Most of those were brief visits, dropping off cards, picking up information; they spent more time perusing the booths of vendors we already, visiting with them and discovering new products.


The Shun booth was a big attraction, and not just because they had Alton Brown.(Of course Glenna got an autograph, are you crazy? His blend of cooking and science is irresistible.)
As we were saying before the digression, the knives themselves are lovely. Shun also had some awesome limited edition steak knives. It looks like other people thought so, too; apparently it was a bit hard to get a close look.

Sadly, Carl's camera hates the new computer, so we have a lot less pictures of the Housewares Show than we'd hoped to have. From what we have, you can get an idea of how crowded and busy the vendors room was. My feet would have fallen off from all of that walking around.

One of our favorite vendors, Dovo, was at the Show! Luckily, they had plenty of chairs, so Carl and Glenna got a bit of a rest. Dovo supplies all of our manicure sets and a large percentage of our sewing and hair scissors/shears, and individual manicure implements. Here's a picture of Anne Rothstein, Jens, and Glenna. Jens is a German representative of the company, who we get to see every so often. He travels around once a year with a huge bag of manicure sets, so that Carl can look at them before deciding what to order for the next year. Everyone in the store gets a chance to ooh and aah, it's always a lot of fun. Just hope that Jens doesn't test your German skills! (Mine are, admittedly, horrible.)

To be continued...

Placeholders are we

Hey folks,

In a few days I'll have a post up about Carl and Glenna's trip to Chicago and all the interesting things. Plus pictures!
I just have a lot going on until the 11th.
In the meantime, here's a picture of Alton Brown doing a signing session at the Shun booth.

Knifelore from a Grimore

Well folks, it looks like I'll have to call and bug Carl about getting me some pictures from his trip. In the meantime, here's something to whet your appetite. (pun always intentional).


Knife Folklore Fragment of the Week:

The accidental crossing of two case knives at the table must be avoided, as it is likely to cause a desperate fight between members of the family; if the knives are crossed inadvertently, they must be touched only by the same person who crossed them

.


Randolph, Vance. Ozark Magic and Folklore (formerly titled Ozark Superstitions). Dover Publications, Inc., New York: 1947. (p 58)

Buy the book here on Amazon.com.

Where's Carl?

This weekend is the International Home and Housewares Show 2008, up in Chicago. If you're going to be there, keep an eye out for Carl and give him a wave. Unlike Waldo, Carl will be a bit harder to spot, as he doesn't wear bright red stripes.

According to its website, the International Home & Housewares Show is the world's premier housewares marketplace. It features more than 2,000 exhibitors from 34 countries, and more than 20,000 buyers from over 100 countries around the world.
Personally, I'd like to spend some time in the international pavilions; they sound very interesting.

So there will be a lot of people there. Still, keep an eye out for Carl (and Glenna, too!) because they'll be there all weekend. With any luck, we'll get some nice pictures and fun stories to post here. :)

Have a good weekend everybody!

Every Girl's Crazy 'bout a Sharpedged Knife

I was just sitting down to write a scintillating post about how to sharpen a knife and all that goes with that, when I found this video for you.



If any of you have ever gotten the talk about how to use a steel in our store, you'll notice the similarity in hand movements. Like the man in the video, we also sharpen knives by hand, though we have a lot more equipment. (At some point, when I remember to take my camera to Louisville, you'll get a tour of the shop.)

To summarize the video, calling it a "sharpening steel" isn't quite accurate. It really hones the edge until the knife becomes too worn and needs to have a new edge ground onto it. This is best done professionally, in general, and frequency depends on how much you use your knife. If you use a steel regularly and take good care of your knife, every year or two is sufficient.


In the meantime, remember these guidelines:

1)Remember, use your steel!

2) Use a cutting board, not the counter or a plate.
A wooden cutting board is best for your knife, though any material will work if you avoid hard surfaces like glass. Bamboo cutting boards are very fashionable at the moment, as well as being a good choice ecologically. Remember to wash it after cutting meat and poultry.

2) SAY NO TO THE DISHWASHER!
Using a dishwasher can dull your knife and damage the handle.

3)Store knives somewhere secure.
There are several options available, from blocks that sit on the counter, ones the mount on the underside of your cabinets, or ones that can sit in your gadget drawer. If those occupy too much space, you can always get an edge guard, which will protect both the blade and your hand when you reach into a crowded drawer.

Knifelore from a Grimore

Hey folks,

Something that you'll be seeing from time to time are bits of knife trivia and folklore. Sometimes they'll be their own entry, sometimes they'll slip into the end of a post about something entirely different.

Keep an eye out!


Knife Folklore Fragment of the Week:

The gift of a knife can cut a friendship.


Very common up until the last couple generations, this bit of folklore explains why a couple of pennies would be included in every gift of a knife. After the present was opened, the pennies were then returned to the giver, to pay for the knife so it wasn't a gift.

Video Time!

I really liked reading the excerpt from Anthony Bourdain's book that I linked to in the previous post, so I went out and found you some videos of him to watch.

Here's a couple from his TV show, No Reservations, where he travelled around the world trying out local cuisine.
The first one is in Spain, talking about jamon serrano (serrano ham). Which really is very yummy, definitely try some if you have a chance.


And here is part 1 of his show on Indonesia.


This next video, in interview, definitely showcases Bourdain's salty sense of humor. It's also features a much more entertaining video of how to chop an onion than the one I posted earlier on in this blog. The knives used in this video are from Global.

Back and to the Point

or, On Practicality



Some of our alert readers in Louisville might have caught the article "A Cut Above the Rest" in the Scene section of the C-J, on January 5th. It was about the Dexter Russell Sani-Safe 9-inch scalloped sandwich knife, model number S163-9SC. Sadly, you did not see Heimerdinger Cutlery listed as a place selling the knife, even though we do indeed have it in stock.

But why should you be interested in this knife?
Dexter Russell Knives aren't like the flashing and slashing knives the chefs use on television.
They have sleek black handled knives, like this bird's beak paring knife (also called a peeling knife) on the left, that you'll have seen recently on Bravo’s hit show Top Chef.
Or you might imagine owning a Santoku chef's knife with a hollow ground edge (also called a Granton edge). If it's good enough for Emeril and Rachel Ray, it must something wonderful to have in your own kitchen. That's true, this knife excels at slicing, dicing, and mincing. The hollow ground bits on the blade allow you to slice things very thinly and they won't stick to the blade.

So, again, why would you want this Dexter Russell knife with that funny shape?

Marty Rosen, the guy who wrote the article for the Courier-Journal, restrained himself from asking his wife the same exact question when she gave it to him as a present.
Her book club had recently read the book Kitchen Confidential, by chef Anthony Bourdain. Anyone who has ever caught his TV shows or read one of his books knows that when it comes to kitchen knives, he's somewhat of a minimalist. He'd rather have one or two good knives that he can use for years, than a whole set of knives that are so pretty and expensive that he's almost afraid to use them. And he considers an offset handled serrated knife to be "indispensable"
The somewhat skeptical columnist found that this is indeed a very useful knife to have around. He said:

It's a perfectly good tool for all the usual tasks associated with serrated knives (slicing bread, tomatoes and the like). And, as Bourdain predicted, I've found myself grabbing it for nearly everything else as well. It slides gracefully through baked ham, roast beef and turkey breasts, and though I wouldn't use it to saw through, say, a melon, it does a fine job with less husky fruits and vegetables.

If you don't already have a serrated/scalloped knife, maybe you should try this one on for size. The offset handle and slightly longer length makes is more versatile than your average sandwich knife.

And unlike many of the knives you'll see chefs using on TV, this one is very affordable. Dexter Russell is the oldest and one of the largest manufacturers of professional cutlery in the United States. You can see their knives everywhere, if you get a chance to look. They're very popular with people newly graduated from cooking school, and with people who have been working in restaurants for years.

You can buy it from us online here, or come and see us in the store.