OakStreet Culinary

Ken Onion is one of the foremost knife designers in the world and a man whose creations I’m proud to offer at the OakStreet Man Culinary shop. His work for Shun knives has produced the Shun Ken Onion Chef 8” Knife with Stand, the Shun 11 Piece Deluxe Block Set, and the Shun 7 Piece Essential Block Set. Behind these exceptional designs is a man who has amassed some 36 patents working with the Shun corporation alone.

An avid knife collector since childhood, Onion became aware of the custom knife industry in 1989. After cadging a local designer to teach him the craft, Onion made his first knife in 1991. His first patent came in 1996, and in 1998 he signed on with Shun. He also began teaching knife design classes, to further the art. Onion has designed custom knives for celebrities Steven Segal, Steven Tyler, Nicholas Cage, Johnny Popper, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson, Wayne Newton, Tanya Metaksa, Wayne La Pierre, Ziggy Marley, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Aaron Nevel and many others.

Recently, Onion has been working to promote public awareness of custom knife making and to promote the positive aspects of knives, working with celebrities to portray the use of knives in a favorable light.

Come visit our Culinary shop and peruse our fine selection of Ken Onion Shun knives and more.

Sharpening knives should be a simple task, but for many, it’s daunting. That apparently was not the case for our ancestors. Some of the earliest known humans, “Bog Men” as anthropologists call them, were found to have worn sharpening tools — stone pendants — around their necks. 

Today, sharpening is simpler, and is required less frequently. OakStreet Man’s Shun knives, for example, feature a proprietary VG10 “Super Steel” that remains straight and true far longer than the more common forged steel. Their SG-2 steel is harder and denser, eliminating weakness and imperfections, giving Shun knives significant advantages in longevity, performance and value. OakStreet Man’s Shun woodblock sets come with matched high-carbon stainless steel sharpening steels, perfectly suited to maintaining the ideal edge on all your knives.   

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we thought we’d pass along a few quick lessons in traditional knife sharpening.  

The time-tested way to put a fine edge on knives is by using a sharpening stone. There are two schools of thought about which stone to use — wet or dry. In my opinion, and those of experts, it doesn’t matter which you choose. Place your stone flat on a table and note two important angles. The first angle, the one made between the handle of the knife and the stone, should be 45 degrees.  The second angle, that of the knife edge on the stone, can be optimized by putting your index finger along the back of the blade and raising the blade off the surface of the stone at a 20 degree angle. Now you’re ready to sharpen. 

Being sure to maintain your two angles and keeping the edge of the blade in contact with the stone, draw the blade toward you. Use a firm grip and move from hilt to point in order to grind the blade. Afterward, turn the knife over, and repeat the process. If the knife stays in the same hand, move it in the opposite direction as the first draw. Make sure that you continue to keep the same two angles as on the first draw. There is no need to apply a lot of pressure or move quickly. You can go slowly and alternate strokes until each side of the blade has been stroked several times. A dull knife will need a few added strokes. 

To make sure you have a properly sharpened knife, test it by holding a piece of paper vertically then drawing the blade across the edge and down. A sharp knife will cut the paper.  

Come check out our superior knives in the cutlery section of the OakStreet Man Culinary store.

The world’s finest chef’s knives are made by Shun. Now OakStreet Man, provider of Exceptional Goods for the Uncompromising Man™, offers a 3-knife Shun set designed by Ken Onion. The chef’s knife, serrated utility knife and paring knife all feature curved blades to facilitate the slicing action of razor-sharp cutting edges. Contoured handles and unique design make these perfectly balanced tools easy to handle and super efficient, particularly when cutting with a simple back-and-forth rocking motion. Each knife features VG-10 high-carbon steel construction – a hallmark of Shun Classic cutlery. The blades are clad with 16 microthin layers of high-carbon stainless steel.  Crafted in Japan, each set includes the 8” blade Chef’s knife, 5” blade serrated utility knife, and 3” blade paring knife, all presented in a handsome bamboo case.

The set can be ordered for $400 at http://www.oakstreetman.net/product_p/130201278.htm. For more information, call 1-866-996-2578.

I’m a big fan of Stephen Poplawski. In 1922, he put a spinning blade at the bottom of a tall container, producing the first blender. He invented it specifically to make drinks at soda fountains, which were at that time as ubiquitous as Starbucks. While blenders make a mean milkshake, they can be used for lots more. They can puree, chop, mince and grind not just liquids, but foods as well. 

Fred Waring is another blender hero. A popular Big Band leader in the 1920s, Waring financially backed two men who sought to improve on Poplawski’s invention. In 1937, Waring introduced his “Miracle Mixer” at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago. It sold for $29.75. Waring, the consummate showman, correctly promised it would “revolutionize American drinks.” 

The blender revolutionized much more than drinks. Blenders became standard equipment in preparing special diets in hospitals, and they were used in scientific research. Dr. Jonas Salk employed a blender in developing the polio vaccine. In 1954, the one-millionth blender was sold. 

The blender I use, and the one we have available in the OakStreet Culinary shop, is a quantum leap from Poplawski’s and Waring’s. My Viking Blender is powered by a high-torque, commercial-grade motor. It has two speeds and a pulse function plus an electronic mixing sensor that maintains a smooth, continuous speed. It’s also a snap to disassemble and clean. I invite you to visit the Culinary shop and check it out. Chances are you’ll become a big fan.

Price doesn’t automatically equal value. At OakStreet Man, we offer a variety of items across a wide range of prices, but every item represents true value.

 With holiday gift-giving on everyone’s mind, I’d like to point out some of the thoughtfully selected lower-cost items we offer in our Culinary Shop.

Check out the Frieling Olive Wood Spoon for $9, or our Lamson Grapefruit Knife at $16 – two wonderful time-tested kitchen tools that combine nostalgia and practical design. The knife features an unusually durable and handsome walnut handle. Similarly, the Lamson Oyster Knife ($13), Spatula ($28), and 10.5-inch Meat Fork ($20) are certain to be used and valued for years by those who receive them. 

These are only a few of the many lower-priced culinary implements we stock. Come visit the Culinary Shop at OakStreet Man and take a look around for innovative gift ideas. Come back often as we’re always adding more fine products to our line.

“Cutting edge” is a term that gets used a lot. I’m going to risk using that cliché to talk about a product that has a strong, almost cult-like following among culinary experts: Shun knives are truly on the cutting edge of specialized knives. In recent years Shun knives, which are designed and constructed in Japan, have exploded on the U.S. market. Their sales grew 40% last year, and the company admits it’s tough for them to keep up with demand. Their popularity stems from innovative design and truly unique features, coupled with some of the best knife-making technology ever conceived. 

At OakStreet Man, we’re pleased to be able to provide you with this fine cutlery. 

Take the Shun Classic. The blade angle is 16 degrees, an almost-razor thin line. Grinding a knife to such an edge typically reduces blade strength and negatively impacts its ability to remain sharp. Shun solves this problem by employing a new, higher density stainless steel, called VG-10. Better steel means Shun knives are not only sharper, but stronger and more resistant to dulling. Shun matches its blade to a handle made of sheets of Pakka wood that are sandwiched between plastic resin and fused together in high heat. The handle feels and behaves like wood, but is dishwasher safe. 

I have Shun knives in my kitchen. I recommend you add them to yours.

I love slicing, dicing, chopping, flipping, grating, and generally letting loose like a pro in the kitchen, whenever I can. That, however, does not mean I disregard the basics. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, a good burger, even a grilled cheese sandwich (which is thoroughly transformed by adding fresh avocado after grilling, but I digress…) are the first things I learned to cook. They’re still the comfort foods I whip up when friends and family gather in the kitchen. 

I’ve found that one key to expertly cooking the simple things is to use a quality frying pan. It’s a kitchen essential. To find the truly best pan for my collection at OakStreet Man, I asked award winning Chef Albert Hall of Acacia Restaurant in Tucson for advice. 

We found just what we were looking for. It’s made in Belgium by the Viking Range Corporation, and it’s a beauty. Constructed with investment-cast stainless steel, it features stay-cool, vented double-rivets to ensure the handle interacts seamlessly with the pan. We’re offering it in non-stick as well as standard in sizes ranging from 9.5 to 11 inches. 

With the Viking frying pan it’s easy to graduate from pancakes to crepes and from scrambled eggs to bacon-wrapped eggs and polenta. 

Still, there’s still nothing quite as satisfying as a great grilled cheese sandwich.

A day without espresso? Never! There’s just no substitute for a perfectly brewed cup of this magical elixir. Espresso machines first appeared around the start of the 20^th century, and they’ve been evolving ever since. 

For the OakStreet Man Culinary Store, we set out to find the ideal home espresso maker – fast, reliable, fully adjustable and backed by a trusted manufacturer. I think we’ve found the one machine that fits our standards. It’s from La Marzocco, an 82-year-old institution founded in Florence, Italy, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the home of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and countless other creative geniuses. La Marzocco’s design innovations and commitment to quality have made its machines the most sought after by restaurants and connoisseurs in 50 countries. 

We’ll soon offer two handsome La Marzocco models, each with a small footprint and impressive output. They’re the gold standard of home espresso machines and fine additions to the OakStreet Man collection of superior goods and services. To make your life, and your shopping experience, easier still, we’ll ship your espresso machine with a select assortment of must-have espresso accessories, including burr grinders, tampers and more. Everything you need to be a professional barista with one click! Come back soon for details.

King of the Kitchen and the Grill – that’s me! There are few things as satisfying as whipping up delectable foods in a perfectly equipped kitchen. I love sharp knives, elegant appliances and cookware that’s exactly suited to the task at hand. 

At OakStreet Man, I’ve dedicated an entire store to the culinary experience. My expert advisors and I are assembling the finest tools a sophisticated home chef could hope for. In this blog, we’ll provide lots of tips on matching tools to tasks; the fascinating stories behind the products; and plenty of practical cooking advice on the widest range of foods.

 Now that we’re just a few weeks away from launching the OakStreetMan.com site, here’s the scoop on one of the products we’ll be offering – a professional-quality set of bar-b-que tools that are being custom-made for us by the nation’s premier maker of cutlery, Massachusetts-based Lamson & Goodnow. In recognition of the superior quality of these tools – brush, fork, turner and tong – each carries the distinctive OakStreet Man lion logo on its hardened and tempered high-carbon stainless steel surface. They’re all dishwasher-safe and covered by lifetime warranty. These tools will make any man proud!