David Caputo is a stand up guy.

When I think of American craft I think of quilts, strange wooden dolls to hide whisky in and a good sturdy broom. I do not, however, think of knives, at least not until now. The name Cut Brooklyn has been tossed around a lot lately and I was surprised to find out that it is the studio of Joel Buiekowirz who produces hand made kitchen knives.

So from my understanding of the current articles written about Joel, he gets a piece of steal and cuts the knife shape. He then sends out the knife for it’s heat treatment.

The heat treatment is the part that really determines the finished quality of the knife’s steal. When you are working with steel there is a balance that needs to be struck between how hard it is and how brittle it is. For knives this is very important because the blade edge is so delicate. You need it to be hard so that it can retain it’s edge but not be so hard that it cracks away. So what Joel does by hand is shape and sharpen the knife as well as apply and form the handle.I am wrestling with whether to put in an order for one. On any given day my Wusthoff performs admirably and a Global 7-Inch Santoku seems like a logical addition to my cutlery set. Is the added price of Mr. Buiekowirz knives worth it? The easiest thing to site, though the most difficult thing to justify monetarily, is the “buying local” hand made appeal of this object. Having that unique item that was made within a few miles of your apartment makes want to order one of these pretty little pieces. The balance is always an important factor as well though I have not had a chance to hold one in person so it’s hard to say. Right now the few hundred dollars I would save on a Global is making me feel like that is the better buy. If you have a few hundred extra to spend and you use your knife constantly then the Cut blade may be the way to go. I hear he offers life-time service for free on all of his blades as well.

This is a recipe I mentioned a few posts back. The curry powder you use is going to make a big difference in how this dish comes out. There are plenty of recipes out there so you can make your own, you’ll have to play around and see what flavors work best for you.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs Chicken Breast
• 2/3 Cups of Peanut Oil
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 2-3 Cardamon Seeds or 1/2 tsp. Ground Cardamon
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, Minced
• 2 1/4 Cups of Water
• 1 Cup Yogurt
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder (at least)
• Salt

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan heat the peanut oil
2. Add all of the onion and cook for 5mins
3. Add the Cinnamon and Cardamon, cook until the onion is browned.
4. After the onion is browned add the garlic, yogurt and 1/4 cup of water and cook for 5 mins
5. Add Chicken and salt to taste and cook uncovered for 20mins
6. add remaining Cup of water
7. Cook for 10mins
8. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil and cook for 2 mins

You can adjust the ingredients to your liking but this is generally what I like to start with. Feel free to spice it up with some hot curry powder as well.

Chicken Curry @ Group Recipes  

I knew the name Kalustyans long before I knew what it was. To this day my moms chicken curry is one of mine and my siblings favorite meals. The staple ingredient in this dish came out of a large glass jar with a white screw cap and a tattered yellow label clinging onto the side. It read: Kalustyans. Curry Powder. Mild. There was of course a jar of hot curry powder for my dad who liked to sweat through dinner, occasionally dabbing his forehead and letting out a long sigh.

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