The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1899-04-07

III you can't have tender beef. the
next best thing is a sharp knife" said
a c%hophouse proprietor to a New York
Tribune man, "and a sharp knife and
poor beef are much better than the
best beef and a dull knife. / know that
from years of experience"
The conversation turned to the sub
iect Of carving-knives, and the veteran
said that "carvers" were harder to
keep in order than the ordinary table
knives, because the one who oarves
does not make use Of the steel as
much as he should.
1T may be an acid In the beef, or 1t
may be the moisture, or the heat, or
all three" said the expert, but there
Is something about hot roast beef that
takes the edge OF a knife and makes It
rip where it should cut and the fact
that the knife is not affected that way
by mutton or by ham makes me think
that the dullness Is a result Of the ac-
ton Of beef ingredients on the blade"
This view was confirmed by a man
ufacturer, who said: "I have handled
carving knives as a manufacturer and
at my table for many years, and 1 know
that the best knives will not cut prop
eTly when used on hot roast beef un-
less the steel is used after every few
cuts. The best way is to use the steel
after every cut. The steel need not be
rough, as some people imagine-in fact,
a well-worn steel is better than one
with a rough surface, and a few passes
over 1t with the knife produce a good
edge. The nan who rubs and manip-
ulates a carving knife To- FIVE minutes
against a steel before he begins to
carve, and thinks that now he has 1t
all right and may send the steel away,
makes a great mistake. He should
keep the steel handy and pass the knife
over it lightly a few times after every
cut or two. And even then he will &C
complish nothing unless he knows how
to use the two instruments. A carver
must be held at an angle of 20 to Is
degrees On the steel. One must be
careful to have the angle the same on
both sides, otherwise the knife will be
made dull instead of sharp. The knife
should be drawn on the steel from heel
to point against the edge, and the pres
sure should be very light"
"A carving knife gets tired accord
ing to the testimony of an old lunch
eon counter man, and must be laid
aside for rest for a while If the best
service is to be got out Of it. 1.-THE
roast beef eater" he said, looks at
the roast while it is being cut. and II
the knife seems to pull or to halt he
finds fault and, in many instances,
kicks before the portion is served. To
avoid this l put an edge on my knife
after every cut, but even that will not
keep me going all right, because the
knife gets tired, and unless 1 give It
a rest and take up a fresh one there's
sure to be trouble.
Il usually have six knives in use.
They are Of different lengths and I use
them in regular order, so that each one
gets the proper amount of rest. All
this is unnecessary with cold roast
beef, which is much less trying on the
knife than the hot article. 1 can carve
the best part Of a big cold roast with
out using the steel if the knife is in
good condition when I begin, and that
seems strange when n considers that
the cold roast is much irmer than the
hot one. But it's the heat and the
gravy that tell on the edgeg"
Cutters have certain rules for sharp
ening razors, pocket-knives, ETC., as
well as carving knives. "A razor"
manufacturers say, must be laid fat
on the hone, because it is hollow
ground and requires a fine edge. But
a pocket-knife requires a stiff edge,
and the moment you lay it fiat on a
stone, so as to touch the polished side,
you injure the edge. It must be held
at an angle Of 20 to 25 degrees and
have an edge similar to a chisel."