[Welcome to Grant, a long-time reader, who is trying on the editor/writer position hat for size this week. Feel free to comment away, and let us know how you feel about Grant joining the team!]
I became obsessed with acquiring a mezzaluna after watching Nigella Bites on the Style Network several years ago.
If a particular recipe called for, say, tarragon, she'd pick up a mezzaluna, explaining that she's rather clumsy with cutlery and using a mezzaluna lessened the possibility of nicking herself whilst chopping (Nigella uses words like whilst).
A mezzaluna, which means half moon in Italian, is a crescent shaped knife with small, knob-like handles at each end. Nigella made the mezzaluna look fun, easy and safe. I realized that I would not be able to function as a cook unless I, too, had a mezzaluna.
Lucky for me, Nigella happened to be selling a Mezzaluna on her website. I ordered one and upon its arrival opened it like a child on Christmas morning. I pulled out a bunch of parsley and got rocking and chopping. It was just as fun as Nigella had made it look. However a realization quickly set in: using the mezzaluna felt a little unwieldy, a little out of control, not very precise. Parsley was flying everywhere and my cutting board became stained green.
In the end, the mezzaluna wound up getting squirreled away in a drawer in favor of my trusty Henkels 4 star Sankotu knife. Sorry, Nigella.
Fantes.com carries a variety of mezzaluna, including Nigella's ($21.99), priced from $7.99 to $39.99
I wanted the little whisk she used but now I don't. I got a broom whisk instead and a flat whisk which I use to lift fish.
I was interested in this article because I've often wondered if I should decide that I "need" a mezzaluna. Having read the article, I'm still confused -- is it a "Good Product," or do we agree that "a little unwieldy, a little out of control, not very precise" and "Parsley was flying everywhere and my cutting board became stained green." are bad things?
Oh, also -- does anybody have experience with whether or not the curved cutting boards (like this one -http://www.fantes.com/images/6930mezzaluna.jpg) actually prevent the chopped goods from flying everywhere?
Curved cutting boards, when matched to the arc and size of your curved knife, are the bomb. I have a one-handed ulu (Alaskan curved knife with one handle, probably spelled incorrectly) and a matching cutting 'bowl.' I have a tiny kitchen and this is the one special kitchen thing I'd never part with.
I for one like the ambiguous nature of this post. Give the information and let us decide for ourselves what works! It's a really good idea.
Oh, and yes, the reason I like the curved cutting boards is that they keep everything from flying around. Doing half a bunch of parsley only requires one or re-collections into the center (which you can use the knife to do), or none if you are really adept.
I'm a bit torn. I love reading Grant's food blog, but here the article feels so first-person compared to most other articles on the site. I love that the Kitchen isn't *about* the author of the post or all about their first-hand account of something. The Kitchen, to me, is more about springboards for community discussion.
Three cheers for Grant for a great job. His writing is fun and funny as well as informative.
he just needs to learn that the first person can be implied rather than actively deployed. it's an editing thing--i notice it on his blog as well tho i always dig his stories. respect!!
Indeed, I hope I'm not implying any disrepect to Grant or his writing. I'm a regular reader of his blog and enjoy his writing.
Very captivating but uneven and chopped off prematurely - I guess like the parsley.
Did you become more proficient? What about mezzaluna maintenance?
I have this mezzaluna too and really like it but wonder how to sharpen it? I have not had problems with anything flying about. It's not precise but good for when you want to chop something into tiny little smithereen bits.
Looks cool, even tried it out once. But still prefer a good chef's knife's rocking action. The ultimate multitasker.
I am also a big fan of Grant's, and I think this site would be a great fit for him; I do also think there's something to be said for offering up some first-person experiences as well as more distanced reviews, because as a lover of cooking but not a proficient cook, I like to hear stuff that's more personal sometimes -- like, even people who are great at it go through trial-and-error periods.
I'm hopeful we get to see more of him here!
Alton Brown uses his Zyliss pizza cutter for herbs. And I had a similar obsession...had to get it just so I could whizz away at cutting cilantro and other herbs into oblivion.
The novelty has since worn off and at least I now have a really good pizza cutter/herb shredder that doesn't take up too much real estate in my tiny kitchen
I recently purchased the Kommers herb chopper with tray from Ikea:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15570&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=50367&langId=-1&categoryId=15969&chosenPartNumber=90082360
I have used it to chop just a few chives to a large handful of basil, sage, and tarragon, and it worked like a charm for both. The handle of the chopper fits neatly over the edge of the board and doesn't take up much space in my kitchen at all. The curve of the handle fits easily into my palm(I have medium sized hands) and is very easy to use, not unweildy at all. I have not had any trouble with herbs flying everywhere or staining either. And at $10, I couldn't pass it up.
I have an ulu knife that is similar but straight bladed instead of curved. I love it: http://www.drcca.com/ulu/
I found some deal on a mezzaluna through www.lammazing.com and at first I didn't even realize what it was for. But now I have been using it for about 1 month and, well, my husband DEFINITELY LIKES IT :)