What’s Cooking
Helpful tools, a pinch of advice, and news from our community.
Master Your Knives This Fall
Whether you’re swinging by the shop for our Blade & Board Event or brushing up your skills from home, this season is all about getting comfortable with the most important tool in the kitchen: your knife.
As we shift from soft summer tomatoes to heavy winter squash, pumpkins, and root veggies, a sharp, well-maintained blade makes prep work safer and more enjoyable.
Consider this your official seasonal tune-up!
In the Kitchen:
Tools + Technique
Knife Care 101:
If you can’t make it in for our Blade & Board event demos, don’t worry—building good knife habits at home is a lot easier that you think. Let’s go!
Honing vs. Sharpening
Let’s talk about the difference between honing and sharpening. A honing rod doesn’t actually remove metal; it simply realigns the knife edge. Think of it as your daily tune-up.
Sharpening, on the other hand, is actually removing some of the metal to recreate a new bevel once your blade has lost it’s edge.
Keeping up with regular honing means you’ll need to sharpen far less often, thus extending the life of your knife!
How to Hold a Knife: The Pinch Grip
If you want to chop faster and safer, it’s time to abandon the “hammer hold”. The pinch grip is how chefs control a knife and once you try it, you’ll feel like a pro in the kitchen!
Moving your hand over the blade shifts its center of gravity, giving you more control with each cut. Gripping only the handle makes the blade twist and can slip on tough foods like squash. Pinching locks the knife vertically so it cuts straight up and down. It also lets the blade’s natural weight do the heavy lifting, saving your hand and wrist.
Cutting Surfaces
Now that you’ve mastered the pinch grip, take a look at what you’re chopping on. Your cutting board plays a HUGE role in how long your blades stay sharp.
Stick to wood, plastic, or composite boards like Epicurean. These surfaces slightly give way under the blade’s edge (which is good!), thus preserving the sharpness and longevity of your knife.
Never chop on glass, marble, granite, ceramic, metal, or titanium. Cutting on those kinds of surfaces is the fastest way to ruin a great knife in just a single prep session. Take a look at this video from America’s Test Kitchen - they explain why sticking to wood, composite, or plastic is the better choice.
Care & Storage: Protecting Your Investment
Once your prep is done, proper washing, drying, and storage keep your knives safe, sharp, and ready for action.
Give your knives a quick scrub with warm soapy water, dry them immediately, and put them away. The high heat and harsh detergents of the dishwasher are a no-no.
And magnetic bars, countertop blocks, and in-drawer organizers are all good choices for storing your blades.
Gather: News, Events & Community
Here’s what’s happening around the Willamette Valley this season:
53rd Annual
Corvallis Fall Festival
September 26 - 27
“Celebrating over 50 years of Pacific Northwest art and community, the Corvallis Fall Festival fills tree-lined Central Park with over 170 artisan booths, interactive art zones, local food non-profits, and two stages of nonstop live music.”
Admission is free. Plan your visit and view the event schedule here.
Cottage Grove Oktoberfest
September 26
10 - 8
Celebrate autumn in Historic Downtown Cottage Grove with local brews, authentic German fare, live music, and family activities lining Main Street. A great festive day trip just 20 minutes south of Eugene. Free admission, too!
Youth Farm
Bulk Storage Crop Sale
Now through October 19th, stock up on organic, winter-storing staples like potatoes, onions, carrots, and squash grown right here in the valley by the hardworking folks at the Food For Lane County Youth Farm. Every purchase directly supports local youth agriculture education and job training programs.
Mushroom Festival
Sunday, October 25
10 - 5
“Mount Pisgah Arboretum, along with Lane Community College and Cascade Mycological Society, present an eventful fall day for the Mushroom Festival. The day includes a mushroom exhibit, live music from several musicians, guided nature walks, mushroom vendors, food, arts and crafts vendors, kids' activities and hayrides.”
Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, 9/25 here. (Admission is free for Arboretum members)