The Mediocre TITLE FAIRY thread :: Change my title, please.

gjl711 wrote in post #19551764
It's not a thing, it's a tool. It's my most used tool. Something pops up daily, most times several times daily, where a simple pocket knife is just the right tool. Already today, one package from Amazon needed opening, a couple cardboard boxes needed to be shrunk down, picked 2 tomatoes for breakfast, and I had a thread hanging off my tee-shirt that needed to be trimmed. So just this morning, 4 uses.

Seems even new my pocket knives aren't sharp enough to cut a tomato without just crushing it. Even boxes, I use a utility knife.

Chet wrote in post #19551781
Seems even new my pocket knives aren't sharp enough to cut a tomato without just crushing it. Even boxes, I use a utility knife.

Sounds like a poor quality knife.

Tomato skins are surprisingly resistant for material that thin. I notice this in the kitchen. Try to start a slice with the cutting edge parallel to the tomato surface and the skin just creases. The trick is to puncture the skin first with the point of the knife. Make a small slit and start the actual cut from there so the blade is at an angle to the part of the skin it passes through.

gjl711 wrote in post #19551786
Sounds like a poor quality knife.

I've had many then. I usually make them worse trying to sharpen. My dad was a commercial photographer, and my grandfathers were both dead before I was born so never got the proper learning.

OhLook wrote in post #19551791
Tomato skins are surprisingly resistant for material that thin. I notice this in the kitchen. Try to start a slice with the cutting edge parallel to the tomato surface and the skin just creases. The trick is to puncture the skin first with the point of the knife. Make a small slit and start the actual cut from there so the blade is at an angle to the part of the skin it passes through.

I use a serrated knife for anything food related, vegetables, fruit, meat, EVERYTHING. I have an expensive set of Cutco knives, doesn't seem to matter. The cooking scissors are awesome I must say, but not for tomatoes of course.

Or make sure you have a set of high quality sharp knives. A knife should just glide through a tomato as if it's not there. I do a lot of cooking and use to get very frustrated exactly as you describe, I would smoosh tomatoes preferring a cheap separated steak knife because it cut better or sawing away trying to trim a cut of meat. Then I upgraded to a better knife and was amazed at the difference. It's like shooting with a P/S and finally given a 5D. Same tool and either gets the job done, but a world of difference in performance. I now have several decent knives, a chef knife, carving, boning, cleaver, bread, and a few others. They are all pretty old now, but the difference in performance is huge. Your tomato can be ketchup wrapped in Kevlar and my veggie knife will glide righ through as if melted butter.

gjl711 wrote in post #19551729
Pocket knife. Everyone need to have a pocket knife at all times.

In my teens and early twenties I also carried a pocket knife at all times but since then I no longer carry a pocket knife. Don't miss it at all.

I carry a pocket knife and have since I was a teen. I did lawn care and would find reasons to use it. In my early 20's was gifted a small pocket knife that I still carry today. I don't know how many times it has been sharpened but the wear and tear of the knife represents the amount of time I've had it. For my career in EMS I carried a Buck knife (this was pre-seatbelt cutters) so we could free people from places they would end up after accidents. I still have that one too. At some point I was gifted one of those little red Victorinox? pocket knives that has a blade, a file and tiny little scissors, tweezers and what I assume is a toothpick. So I guess I carry two knives these days. Amazon is my friend so I do break down a lot of boxes, but even things like bottles of Lipton citrus tea come tightly wrapped in plastic and I use a knife to remove that. Oddly enough I never thought to pick up a bone saw.

OhLook, I stopped using cash with the introduction to the debit/credit card. I always had some cash in my wallet but always use plastic to this day. I never figured in the Covid issue with it. I kept finding I would end up with a massive amount of singles, and I still have cups with rolls of singles in hundred dollar amounts that I keep meaning to take to the bank but never do.

jay125 wrote in post #19552035
OhLook, I stopped using cash with the introduction to the debit/credit card. I always had some cash in my wallet but always use plastic to this day. I never figured in the Covid issue with it. I kept finding I would end up with a massive amount of singles, and I still have cups with rolls of singles in hundred dollar amounts that I keep meaning to take to the bank but never do.

They do accumulate. I put them in tip jars, one at a time, at the bakery I go to, where employees presumably don't get paid much. Now that I use cash again for small purchases, I use some that way. Mine never pile up by anything like hundreds.

OhLook wrote in post #19552044
They do accumulate. I put them in tip jars, one at a time, at the bakery I go to, where employees presumably don't get paid much. Now that I use cash again for small purchases, I use some that way. Mine never pile up by anything like hundreds.

My singles go back maybe 10 or 12 years when I was working 50 to 60 hours a week and never made it to the bank when it was open. The cups got shoved out of the way in my home office and are still sitting there. Now that I have free time I do need to get them deposited in the bank. It's easier now that they use the cash counters rather than counting them by hand, too. I have no excuse other than I am just lazy. If paperboys were still around I could pay them with them, but like so many other things, I now read the news online. I haven't been to the bakery or a restaurant in almost 4 years, so tips aren't an option either. I miss the bakery, maybe I will do that tomorrow morning!

jay125 wrote in post #19552166
My singles go back maybe 10 or 12 years when I was working 50 to 60 hours a week and never made it to the bank when it was open. The cups got shoved out of the way in my home office and are still sitting there. Now that I have free time I do need to get them deposited in the bank. It's easier now that they use the cash counters rather than counting them by hand, too. I have no excuse other than I am just lazy. If paperboys were still around I could pay them with them, but like so many other things, I now read the news online. I haven't been to the bakery or a restaurant in almost 4 years, so tips aren't an option either. I miss the bakery, maybe I will do that tomorrow morning!

I did the same for years and filled up a large plastic 3 gallon jug. We took it to our bank and they no longer offer the coin counting service. They now send it out and it might take a few weeks to get them counted. I was thinking of paying my property tax with it.

And back to the weather. 90°F right now. That is all. Hope the folks experiencing the rare west coast hurricane are staying safe.

Chet wrote in post #19552688
And back to the weather. 90°F right now. That is all. Hope the folks experiencing the rare west coast hurricane are staying safe.

Looks like it petered out. Just a gale now and falling fast. Gonna get the rain though. Chatted with my son in LA and they are just getting a light rain at the moment and niece in San Diego says the same.

That seems a terrific trade off. California could always use rain!

Chet wrote in post #19552749
That seems a terrific trade off. California could always use rain!

Looks as if they are going to get the rain, just not the hurricane.

Meanwhile back in Central Iowa, highs for the next 4 days will be in the triple digits. Today, the high will be upper 90's however the heat index will reach 111º by 4pm. We will have a dangerous heat advisory in place and cooling centers are beginning to open for those without air conditioning. The corn seems to be doing well, however.