Hoi An looks fascinating; I wish we had gone there. I bought mine in Saigon (oops, HCMC). You should have seen me pantomiming what I wanted to the hawkers. I'm sure I was amusing. But once I found people selling kitchenwares, a woman understood exactly what I meant (even though I sort of had it sideways) and went rummaging through a mountain of stuff -- I was afraid of an avalanche -- and pulled out a bundle of them tied together. I knew that was it; your description of a leaf-shape was perfect. It seems to be called a "dao bao." Here is a link that might be useful: article with a picture of dao baos

I'm in my new kitchen for a year now. Have the Bosch Benchmark Double Side-Swing Ovens and am very happy with them! Work like a charm and look terrific. Have a 36 inch Benchmark gas cooktop which is also terrific, The center burner is incredibly powerful and the simmer works well. My 36 inch integrated Sub Zero with double freezer drawers has worked well and Sub Zero really stands by their products. Needed water filter replaced (should replace it every year as my model has interior water dispenser) and they threw in a freebie. Love my Liebherr Beverage cooler RU500 although I think there's a newer model--it's very quiet and keeps drinks at the perfect temp leaving more room in my Sub-Zero fridge (integrated models are shallower) Bosch Benchmark Dishwasher also running complaint-free. My only complaint is my XtremeAir Range Hood-----it's THE WORST! I wanted a stronger model (and with baffles rather than mesh) than Bosch offered. Was also looking for a modern aesthetic and though I was a bit nervous about going with a newer brand, I decided to give them a go, plus they said they were made in America (not all together true, I came to find out) Within the first week, the touchpad malfunctioned and couldonly use the remote. I contacted them and I was shocked to be informed that they have no service or tech support to come to my residence for repair. They sent another touch-pad for my husband and I to try to install. I was off-put by this but went ahead and took time out of our day-off to remove the old one and install the new one. Well, that worked for all of a month. Then the overhead lights started blinking on and off----like seizure-inducing on and off! I called, I emailed begging for them to send a tech (still under one year warranty) and all they did was send another part with an "instructional install" video so shaky and poorly produced, that it was useless. They couldn't even take the time to have someone hold the iphone and film while the tech was showing the procedure--it was like a selfie instructional with nothing on camera but a dizzying, shaky shot of the ceiling and walls. I mean, at this point, don't you think they could've called a local repair company and footed the bill (as states on their warranty) instead of dealing with a very frustrated and disappointed customer! I repeat..DO NOT BUY XTREME AIR!!

Thanks, Lars. The description makes it sound easy to position the knife, but I had a CC sharpener 25? years ago and found that there was wiggle room and it wasn't always easy to just drop the knife into the slot. I notice that in the webstaurantstore site, there is a sharpener (~$198) by another company (for commercial use) and the magnet can be removed for cleaning and getting rid of the filings or swarf. The description for the sharpeners fails to mention the bevel angle. Ever heard of Mercer sharpeners? It is the same essential design as the CC and would pose the same positioning issue. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/mercer-culinary-m10000-triple-diamond-3-stage-professional-electric-knife-sharpener/470M10000.html Lars, did you find that the 2nd slot then the stropping slot got your knives sharp? I like a very sharp knife. I have some water stones (as well as oil stones). IIRC, the finest water stone is maybe 4,000, maybe 5,000. But then I have to use a hone and it still doesn't keenly chop/slice (parsley, onion). I'm wondering if I should get an 8000 stone, or mess with angle guides. I often do use the Black sharpie technique (dcarch above). When I bought my 8" Victorinox chef's knife, it was super sharp right out of the packaging. I could nearly give myself a cut (not my objective) just by looking at it. I want most of my knives sharp like THAT! A local guy has a pricy Edge Pro system. That takes time and has a learning curve. $$$. He charges about $1/inch. Either I am not getting the angle right or sharpening long enough, or or or. I don't think I can ever detect a blasted 'burr.' I slice (some fine chop) and cook a lot. I'm trying to heel a sore, problematic shoulder and arm. I've even fantasized about buying a crate of new knives.... Pone thing that did work for a long while, before it wore out, was a thin round, no-name "sharpening" rod coated with very fine diamond powder. $4.50! I recently bought a diamond rod, but it's not as fine a grit, doesn't get the edge all that keen with just a couple light strokes. I have a fine Arkansas stone (white-gray), albeit an oil stone (inherited). Maybe I should use that after the 5,000 water stone. I've watched many YouTube videos. I move the knife edge away, not into the stone (I don't lead with the knife edge). And, I think I understand that very keenly sharpened edges don't last well, particularly on the sort of so-so steel that's in most of my knives -- like that in the Victotinox. I'll look at this video again: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=te1KIpGyz-4#fauxfullscreen ed-- typos

Ours was delicious. The meat was fork tender. DH made a few substitutions. Not wanting to open a new bottle of wine, he used the tag ends of an open bottle and finished it out with sherry. He also added sherry to the umami bomb 🤷‍♀️ I’ve learned not to question. This recipe will definitely be in rotation for the one or four days out of the year that we put on long pants and socks. For those of you looking for more stew recipes, this is a good one. No meat and very rich. Mushroom BourguignonMELISSA CLARK YIELD4 to 6 servings TIME1 hour David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.Meaty mushrooms simmered with pearl onions, wine and carrots make for a rich, wintry Bourguignon-style stew. The quality of the stock here makes a big difference, so if you’re not using homemade, buy a good brand. If you’re a meat eater, beef broth adds a familiar brawny character to this dish, but mushroom or vegetable broth work just well, especially because the whole dish is rounded out with a tamari for depth. For the best flavor, use as many kinds of mushrooms as you can get, and let them really brown when searing; that caramelization adds a lot of depth to the sauce. Maitake mushrooms give this a brisketlike texture, in a very good way INGREDIENTS 6 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as portobello, cremini, white button, shiitake or oyster, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 cups) 8 ounces peeled pearl onions (2 cups), larger ones cut in half Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large leek or 2 small leeks, white and light green parts, diced (1 1/2 cups) 2 carrots, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 grated to a paste) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups dry red wine 1 ½ cups beef, mushroom or vegetable broth 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste 3 large fresh thyme branches or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 bay leaf 3 to 4 ounces chanterelle or oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Smoked paprika, for serving Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving Step 1Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to a large Dutch oven or pot and set it over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in half the mushrooms and half the pearl onions. (If it doesn’t all fit in the pot in one layer, you might have to do this in three batches, rather than two.) Without moving them around too much, cook the mushrooms until they are brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir and let them brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms and onions to a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms and pearl onions, seasoning them as you go. Step 2Reduce heat to medium-low. Add another 1 tablespoon butter or oil to pan. Add leeks and carrot and sauté until the leeks turn lightly golden and start to soften, 5 minutes. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine, broth, 1 tablespoon tamari, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the brown bits at bottom of pot. Step 3Add reserved cooked mushrooms and pearl onions back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pot and simmer on low heat until carrots and onions are tender and sauce is thick, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and tamari if needed. Stir in the grated garlic clove. Step 4Just before serving, heat a small skillet over high heat and add ½ tablespoon butter or oil. Add half of the sliced chanterelles or oyster mushrooms and let cook without moving until they are crisp and brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Repeat with remaining butter and mushrooms. Serve mushroom Bourguignon over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes, topped with fried mushrooms and parsley. Featured in: The Meat Lover’s Guide To Eating Less Meat.