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Giada De Laurentiis Stainless Steel Mezzaluna Knife

jglass

jglass

New member
Has anyone tried this knife? I see her using it on her show a lot. It looks good to me for chopping herbs but I have noticed she struggles with it when she tries to cut a dense item like a sweet potato.
I saw her using it to cut a sweet potato and she was griping the knife by the blade instead of the handle as she struggled to get the up angled tip of the blade through the potato.
Jon had asked me if I wanted it and I told him weeks ago that I didn't think the arch in it would make it good for mincing up anything but items that were already chopped. I like an 8 inch Santoku for my chopping.

So many of them slap their names on anything for a dollar. It amazes me how many people around here will hand over their last dollar for anything with Paula Deen on it.
 
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I got a beautiful Rachael Ray lasagna pan for Christmas that I love which has gotten good reviews and works great for me. I was researching the dutch oven from the same collection which has gotten terrible reviews. I recently ordered the 4.5 quart casserole from the same collection that got good reviews. I think the dutch oven was good in the oven to like 500 degrees and the lid was only good to 350. That to me makes the pot useless. What good would the dutch oven be for the oven if the lid is only good to 350?
I learned my lesson when I spent $45 for a Martha Stewart dutch oven a few years ago and it came apart the second time I used it. If I buy any more cookware with some personalities name on it I'm going to check out all of the reviews on it first.
 
My Dutch Oven is an old cast iron 10 inch with 4" sides that was in the throw away pile when we cleaned out my mother-in-laws house. Works great, weighs a ton and is probably not endorsed by anyone still living today. My cleaning of it started with a wood chisel and a hammer and ended with being seasoned in the oven.
 
Mezzaluna's are nice for doing herbs and smaller items. Cheeses, potatoes, etc. can't really be cut with some mezzalunas - they come in different sizes and usually the best are the ones that are sold through restaurant supply houses. I would not buy hers - sorry - I don't feel it's got the quality and strength I would be looking for. they look easy to use but some have trouble with them and they can be quite dangerous.
 
I have used mezaluna-style knives that I do like Janie- but haven't tried Giada's. Many of them are based on the Alaskan "ulu" which is a curved blade Eskimos used for everything from butchering whales to trimming fat from skins and tanning hides.
 
I agree. That is not a knife I want.
I didnt realize so many people would buy just based on the fact it is celebrity endorsed. People around here think Paula Deen is some sort of kitchen god and if it has her name on it then it must be top notch. My own sis was going to buy a set of Paula's cookware because of her name being on it and she liked the color. I picked her out a good hard anodized set of cookware instead that was not a big well known name but a very good price. That was a few years ago and she says the set is still like brand new. Most of Paula Deen's cookware has a terrible name. My own hard anodized cookware was Cook's brand from Penney's serveral years ago and still in wonderful shape. I got taken in by that Martha Stewart dutch oven a few years ago not because of the name on it but more for the cheap price lol. I do not buy coated cast iron anything after that. I have a very basic Lodge cast iron 5qt dutch oven that works wonderfully and has no coating to chip away.
 
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I like the ones I used in the restaurant - but when it comes to buying cookware from the food tv people - I don't trust them. Just not good quality with much of it.
 
For me cast iron, heavy stainless, heavy cast aluminum with clad bottom are the best pots. I also like my pressure cookers. Knives, I have many, some new some very old The old carbon steel ones are hard to beat. CF:)
 
I bought a 5 quart pressure cooker several years ago but Jon gave me such a hard time teasing that I was going to blow us both up with it that I only used it once. I havent taken it out of the box in years. I have a good set of stainless cookware but my favorite is the hard anodized nonstick.
 
JG, I really like the pressure cooker. I use it on tough cuts of meat. Like stew meat, about 7-10 min. it will be super tender. add the cooking liquid, to your stew. Now you can cook your vegetables until just done. No more mushy vegetables trying to get the meat tender. CF:)
 
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