FROMAGE ACCOUTREMENTS

My two favorite accessories for cutting le fromage are my Laguiole knives and my slate cheese board. Both were given to me by my very good friend Shannon. I never buy anything like this for myself. LAGUIOLE CHEESE KNIVES I emphasize and re-emphasize that I am not a crazy gadget or fancy accessory person, but I have a serious crush on these knives. I sometimes choose cheeses specifically so I can use each of one them. I would hate for any of them to feel neglected. (she’s nuts) I was rounding up my lovely little set of three knives earlier in preparation for this post and I couldn’t find the green one. I literally became faint, but don’t worry, I found him! About Laguiole. Besides sounding sexy, Laguiole is actually not one company, but a town in the Aveyron region of France where this particular knife-making tradition began in the early 1800’s. Many of the Laguiole products that you find today are made in Le Chine (China), but my little guys are made in Le France. Read more. I became familiar with Laguiole when I witnessed a champagne sabering a few years back in Napa. Don’t worry, nobody was hurt – with the exception of the champagne bottle. (Stay tuned for a future video post.) When I opened up Shannon’s gift, I noticed the little bee/fly on the knives and instantly remembered that it was the same as the champagne saber. I think Shannon gave me my set a year ago and since then I have seen these knives and variations of Laguiole products popping up everywhere from William’s Sonoma to Crate and Barrel. There is major disparity in pricing. I suggest you pay no more than $35 for a set of three. Locally, in SF, there is a cute store called Spuntino, where you can buy the knives separately and choose your own colors. I believe that if you purchase yours online, they will come as a pre-decided set and without the cute pokey knife. I am sure that is not the technical name for this knife. It cuts and pokes the cheese! Anthropologie has a brightly-colored set, but it is includes a little forkey thing instead of the pokey knife. SLATE CHEESE BOARD:

Image from winestuff.com

The coolest thing about the slate cheese board is that it came with a nice little piece of chalk-shaped soap stone so that you can label the types of cheeses on the board. I have to be honest, I usually just end up doodling on the board for fun because when it is cheese-laden, there isn’t a lot of room for anything else. Cheese looks beautiful on this surface and I like to accompany it with sliced apples, grapes and some honey or Adriatic Fig spread. Please scroll down for links on where to buy yours. WHERE TO BUY SLATE CHEESE BOARD Many different companies make them and they can cost anywhere from $19.99 to $68… , but why would you pay $68? Why, I ask? Both the knives and the board make lovely hostess gifts. http://www.winestuff.com/acatalog/Slate_Cheese_Board.html http://www.amazon.com/Orvis-Slate-Cheese-Board/dp/B0044769UU

By |2018-10-03T12:59:39-04:00February 16th, 2011|

4 Comments

  1. Carrie Gray February 16, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    Those kind of put my almost 14-year-old wedding gift four-pack of Williams Sonoma Cheese knives, that I still use religiously, to shame. They’ll be so sad living in the entertainment tableware closet all alone, replaced by better, stronger, prettier knives. Maybe if I keep the two groups separated, neither one will be the wiser…

  2. katrina February 17, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    OOhh I love the slate board that you can write the name of the cheeses..how cleaver…lol…get it cleaver..clever.. 🙂

  3. veggietestkitchen February 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    what’s wrong with just using a knife? i really try not to have too much stuff, but if someone wanted to give me foodie gadgets as a gift, well i’d be all over it, ha! very clever idea re: the cheeseboard you can write on. my Belgian friend would love that. I’ll have to send this to her. thanks for sharing. cheers.

  4. Slateplate October 28, 2011 at 7:05 AM

    Hi all, we’re actually a small business in Raleigh, NC USA that makes slate cheese boards! To answer some questions put forth in this posting- the price ranges come from the size and quality of the slate board. Some boards are made with American slate and some with Chinese or Spanish slate. Anything that comes pre-wrapped in a box is going to be Chinese slate and there is nothing really ‘wrong’ with it except that it is just mass-produced (the one in the picture attached is definitely Chinese slate and is sold all over the web and eBay). Our slate is quarried in North America and is a deep dark black color and is hand finished here in the USA. We offer it in multiple sizes, but the most popular are 6″x12″ for pairings, 8″x16″ for personal or small cheese presentations, 12″x16″ for larger presentations and then we’re one of the only company that offers a ‘super’ size at 12″x24″! You can put a whole lot of cheese and writing on that! The chalk you see to write with is pure soapstone and is completely food safe, we sell that too super cheap, but you can use chalk from local stores too just don’t eat it! Anyway, our site has a lot of great information and you can buy Slate Cheese Boards there at great prices. Feel free to visit us online at http://www.slateplate.com.

Leave A Comment