Fright Knife

Description:

Julia Child called this 20-inch-long knife, with its serrated, stainless steel blade and rosewood handle, her “fright” knife. She wielded it in several of her early, televised cooking shows to great comic effect, memorably tapping each of the “Chicken Sisters” with its blade (“Miss Broiler! Miss Fryer! Miss Roaster! Miss Caponette! Miss Stewer! And Old Madame Hen!”) in a 1970 episode of The French Chef. A self-avowed “knife freak,” Julia accumulated a large collection of kitchen knives, and this one became a favorite prop for getting viewers’ attention on television.

Used: United States: Massachusetts, Cambridge

Used: Entertainment, Film

Subject:

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Occupations, Food, FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000, Julia Child's Kitchen

Exhibition: Food: Transforming the American Table

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Credit Line: Gift of Julia Child

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2001.0253.0549Catalog Number: 2001.0253.0549Accession Number: 2001.0253

Object Name: knife

Physical Description: metal (overall material)wood (overall material)Measurements: overall: 51.5 cm x 7 cm x 3 cm; 20 9/32 in x 2 3/4 in x 1 3/16 in

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-9d9c-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_997481

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