Fright Knife

Fright Knife

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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.
Object Name
knife
used
United States: Massachusetts, Cambridge
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
ID Number
2001.0253.0549
catalog number
2001.0253.0549
accession number
2001.0253
Credit Line
Gift of Julia Child
subject
Entertainment, Film
See more items in
Cultural 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
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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