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Eva Solo's Nordic Kitchen Damascus Collection was developed to closely follow Japanese knife-making tradition while integrating Scan- dinavian design aspects. The knives are forged from Japanese Damascus Steel (AUS 10) pressed from 67 layers. The blade edge follows a traditional Japan- ese angle of 13 to 15 degrees on each side. This edge, in combi- nation with the narrow spine makes for easy cutting through foods. The knives feature an ergonomic handle which allows for great pressure without discomfort. For more information, visit www .counterpointdesignshop.com or see them at Las Vegas Market. KN Japanese-Style 2 KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW • JULY 2019 • www.kitchenwarenews.com The Spherificator isn't actually new – an industrial version of the device was devel- oped in Montreal by an inventor who used it to make Kelp Caviar, a cheaper substitute for real roe. Cedarlane Culinary acquired the company in 2018, and this year, Cedarlane, previously known for its Bellini thermal food processor, revamped its IH+HS booth to showcase the Spherifi- cator. "The booth was packed the whole show. We had tons of international distribu- tors that we'd never heard of, and we found some American inde- pendent retailers and larger chains who wanted to take it on as well," Skeoch said. "It was easily the best housewares show we've ever done." The Spherificator re- tails for $99 and comes with the device plus enough of the sodium alginate and calcium chloride that make the gel membrane that encapsulates the liquid to make enough pearls for about 50 dinner par- ties. After the supplies that come in the box have been exhausted, more is available from Cedarlane in Canada or Modernist Pantry in the U.S. The Spherificator also comes with a recipe booklet of 18 chef-developed recipes. For the retailer, it's a device that demon- strates well in the shop. "Seeing it in person re- ally helps," Skeoch said. "You can use just about any food or liquid and turn it into perfectly consistent caviar pearls to take your plating and presentation up a few notches" To make the pearls, the user mixes liquid with sodium alginate, a natural seaweed ex- tract in the form of a powder that's blended into the liquid. It thickens the liquid just a little bit. "You put that in the top of the machine," Skeoch said. "Then you push the button on the machine, and it comes out as perfect little droplets." Those droplets fall into a bath made with the calcium chloride, a natural salt that's a close relative of table salt, and water. "Each little droplet, when it hits the water, the calcium reacts with the alginate to form a thin membrane around each drop," Skeoch said. "You can do this the old-fashioned way with a syringe or squeeze bottle slowly dripping one drop at a time into the bath, but it takes forever, so people who have done it that way in the past ab- solutely love how quickly our new version pumps them out!" When the pearls are bitten, the liquid in- side gushes out in a burst of flavor, so they're a functional ingredient in the dish, but their primary appeal is in elegant presentation – and, of c o u r s e , as a way for a dinner party host to make a splash. "You get a hit of flavor with every bite, but it's really all about the visuals," Skeoch said. "It's an easy way for a foodie to elevate the plating. You don't see this kind of advanced plating at most dinner parties." For more information, email info@ spherificator.com. KN Knives SPHERIFICATOR Continued from page 1

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