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14 THE KNIFE RACK KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n JANUARY 2014 n www.kitchenwarenews.com The Knife Rack Introducing the CRIMSON Line from Ergo Chef BY LORRIE BAUMANN Ergo Chef is introducing its CRIMSON™ line of premium knives that bring a new ergonomic blade and bolster design, durable G10 handles and the combination of high-carbon German steel and Japanese blade angles for precision cutting along with superior edge retention. The line is available for shipment in January but is making its formal debut to the marketplace at the International Home + Housewares Show in March, when it will be available direct from Ergo Chef and from Harold Import Company. The line includes 11 items in open stock plus an 18-piece block set. The CRIMSON Chefs knife, Santoku and 7" Nakiri all have a distinctive curved blade shape that reflects an ergonomic edge that's more comfortable to rock and slice through foods without any abrupt stop. "It's ergonomically designed and tested for proven comfort and reduced strain on the hand, wrist and forearm," says Mike Staib, Vice President of Sales for Ergo Chef. "It's a natural extension of your hand and has helped many cooks cut more efficiently and easily with less strain and effort." The knives also have a new tapered bolster designed for comfort. "Since the beginning, man has created knives with straight handles, which in the motion of a chef knife causes you to over-bend your hand and wrist when chopping," Staib says. "We created a design of fit and form that keeps your hand in a natural position through the cut as well as blade geometry that creates a smooth rocking motion without an abrupt stop found on many other kitchen knives. These qualities along with balance and precision cutting edges make our knives the best choice." The Nakiri knife that's part of the line is a Japanese shape that traditionally has a rectangular blade and looks like a small cleaver. This knife, useful for dicing vegetables, isn't all that common yet in American kitchens, but Staib sees that it's catching on. The 18-piece block set includes an eight-piece steak knife set, kitchen shears and a honing steel as well as the bamboo block designed specifically for the CRIMSON knives. The block's slots were carved to match the angle of the knives' bolster, so that the knives will sit comfortably and securely in the block, and thought went into how to widen and angle those slots just a bit to allow for the bolster without making the block too large. "We hear from a lot of people that they don't want a very large block, they just want something that fits their knives comfortably without taking up a lot of room on the counter," WÜSTHOF Introduces Collegiate Steak Knife Line WÜSTHOF introduces its Collegiate line of GOURMET steak knives, customized with university sports team logos engraved on the knife blades. Available now at retail stores nationwide, the new gift-ready sets, customized to support more than 40 different college teams, include: the Collegiate GOURMET 7-Piece Steak Knife Block Set (model 8305) with six knives and a compact light-colored wood storage block engraved with the team logo ($149.99 suggested retail); and the Collegiate GOURMET 4-Piece Steak Knife Set (model 9729), priced at $89.99 suggested retail. These best-selling WÜSTHOF steak knife sets are now available with over 40 university logos; colleges featured in this season's initial roll-out include: Auburn, Staib says. Blades are highly polished high-carbon German steel. The chefs knife and Santoku have ovals hollow-ground into the blade for easier food release, while the Nakiri has the traditional polished flat blade that can be easily wiped for cleaning. They are heat-treated to hold their edge longer. "Higher polished blades also reduce chances for getting any rust on the blade," Staib says. Handles are G10 fiberglass resin with a wood grain look. "We always wanted to produce a line with a nice wood grain, but there's more maintenance with the nice woods, and they don't hold up as well. G10 is one of the world's strongest knife handle materials." G10 is durable enough to be dishwasher-safe, but Ergo Chef recommends not making that a habit. "It's dishwasher safe but would you put this beautiful knife in the dishwasher?" Staib commented. "We still recommend hand washing all good knives." The knives have a limited lifetime warranty. Suggested retail prices range from $44.99 for the paring knife to $699 for the block set. First-time customers should contact Ergo Chef for a special discount. Florida State, Texas A&M, UCLA, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and more. Additional universities will be added in 2014. The new Collegiate sets are perfect gifts for the holidays, alumni, tailgating, graduation, and every college fan. Features: The speciallydesigned Collegiate GOURMET Steak Knife Sets feature lasercut, full-tang knives crafted in WÜSTHOF's factory in Germany. The extraordinarily sharp straight edge knives are made of a high-carbon stain-free steel that resists rusting and staining, facilitates sharpening, and holds its edge. The highimpact black handle is seamlessly attached to the blades with triple rivets for a totally hygienic and secure fit. The new Collegiate GOURMET Steak Knives feature a slim blade that curves at the tip to effortlessly and cleanly slice through the thickest steaks, as well as other roasts made of beef, veal, pork, chicken, and other poultry. College team spirit is proudly exhibited with the school team's logo engraved at the heel of the blade on every knife. The Collegiate GOURMET 7-Piece Steak Knife Block Set also includes prominent positioning of the team's logo on the center of the storage block. All WÜSTHOF knives are fully guaranteed to be free of defects in craftsmanship.

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