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The Knife Rack THE KNIFE RACK KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n OCTOBER 2016 n www.kitchenwarenews.com 1 6 The Care and Feeding of Kitchen Knives (cont. from Page 1) where the knife is always in contact with the board's surface, that's a good technique. But a lot of people will just whack at stuff – the harder you are like that, the more you're going to wear away the edge of the knife," says Tate. "If you're really pushing 3 or 4 inches each stroke, you're really wearing your blade out. A lot of people, you wouldn't believe it. It 's insane the amount of [effort] people put into stuff that 's just wasted." If getting knives sharpened is like going to the dentist, honing knives is like brushing your teeth: a daily regimen to keep things working between checkups. "I ask them if they have a steel. If they say they have one, I ask them how they use it. If they're doing it wrong, I'll teach them," says Tate. "A lot of times in knife skills classes they ' ll have you hold the knife at a 45 degree angle to the steel. But the way I [hone] knives, it 's like a 15 degree angle. I encourage people to keep the spine about a quarter inch above the steel. I don't use degrees because it's easier for people to understand inches." Even a well-honed knife will eventually need sharpening. For sharpening at home, Tate recommends going with an old- fashioned approach. "I think for home sharpening, the best way to sharpen at home is with a set of good quality water stones and all the things that come with that. As far as gadgets that sit on counter and you drag your knife through, I strongly discourage those. What happens is, there are little metal and ceramic things in there that are set at a certain angle that will just scrape the side of the bevel of the knife. It ' ll chew up the edge and it ' ll be extremely rough," says Tate. "You wind up losing more material than you should at the edge." Countertop grinders can do even more damage to knives that have bolsters, a part of the blade that widens out to meet the edges of the handle. "With German knives that have bolsters, you pull it through a number of times; you wind up hollowing out the edge of the knife. You can see light coming through [when the blade is resting on a flat surface] because of the way it 's chewing out there. I spend all day fixing that; it 's one of the main things I do." Keeping a knife in use for decades comes down to a few basic principles. "As far as home knife care, there's some dos and don'ts," says Tate. "The main thing is, never put your knife in the dishwasher. Most of it is just common sense stuff; don't throw a knife in a drawer without a cover." While a more expensive knife might require more care to keep it in working condition, a customer's primary goal should be comfort. "The main thing for me, you need to have a knife that you're comfortable with. I encourage people to try them out first. Even if your budget is such that you can afford a $300 knife, it might not feel good in your hand," says Tate. "When you buy a knife, it 's an investment; it 's something you're going to be having for 20 years, so you always want to get something you're comfortable with." KN New Kyocera Mini-Prep Board Set Bosign Spreader Knife Air, Large The new Kyocera Mini-Prep Knife + Bar Board Set was created for the home bar, tailgating, camp kitchen, picnics, boating and more reaching out to expand the target market for the brand's exclusive advanced ceramic cutlery. Beautifully packaged, it can also be merchandised for gift giving or as a set of "city-sized" compact kitchen tools for small space kitchens. The 3-piece set includes a 3- inch Mini Prep Knife, a cutting board, and a safety sheath. It comes in black, red, green or yellow accents with white. The 3-Inch Mini Prep Knife features a pure white ceramic blade made of Zirconia Z206, Kyocera's proprietary advanced ceramic. This one-of-a-kind ceramic creates a stronger, denser, super sharp blade that holds its edge more than 10 times longer than other blades, including premium steel. Kyocera's ceramic offers unparalleled purity and will never rust or transfer metal ions to foods. This is the go-to knife for slicing fruits such as lemons, limes vand strawberries, or for mincing and cutting herbs or small veggies. It is easy to clean: simply hand wash or wipe clean with a towel. The 9-½ by 5-inch sturdy plastic cutting board is white, with a curved non-slip rubber edge on each end that is color coordinated with the knife. A decorative juice groove keeps things neat by catching excess liquid. The design is reversible, allowing the user to prevent cross contamination by using both sides. The cutting board is dishwasher safe and stain resistant, and it will not warp, crack or peel. The included safety sheath protects the blade for safe and easy storage and transport. Kyocera is the only manufacturer of advanced ceramic cutlery to offer a lifetime warranty and lifetime sharpening. Any product found defective in materials or workmanship will be repaired or replaced. For nominal shipping and handling charge, Kyocera will sharpen your Kyocera blade to a factory-new edge. The Mini Prep Knife + Bar Board Set is available for immediate shipment and has a suggested retail price of $29.95. KN Wendell August Announces Partnership With Warther Cutlery Metal giftware brand Wendell August has announced its latest partnership with kitchen knife manufacturer Warther Cutlery on a new line of cutting boards. Wendell August metal designs adorn Warther cutting and ser ving boards to create functional pieces of art for everyday use in the kitchen. The brand collaboration combines over 200 years of craftsmanship and heritage with for ward-thinking artistry into a modern collection of premium cutting and serving boards. Each of the eleven boards in the assortment is hand cut and accented with hand hammered metal. The result is a beautiful board that is both functional and decorative. Boards are available in maple, walnut and cherry, and accented with hammered designs in aluminum and copper. " There was an immediate synergy between our two American brands, and we are thrilled to collaborate with the talented Warther team on a product offering that showcases fine woodworking and metal craftsmanship," said Christian Werner, Wendell August President. "Our iconic metal designs adorn these quality boards, creating functional pieces of art for everyday use in the kitchen." " We are very excited about the beautiful products our teams have jointly created," added Steven Cunningham, Warther Cutlery President. " Wendell August shares the same ideals and values of quality and craftsmanship as our team, and our shared vision for this assortment has resulted in a product collection we are proud to launch into the marketplace." The collection will be available at wendellaugust.com, warthercutlery.com and in each brand's retail store locations. KN The self- standing Spreader Knife Air is designed to minimize the mess on kitchen surfaces during use with a handle that 's specially designed to keep the blade f rom touching the table or countertop when it's set down. This makes it ideal to set out on the buffet next to the Brie, so that each guest can pick up the knife to spread the soft cheese on a cracker or crostini and then set it down again without contaminating the blade for the next guest. But of course, the Bosign Spreader Knife isn't just for cheese. It 's also ideal for spreading butter, jams and dips as well as soft cheeses, Bosign's Spreader Knife is a stylish and decorative addition to any dinner table. The grip-f riendly shape and form of the handle even adds extra power when cutting into chilled butter. "uring the design of Bosign's spreader knife, our objective was to integrate all the functionality in the natural shape of the butter knife,"says Product Designer Harald Hynel. "othing added. Just a shape and its inherent function. The result is a functional spreader knife with a clean shape. A butter knife with shape and function in perfect harmony." The Spreader knife series is offered in two sizes and two materials, stainless steel and wood. The Spreader Knife received the Red Dot Award this year along with the International Design Plus Award 2016 in February. The suggested retail price is $48.40. For more information, call Bosign in Stockholm at 46.0.8.661.00.92 or visit en.bosign.se. KN

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