“It’s like working with a piece of art”
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by Marina in Kitchen Gear
Are you a knife person? If you are you’ll be excited to hear we are officially South Africa’s exclusive supplier of I.O.Shen knives. Yes sirree. We couldn’t be more pleased.
We’ve just added them to our knives section, so go and have a look. They are on their way from Europe, and will be available soon. If you hadn’t heard of them don’t feel bad. You can still call yourself a knife person.
Tried and tested
Acclaimed chef and friend of Yuppiechef Cheyne Morissby has been test running two of the new knives at his bustling restaurant Cheyne’s on 103 Bree Street, Cape Town. We popped in yesterday to find out how he was faring.
One of the first things he said was that they stayed sharp for a full two weeks before they needed sharpening. For knives hard at work in a chef’s kitchen that’s good. In fact it’s great.
Here’s some technical information, for those who want to go deeper.
They stay sharp for longer
It’s a fact that knife sharpness (and how long they stay sharp) depends on the hardness of the stainless steel. It’s also a fact that the harder the stainless steel, the more brittle and vulnerable to chipping the knife gets. I.O.Shen use Triplex technology to combat this – their knife construction process involves wrapping two reinforced layers of softer, shock-absorbing Rockwell stainless steel around an ultra hard steel core. The result? A blade that is amazingly sharp and durable.
Impressive angles
Did you think your knive edge was at a good old right angle? Nope. Proper chef’s knives are sharpened to a slant, which allows for better slicing and portion control. I.O.Shen knife blades are sharpened to a 15° angle, which is excellent.
Tai Tang…
This is not an asian cooldrink, or a new sport. It’s the name of the design on the I.O.Shen handle, which distinguishes them from any other knife. And it’s not just embellishment – the metal inlay plays an integral part in achieving the knives’ perfect balance and stability.
Love handles
The handles are produced from a synthetic material called ebonite, which is both durable and heat resistant. So if you drop your I.O.Shen knife in a furnace, it stands a chance. More importantly, the handle material is great to the touch and skillfully moulded to become a natural extension of your arm.
Look our for a full review from Cheyne, which will be up soon.
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