These Innovative Knives Will Give You Back your Culinary Edge Fallin into a culinary rut? The unique aesthetic of top chef knife brand Edge of Belgravia‘s striking new collection, the Kuroi Hana, sprouted from a desire to inject more creativity into people’s cooking (http://www.thepluspaper.com/2017/04/13/your-top-7-summer-recipes/). These “pieces of art” – and rightly described, with their dark floral patterning and razor edges – have launched on Kickstarter to do just that. Kuroi Hana means ‘Black Flower’, a fitting description for the dark floral Damascus effect manually etched onto each blade. Inspired by meticulously manicured Japanese gardens, this pattern is achieved by submerging the blades in an acid bath, bringing out the steel’s natural patterns. The blades are neutralised afterwards to meet safety standards. The knives’ overall shape references the modern architectural design trends – angularity, and smoothness of transition – that Edge of Belgravia see in their hometown of London. The blades are made from 66 strengthening layers of a hand-selected AUS-10 Japanese steel, with a hardness range of 58-60 on the Rockwell scale that keeps if sharper for longer. This particular type of steel has a history of being used in the forging of samurai and Damascene swords – and who doesn’t want that when they’re chopping their parsnips. The full six-knife collection contains a 19cm slicing knife, chef’s knife, and bread knife, a 15cm chef’s knife, a 12.5cm utility knife, and a 10cm paring knife. We get the lowdown, from Edgo of Belgravia funder and CEO Freddie Ostlund. THE PLUS: Are you good with a knife yourself? Freddie Ostlund: I love cooking but I cannot say that I am a chopping-whizz, but with super sharp knives you do not have to be! Having good kit makes such a difference. TP: Part of your ethos at Edge of Belgravia is that cooking should be creative – how do you get creativity into your cooking? FO: We believe that sharp knives are a good starting point. Cooking should be fun and experimental. Understanding the principles and processes to enhance tastes is key. They let you substitute ingredients, and be playful with new tastes and combinations. TP: What’s next on the cards? FO: We are currently exploring new designs for a crystal glass range, as well as a cutlery range. TP: What’s your most adventurous culinary escapade? FO: When we first launched in the USA, in October 2013, we had two of the first US winners of Masterchef in our booth cooking small dishes for visitors. I guess we were one of the most popular stands because of that! We ordered too much seabass. I had to cook seabass for 6 days straight, for the Edge of Belgravia team. Finding new ways every day was quite a challenge. I had to keep it interesting to prevent mutiny.
