Fortune Cookie NORA #1366 - 10' AEB-L Kiritsuke - Say hello to my little friend
$ 443.35
KNIFE HIGHLIGHTS
- Blade Type: Kiritsuke
- Blade Length: 10 Inches
- Total Length: 15 Inches
- Handle Style: Western | Right or Left Hand Use
- Steel: AEB-L Stainless Steel
- Handle Materials: Wood/Resin Hybrid (Shokwood) made with live edge walnut burl and urethane based resin, black G10 liners, black micarta pins
- Rockwell Hardness: 62 HRC
- Grind Type: Full Flat Hybrid - Performance Grind (3 different bevels blended)
- This Blade is Ground...
- Thin for Performance (best performance but delicate)
- Thick for Durability (tough, built to last for heavy wear-n-tear)
- >>> Mid-Range with Special Geometry (specially ground for food release and glide but blade is kept slightly thicker for durability)
- This Knife Feels...
- Heavy in Hand (Hefty. Durable.)
- Light (nimble, maneuverable)
- >>> Not too heavy, not too light (Switzerland. Fitting weight for the size of the knife.)
GENERAL USES OF THIS KNIFE:
KIRITSUKE KNIFE
This blade shape is our take on the traditional Japanese Kiritsuke knife.
A Kiritsuke knife is one of the very few Japanese knives that is considered multi-purpose. It is a hybrid between a Yanagi (fish slicer) and a Usuba (vegetable knife.). A Kiritsuke knife works well for slicing and breaking down protein but it also excels at vegetable prep. and general purpose tasks. In Japanese kitchens, the Kiritsuke knife is reserved only for the executive Chef as a sign of respect and also due to the skill needed to efficiently use these knives.
Our Kiritsuke design does not have as flat of a belly as the more traditional Japanese style knives. We have done this to allow just the slightest amount of rock in the cut. We feel it adds a bit more versatility to the knife.
ENGRAVING:
This knife falls into a small batch we made that we dubbed our "fortune cookie" batch. All of the engravings in this batch are located on the spine of the knives and all have some form of text. The text isn't necessarily a fortune, but rather a line, quote or saying that resonates with us for whatever reason. The hope is that maybe the saying or text will resonate with whomever adopts this knife.
This knife's "fortune" reads:
"Say hello to my little friend"
This is a common phrase in our household. Anytime we have anything that warrants an introduction, this phrase inevitably follows. It just never gets old for us despite the fact that this line was made famous by Al Pacino back in the 80's. If you haven't seen Scarface, its worth the watch, if only to see Pacino in his prime.
Tony used his "little friend" to explosively good effect and this knife is ready to be the same kind of trusty partner. But with food...not people. (Just thought we should make that one clear.)
HANDLE DESIGN & MATERIALS:
Every one of our knives is handmade, unique and numbered. This NORA knife has been handled with a beautiful Fiery Red Shokwood which has hues of red, orange and yellow in the resin. Shokwood is a hybrid mix of stabilized live edge wood and urethane based resins. This particular handle has walnut burl wood.
Wood stabilization is an added feature that we offer with our knives. Wood that is stabilized has been injected with a clear acrylic resin under a vacuum process. Stabilization helps to minimize, if not eliminate, any cracking, warping, shrinkage and/or expanding of the material. Stabilized wood will not absorb water and is generally impervious to oils. The process helps to ensure your knife has a long lifespan in the kitchen.
STEEL INFORMATION:
AEB-L STAINLESS STEEL
This knife blade is composed of AEB-L stainless steel which is a high-quality Swedish metal, originally developed for razor blades. Recently, steel suppliers have made this steel available in thicker sheets and it has proven to be an excellent adaptation for the cutlery industry.
AEB-L has a beautiful balance of carbon and chromium and, with proper heat treatment, this steel produces both a very fine edge as well as excellent toughness and edge stability. The fine grain structure also makes this steel very easy to sharpen. We believe it is one of the finest stainless steels available on the market today for use with kitchen knives.
As a side note, there are two things we like to mention about this steel:
1.) This steel responds beautifully to honing and if the knife is honed regularly it should need infrequent sharpening.
2.) AEB-L is a stainless steel but just barely. The concept of stainless steel is very misleading because every steel is, at some level, reactive to water and other elements.
The higher carbon content in this stainless is what allows it to get a fine edge and higher hardness compared to many other stainless steels but it also has a tendency to sometimes form very fine rust spots on the blade. If this happens, these are easily removed with a green or red scotch brite pad and usually the rough end of a kitchen sponge will also do the trick. Take extra care to remove any excess wetness that remain on this blade. Drip drying is NOT recommended.