Hasta La Ideas

Handmade knives from Southwestern Tel Aviv

A brilliant series of utility knives from Israeli designer Tomer Botner brings together high-end craftsmanship with social advocacy. The blades have been created with the help of 17 local suppliers, craftsmen and professionals from Tel Aviv’s Florentine neighborhood, made from materials sourced from the area. The knives comprise Botner’s final project for the Shenkar School of Engineering and Design, imagined as a way to showcase Florentine’s place as a thriving hub of Israeli culture.

“I hope all the small businesses in my community will want to work with designers and open their minds to a new future for Florentine—a future of quality and community,” says Botner. “I believe that design is the most important capitalist tool. It can be used for good or evil. This is my way of doing good: making crafts and skills last, making it possible for small business to compete with big business, and branding my community as a place of high quality.”

For the design, a single forged handle and blade serve as the cornerstone of the knives. The handle features a single steel plate that joins the hilt and forms an extruded cross. Botner then stacks weighted disks along the length of the handle, using a range of weights from 3-9 grams to achieve a perfect balance for each blade.

Once the wedge is set in the hilt, the handle is then sealed and the knife given an individual number. Form follows function as the colored rings stripe the knife in a playful spectrum. The shape is a bit of a departure from the traditional Western chef’s knife, using a highly curved spine and blade for rocking-style chopping.

Currently producing 200mm and 120mm lengths, Botner is in the process of sourcing funding to produce the knives for consumers. Take a closer look at the production process on Botner’s blog.

Exclusive hand-crafted blade from Oklahoman steel master

There is a deep-rooted bond between human beings and blades, born from our mysterious history roaming the cave systems of France and the jungles in southeast Asia. The knife is one of our simplest tools, but is still extremely important. When one feels a properly made blade with perfectly balanced steel at their fingertips, the recognition is instantaneous. We recently got to check out the Sodbuster pocket knife, hand-crafted by Gene Wiseman exclusively for
Kaufmann Mercantile. Not only does this knife exude quality, its functional design is intended to wear through the ages.

Wiseman, who spent a large part of his life working steel for horseshoes, took his first foray into knife-making several years ago. His years of experience on small-batch production runs paid off, sharpening his extreme attention to detail. Wiseman makes his blades one by one in a trailer-sized space in the woods of Oklahoma, along the Arkansas border. Each knife takes two days to finish and everything is crafted by hand, down to the pins holding the knife together.

The Sodbuster pocket knife will get you through a tough situation, but with a blade sporting an unprecedented level of elegance. The hard canvas micarta handle stands up to anything while offering a perfect balance of traction and texture, and, along with a 2 3/4 inch D-2 tool-grade steel blade, makes for a knife that feels wonderful in your hand and isn’t too bulky in the pocket. The knife is fixed together with a brass washer and a steel pivot pin, whose contrasting metals enhance the rugged look and overall appeal.

The G.Wiseman Sodbuster is available exclusively from
Kaufmann Mercantile for $330.

One chef’s fascination with knives and the cultures that inspired them

The daughter of a historian, British chef Allegra McEvedy grew up traveling the world with her father as he researched the obscure remainders of centuries past. Encouraged to keep a diary, McEvedy found herself writing more about the food she was having than the cultural points of interest. Her new book “Bought, Borrowed, Stolen” combines her literate upbringing with her passion for food, showcasing the most mind-blowing meals McEvedy encountered from the 20 countries she most recently traversed, along with a unique knife from each place representing its gastronomical heritage.

The knives and recipes McEvedy “borrowed” from each place she visited are beautifully intertwined, each informing the other. The two are also backed by a helpful fact file for each country, which gleans valuable information such as the food they export to the ethnic make-up. Rounded out by an entertaining tale about her connection to the region and detailed photos of the dishes, the entire book is like one cultural reference guide put into honest terms that would entice anyone with a curious palette.

McEvedy’s knife fascination spans a hefty Burmese machete to a delicate French patisserie knife, each one another useful tool in her quiver—except, she adds, the Brazilian pig leg boner.

Recipes include Jerusalem artichokes she ate in San Francisco (where she learned the value in leaving the skins on), a “very butch” chilli sauce sourced in Cuba, venison biltong learned from a local Boer butcher in South Africa and Arctic dogs, Norway’s answer to the hotdog, which comes wrapped in a soft tortilla shell.

McEvedy’s completely unique and well-rounded take on some of the best food—and knives—from around the world turns her fifth cookbook into more than a simple culling of culturally-inspired dishes. Her knowledgeable take on cooking is evident but her passion is sure to inspire chefs at all levels.

“Bought, Borrowed & Stolen” sells online from Octopus Books in the U.K. and Amazon.

From a minimalist shelter to the ultimate blade, five key items that will keep you alive in the most extreme camping conditions

Call it apocalyptic fantasy or a primitive urge, the allure of relying on little more than wit, instinct and a few essentials in the wild brings out the inner Bear Grylls in all of us. (For those who prefer leaving the survival adventures to the folks on TV, check out our weekend and car camping features.) What follows is the best gear—from the newest to the most obscure—to round out the kits of more enthusiastic explorers .

Possibly the most important tool you can have when put in the situation of man vs. nature, a rugged hunting knife plays a critical role in building shelter, feeding yourself and most importantly protecting yourself. Helle’s Fossekallen can do all this and still maintain an unparalleled level of elegant design. The 79-year-old Norwegian knife manufacturer has handcrafted this beauty using birch for the handle and a impeccably strong triple-layered laminated stainless steel blade. Look to Amazon where most Helle knives sell for around $100.

Designed as all-encompassing survival tool, the Raptor by Eton is a weather-resistant solar-powered charger. The built in compass, altimeter and barometer will keep you headed the right direction while the AM/FM radio keeps you informed and upbeat on your way there. As if that wasn’t enough, the device also comes equipped with a USB cell phone charger, digital clock, alarm and NOAA weather alerts for good measure. With all that and a battery life of 30 hours, it’s not a bad deal for between $110-150 from Eton’s webstore and Amazon.

Described by the United States Army as “the finest single source for self-reliance for all extreme circumstances,” the Survival Field Manual has you covered with essential instructions from how to treat polluted water to making traps and snares to preparing and preserving wild game, as well as all types of fire making techniques. Straightforward text and user-friendly illustrations make the guide helpful even in situations of low mental capacity. It’s available through Amazon for $11.

No matter the season, packing a solid waterproof shell when venturing into the unknown is a wise move. We picked Westcomb‘s Apoc jacket, a lightweight shell that comes in both male and female specific cuts. Most importantly, it’s entirely constructed out of the most breathable waterproof fabric available on the market today, the new Polartec Neoshell. Check retailers for the Apoc jacket ($480) once fall rolls around.

Most claim the key to survival is a strong will and a proper shelter. Cascade Design’s compact and lightweight E-wing helps save your precious energy for the mental game. The waterproof canopy—weighing just one pound— can be pitched using two trekking poles or simply strung up on nearby tree limbs, each allowing for different architectural options, a bare bones option that’s ideal for summer trips to the bush too. It sells for $150 through Cascade Designs webshop.

A master craftsman’s line of carbon steel knives for at-home chefs

The term “Master Bladesmith” may stir images of medieval men hammering steel on anvils, preparing for battle. Yet visit the workshop of Bob Kramer, one of only a hundred certified such experts in the world, and you’ll find a modern craftsman at work, renowned for his custom-made carbon steel blades—which regularly sell for up to $26,000 per knife. For those without Batali-deep pockets to afford the $400 per inch his one-offs typically run, Kramer will release a new knife in collaboration next month with Zwilling J.A. Henckels to arm today’s cooking aficionados for skirmishes on cutting boards.

The partnership was born from a recognition that many Americans are returning to the kitchen with a desire for high-quality ingredients and and the tools to match. Not for the amateur culinary enthusiast, Kramer’s blades require a much higher level of care then their more widespread cousin stainless. But if you are serious about cooking and can commit to the maintenance, the rewards are plenty—carbon steel can hold a keener edge, will retain that sharpness much longer and will develop a patina over time giving each blade a totally unique look.

Kramer designed the series of blades from tip to handle and, by taking advantage of Zwilling’s scale and technological capabilities, was able to create a product that meets his standards but at a more realistic price point for the average domestic chef. Lightweight, precise and with grenadille wood handles, the hand-finished knives feel amazing in the palm, and make an impressive addition to any kitchen.

The series ranges from a 3.5″ paring knife to the classic 10″ chef’s knife. They will be available in June, exclusively from Sur La Table and ranging from $140-350.

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