Five Loaves

Keramiko’s Kitchen Knives: First glance

One of the best parts of the PNE is when you go into the Marketplace and go from stall to stall viewing all of the as-seen-on-tv style wonder products. I’m pretty skeptical about every item, especially ones like the ShawWOW, even after seeing the commercial 100 times. Other items are tempting, like the cute pig-shaped iPod speakers, and some are just plain money-grabs, like the portable back massager that really leaves you in more pain than before you used it.

One item of interest was from a company called Keramiko’s Kitchen. They specialize in making Chef knives out of zirconium carbide, a substance that is suppose to be far harder than steel, closer to the hardness of a diamond. The touted benefit of these knives is that they’re sharper, and stay sharper longer than traditional knives.
I’ve heard of people using ceramic knives before, but was told that they shatter when dropped; a point that the PNE salesman was quick to refute, but he still didn’t drop one on the ground as proof.

Since I only know how to eat food, and not cook it, I got Vanessa to give the Keramikos’ a go. She tried out the 8″ Chef’s Knife on some of the random veggies available. Her initial reaction was that, yes, they are quite sharp, but don’t feel quite as sharp as a Shun or a Wustof.

The major benefit of the Keramikos would be the fact that they stay sharp for 4-5 years without needing to be sharpened. This is great for people who don’t know how or can’t be bothered to sharpen their own knives. The full set of Keramikos is also cheaper than picking up a full set of Wustofs.

The drawback is that they seem to be a bit more fragile. They’re not made for cutting bone, or any sort of prying.

All Keramiko knives do have a great warranty though. In addition to receiving a free sharpening anytime you visit their headquarters in North Vancouver, they offer a 1-year buy back, where they will refund the cost of your purchase, as well as a 5-year unconditional repair/replacement warranty, should anything happen to your knives.

I wouldn’t [yet] recommend them to anyone in the industry, but as a home user, they look like they’d make a great set of knives that you wouldn’t have to worry about sharpening.

Q & A with Andrey Durbach

Chef Andrey Durbach (left) and business partner, Chris Stewart (right)

I just stumbled across this relatively old interview with the Andrey Durbach, co-owner and exec chef at some of my favourite places to eat: La Buca, L’Altro Buca (previously Parkside), and Pied-a-Terre.

He describes his least favourite drink: instant coffee; his favourite cheap dinner place: Phnom Penh (Awesome!); and his computer choice: Mac (ugh.. :P). Check out the full Q & A over at Scout Magazine.

KFC’s Double Down Sandwich: Heart-Attack-in-a-bag

You gotta love the folks at KFC, their New Product department has clearly been given no limits on what they can conjure up.

They have just released a new sandwich that is undergoing ‘test marketing’ called the KFC Double Down Sandwich. This sandwich is clearly the result of the Colonel gone mad: They’ve replaced the bread of the sandwich with Fried Chicken. That’s right, this is the ultimate low-carb sandwich. Instead of bread, you get two pieces of fried chicken, which hold the real contents of the sandwich: two types of cheese, bacon, and a new special Colonel’s sauce.

I truly wish that I could go out and taste this monstrosity, but sadly, it’s currently only available in Providence, Rhode Island and Omaha, Nebraska.

Source: RantRave.com

Free Pizza on August 26! ..If you own a Camaro..

Expired

Tomorrow, everyone can enjoy a free pizza from Papa John’s — If you own a Camaro that is.

4 months ago, ‘Papa’ John Schnatter, owner of the world’s third largest pizza company, began a mission to find his long lost Camaro. He had originally sold the car, his one and only asset back in 1983 to get enough money to make his pizza business dreams come true. The deal proposed on http://www.papasroadtrip.com was that Papa John would pay the current owner of his old Camaro $250,000 to have the car back.

Finally, today Papa John has been reunited with his old Camaro, and wants to celebrate by offering anyone with a Camaro a free pizza! All you need to do is stop by a Papa Johns today (August 26th) in your Camaro, and claim your prize!

The Cannery in Vancouver closing it’s doors

The Cannery has been in a tough spot since a few years ago. They had a wonderful location, right on the water, however, due to increased port security, were forced to start looking for a new home. Unfortunately, it has finally become official: one of Vancouver’s most iconic restaurants will be closing for good.

I will definitely miss the place since it’s one of the places where Vanessa started her career, but luckily they will still be open until the Olympics are over in early 2010. If you have yet to go to The Cannery, I definitely suggest that you check them out before the close shop for good.

Source: Vancouver Sun