Chef Anthony Bourdain is just one of those professional foodies that would search high and low for things that would help inspire him in the kitchen. And one of his latest findings was a very cool and sharp knife made out of meteorite.
In the fourth episode of the web series "Raw Craft With Anthony Bourdain," the author and TV personality visited knife maker and master bladesmith Bob Kramer, reports Nerdist.com. Kramer is famous for the incredible detail that he puts in making knives, which reportedly were sold at very high prices during auctions. Aside from the knives impressive craftsmanship, the blades are also made of meteorite. The master craftsman told Bourdain during the show, "When you think about it, they represent man's first encounter with a solid chunk of iron - these star stones."
In the report, Nerdist.com took note of how labor extensive Kramer's creative process was. The famous knifemaker reportedly follows the same Japanese stacking method that was used to create katanas for centuries. Bourdain's "Raw Craft" showed Kramer incorporating the meteorite into steel which the bladesmith folded and stacked into layers before he hammered it flat. Kramer repeated the process several times until he finally cuts the blade into the right shape and grinded the edges off. He then tempered the blade, wherein the knife underwent a process of heating and cooling. This was the part when "magic happens," said Kramer.
He explained, "Something very interesting happens when the carbon dissolves into solution. It not only changes color, but there's a shadow that moves through the steel. This is what the samurai were looking for. That's the steel transforming."
As for Bourdain, he was also able to use Kramer's knife as he prepared a simple dish for the bladesmith during the show.
In other news, the famous chef is set to tour to Cuba for the season 6 premiere of the hit CNN series, "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown." According to CNN, Bourdain first stop will be Cuba before he jets off to other countries such as France, Japan and many others.
Season 6 of "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" will premiere on September 27 in the U.S.
