Anthony Bourdain Explores The Tale Of The World’s Best Knives

One of a chef’s greatest tools (perhaps his ultimate tool) is the knife. A chef with the skill can chop, can dice, can peel and carve; the first, all too important steps to creating the perfect dish. Professional chefs can never stress too much on the need to have a kitchen stocked with great quality knives.

Many agree that some of the best, most beautifully crafted knives come from the workshop of Bob Kramer. Kramer came from a chef’s background and noticed one of the greatest needs of chefs was to have sharp knives. So, he travelled across the USA learning the tricks of the trade, attended the Bladesmith School and finally earned the title of a Master Bladesmith, of which there are only 122 all across America.

To earn the title, Kramer had to go through years of training and a multitude of tasks. In his own words, on his website, he says “to earn this title from the American Bladesmith Society, one must undergo years of study and then pass a Master’s Test. The test required building a 10” bowie knife made of 300+ layers of steel. This one knife had to cut through a 1” free hanging rope in one swing, chop through a two-by-four twice, shave a swatch of arm hair, and finally, bend the blade at a 90 degree angle without the blade breaking. If you succeed, then you submit five flawless knives…to a panel of judges.”

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain paid a visit to Kramer for an episode of his show ‘Raw Craft’, which explores people who are crafting objects by hand. He’s amazed at the skill that Kramer displays, as are we. Remember reading about those old blade smiths from yore in mythological books like Eragon and The Lord of the Rings? Kramer is a modern day bladesmith whose attention to detail and beautiful products will astound you. Watch the video below to see what we mean.