We love to add the flavors of chilis to many dishes! We grow many varieties in our garden and eat them fresh in season, and smoke or dry more for use throughout the year. So we were pleasantly surprised recently when our primary care doctor circulated an article by a nationally recognized hospital executive chef, discussing the need to reduce salt for healthy cooking and highlighting, among other items, the use of ‘pungent peppers’ to add flavor in the ongoing quest for ‘umami’ - the essence of deliciousness. We always believed that our love of chilis - sweet, hot, smoky, or in varying degrees of just plain spicy - was a major component of deliciousness, but now we know they’re also healthy!
The big issue is how to integrate chilis into your dishes: in what form or flavor, at what stage in the cooking or eating process, and how much. Everyone has different personal standards: we often ask our guests about their ‘Scoville tolerance’, as in ‘how much heat do you like?’ But the quest for umami is more complex than just heat: taking all variables into consideration, everyone must make their own decisions. And the Gefu X-PLOSION Chilli Cutter (for smaller dried chilis) allows the cook(s) in your house to be creative while cooking, and everyone to make their own decisions for the dining experience.
Like its cousin, the Gefu Salt and Pepper Mill, let’s start at the bottom! From the outset, it’s important to understand that this is a ‘Chili Cutter’: not a grinder or crusher. The registered design of the X-PLOSION Chilli Cutter features an extra-sharp corrosion-resistant Diamond Laser Cut stainless steel blade for precise and efficient cutting. This enables you to enjoy freshly-cut chilis, with lots more flavor than you’d get from that jar of ‘flakes’, like the stuff in the shakers at your old favorite pizza parlor! And since you control the cutting, you also control the amount of chili flavor: you can add more if you wish, and each person can serve themselves, according to their personal palate.
The lower body tapers outward at the bottom, to assure a stable grip while cutting, and the upper body is clear plastic, revealing the contents of the chamber. You’ll always be able to see ‘how much is left?’ of your choice of chilis: dried Thai Dragons are readily available, but smoked Diablos or Lemon Drops are our favorites; ethnic groceries will have their own range of choices for your discovery and enjoyment. Lastly, the top seals in place hermetically to protect the contents against moisture and to seal in aromas, while providing a 1”/2.5cm opening for easy refilling. Remember, when putting whole chilis into the chamber, remove the tops or insert stem-end up!
All this comes in a compact, attractive form that will work well over your cooktop and be attractive on your tabletop! The folks at Invivo Design have developed a highly versatile and useful Chilli Cutter for our friends at Gefu, and we think it is definitely a Cool Tool!
FACTS:
- 5⅞”/14.9cm Height
- 2½”/6.35cm Diameter at bottom
- Diamond Laser Cut Stainless Steel blade
- High grade Stainless Steel and Plastic
- Food safe
- Invivo Industrial Design
- 20 years Manufacturer’s Warranty
- European Design Nos 005833563-0031, -0032
- German Design Award Winner 2020
