New Arrivals: Kuhn Rikon FivePly plus Extra £10 off

I’ve had a quieter week after the excesses of the trade show last week, but whilst we were out and about a number of late arrivals came in on the excellent Kuhn Rikon “Culinary FivePly” range. And these I’ll go into in a minute. Before I get to them however, if you’re local to Reigate, you will have received an extra email from me earlier this week telling you about the 'Reigate Summer Festival', that in last week’s email I neglected to mention.

At least a part of the reason I’m telling you about this is that two of my friends Simon Walter and Tim Glynne-Jones are part of the organising team, and one day a few weeks ago Tim buttonholed me in the high street and wanted to know if we would support the event by perhaps doing a special offer in the shop over the weekend. I explained to him as we constantly price match the internet, to do anything meaningful would be very difficult. Instead, we agreed that I would write about the festival to promote it. Something that I felt I very happy to do as I am firstly very grateful to them for running such an event that engages so well with so many in the community, and secondly I want to support a group of people who are giving up their free time selflessly in the service of others.  By organising this kind of event, I would describe their actions as serving the community in the role of 'leaders'.

I believe that this concept of service to the community can, and ideally should, spread to all aspects of our lives including that of our work lives. Simon Sinek (leadership expert and author) says that  “leadership is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in your charge.”  He believes that true leadership is rooted in service, putting the needs of your people before your own, and fostering an environment of trust and safety. If this view interests you then you can read more in either of his books “The Infinite Game” or “Leaders Eat Last”, both of them thought provoking reflections on life and leadership.  

If you feel that this is a bit idealistic, then another leader who I have a lot of time for is Richard Branson. He believes that businesses should exist to serve people, not just to make money. He says “profit is important, but it should be a by-product of creating real value for others—customers, employees, and the wider community”

So, well done Simon, Tim,  Jacky to name the three that I know of, who are involved. And well done a number of businesses in the town who are putting their money where their mouth is, in funding various events.  Also thanks to Reigate College, Reigate Business Guild, and Reigate and Banstead Borough Council all of whom are making significant contributions to these three days as well.

To product

A little while ago I wrote to you about the new-ish range of Kuhn Rikon “Culinary Five Ply ”stainless steel pans that we have recently taken on, with a promise of the range shortly having more lines added to it. Well, these arrived last week and comprise extra five lines in total.

Kuhn Rikon Culinary FivePly Chef’s Pan with Lid (sizes 24cm & 28cm)

This is a lovely deep pan for sauteing, or making risotto or even casseroling in. In a brief conversation about Chef's pans versus Saute pans, with someone in the know, she explained to me that the chef's pans are easier to keep everything moving in, with their more rounded interior and they might even conceivably be used as an occasional wok. Whereas the straight-sided sauté pan gives you a larger hot area for browning / sauteing…!   Horses for courses!

Personally, I prefer the cooking with the rounded shape, and quite happily do all of the above in my trusty Chef's pan.  But of course, don't let me stop you buying one of each.

So, having made a good start, you may imagine my disappointment when I spotted that they'd decided to drill three holes (of about 2mm diameter) in the lid! Why? I asked Em for her opinion, and she recalled someone at Kuhn saying “it’s a thing that people want”.  Well, as Henry Ford said, If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said “faster horses”.

If you read last week's email, you will be aware that I am not a fan of those manufacturers who insist in putting holes in the lids to stop the lids from rattling when boiling something*. If you didn’t read it, then the point I made was this. If your lid is rattling, then you are using too high a temperature. So, in turning the heat down, you will use less power, be making a contribution to the planet, keep more goodness and flavour in your food,  and the lid will cease making it's sound.  The possible exception to this is if your hob is probably a bit ancient and it just won't turn down sufficiently.  In which case I’d like to gently suggest you get a new hob (preferably induction) rather than start drilling holes in defenceless lids.      

The 24cm has an RRP of £159.95, currently price matching at £129.95 and the 28cm pan has an RRP of £179.95, currently price matching at £144.95.
 

Kuhn Rikon Culinary FivePly Chef’s Pan No Lid (sizes 16cm & 20cm)

They have also introduced small and mini versions of the big Chef's pans, in the form of a small 16cm which would be very good for sauce making, as would the larger 20cm one. Good also for making modest risotto, and I suppose, they’d both also double as saucepans. Lovely little pans with the 16cm has an RRP of £99.95, currently price matching at £79.95 and the 20cm pan has an RRP of £125.00, currently price matching at £99.95.

Kuhn Rikon Culinary Fiveply Milk Pan No Lid (size 14cm)

I’m not a fan of nonstick coating for some very good reasons. However, there is a place in the kitchen for them and the humble milk pan is a good example. When I’m making scrambled eggs I either go for a Demeyere Saucier (and know I’ve got a 5 minute cleaning job to remove all traces afterwards), or more likely I reach for my Le Creuset 3 Ply milk pan that's nonstick coated.

So, I have no hesitation in recommending the Kuhn version. A handy 14cm diameter milk pan, a bit deeper than the Le Creuset one, and will perform in a very similar manner, but at a significant cost saving to you. RRP is £99.95 and we are price matching at £74.95. A very nice high quality pan with good heat spread and a coating that will last many years, so long as you don’t overheat it.

For this week only, use code KUHN10 to get a further £10 off any Kuhn Rikon Culinary 5ply when shopping online, or let us know who you are if coming into the Reigate or Cobham shops.

*Incidentally a friend pointed out that last week I appeared to be having a go at Sven, our Robert Welch account manager, about the lid holes. To be clear, that wasn’t my intention at all, he was after all just following the company line and passing on what he had been told to say. No, my comments and ire, were aimed directly at the designer, and not Sven.

That’s it for this week. I’ll finish with a further thought or two from Richard Branson.

So, returning to the theme at the start of this newsletter I think I’d paraphrase Branson's beliefs about the purpose of business, in these words. 'A business exists to improve lives, not just enrich shareholders. A great business, solves meaningful problems, takes care of employees and customers, contributes to society, and grows through service, not exploitation.'

Heady stuff, and  immensely rewarding.

I trust you have a pleasant and peaceful weekend.

Warm regards,

Andrew