Firepit Safety
While owning a fire pit is all about fun, it is also essential to make sure safety is a priority:
- Supervise children at all times when the fire is lit as the steel will get very hot.
- Set your fire pit on stone, brick, gravel or on a slab on decking (it will develop rust as it ages which can mark stone surfaces). If putting your fire pit on grass, be aware it may get scorched underneath.
- Ensure a spark will not reach anything flammable.
- Keep a supply of water to hand in case you need to damp down the fire.
- Always use protective gloves when handling things such as BBQ racks.
- Ensure your fire pit is extinguished before leaving it unattended.
Using your fire pit
- Only use well-seasoned dry wood to reduce smoke. You can also use charcoal (but not house coal).
- Make a fire with plenty of logs and burn for at least ½ hour before you want to use it (the first ½ hour of burning produces the most smoke).
- Ideally leave an hour before cooking to allow embers to form. You can separate the bigger logs to one side so that you can keep your fire ticking over while you cook over the embers.
- If you’re in a hurry to cook, add charcoal to the fire once it’s going and move the bigger logs to one side.
- After cooking remove the rack, load more logs and enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Looking after your fire pit
Your new fire pit is designed to be low maintenance and can be kept outdoors all year round but a few simple things will help extend its life:
- Your fire pit will develop an even rusty patina. This will not affect its use or longevity but if you like, you can clean it up with a wire brush and then rub over oil such as WD40.
- Clean out your fire pit after use.
Knife Safety
- Knives are tools. However, all tools can be misused and we do not want anyone using our knives to hurt them selves or others.
- Please be extremely careful with your knives, espescially when new. They are sharp enough to cut through paper.
- If you ever accidentally drop a knife, DO NOT try to catch it. Let it fall, it’s not worth the risk.
Using your Knife
Assuming you may be new to using a high-end knife, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are experienced, please ignore this – sorry for patronising!
- Never twist or torque a knife with excessive force, espescially when doing boning or jointing work. Our knives are mostly delicate instruments so should be treated like fine tools, not screwdrivers.
- Be wary of striking your hand or an implement onto the spine or side of a knife. Anything can break if hit hard enough, plus you may slip and cut yourself.
Looking after your Knife
- NEVER put your knife in the dishwasher. This can permanently damage the wood.
- Avoid scrubbing the handle with soap as it can remove the protective oils in the wood.
- If you purchased a carbon steel blade, remember to dry it immediately after washing.
- Try not to scrape or drag the cutting edge sideways across a cutting board as this can blunt a sharp knife as well as shaving bits of cutting board into your food. Flip the knife over and scrape with the back edge (spine).
- It is easier to keep a sharp knife sharp, than to let it get completely blunt and before resharpening.