Keeping a working kitchen clean and free of bacteria is an urgent concern for every professional chef. Yet nothing can be harder when surfaces are in constant use.
Today the venerated University of Birmingham in Great Britain announced the creation of a new miracle surface that should greatly aid the concerned chef.
Led by Surface Engineering Professor Hanshan Dong, the design team there has created an innovative stainless steel that is antibacterial – that’s right: a metal kitchen surface that actually kills germs!
By blending silver or copper into steel the researchers found the resulting product not only kills bacteria but is also hard enough to stand up to the wear and tear of professional level clean.
For those who wish to have an in-depth understanding of the process, entitled Active Screen Plasma (ASP), silver or copper is introduced into the liquid stainless steel along with nitrogen and carbon. The silver acts as a bacteria killing agent and the combination of nitrogen and carbon produce the increased durability.
It is the hope of Dr. Dong and his staff that the new metal will soon appear not only in professional kitchens, but also in hospitals, making the world a safer place for us all.
Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011
