The Hookee Knife Block Cleans Your Utensils

First thing first — the Hookee Knife Block isn’t just for knifes, but for spoons and forks too. Silverware in other words. It’s shaped sort of like one of those mini air purifiers but that’s not what it is. But before we specify, what is one of the dangers today when it comes to silverware? It’s cleaning it properly because a lot of people swish some water on a knife that was used to cut a vegetable and then put it in a rack to dry for a bit before being taken out and used again. Not that doesn’t clean it well but there’s worse going on — bacteria is lurking and can remain on the utensil and affect the food. So obviously you need to really clean that knife or spoon or fork well. Yeah like you have the time in the middle of setting the table or doing kitchen cleanup. You need more than just another pair of hands, you need that Hookee Knife Block because it doesn’t just “hold” knifes. You'll see that to be a fact if you go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hookee/worlds-1st-knife-and-flatware-block-with-auto-uv-and-70c-dryer

So back to what the Hookee is. Think of it as sort of a portable dishwasher, sans the washing cycle, because there’s heat and sterilization involved. Let’s break it down. Looking down from above, there’s two cup like indentations, which obviously can hold a knife or fork or spoon in multiples. There’s also a section that has a grill like surface, because the slits will fit those knifes with the large flat sides (like in the cartoons where a cook is chasing someone). Okay so it’s like a drying rack, but shouldn’t there be more? Yep there is. Two things are going to happen but better look at the front first. Providing you’ve plugged Hookee into a wall outlet (which you have to), there’s a series of small discs running across the front. They look translucent so maybe they can light up. They can. In the automatic (default) mode, only the center disc is pulsing on and off (like those old time Mac Pro desktop computers). Press the center touch sensitive button and a beep is heard and the light goes off because automatic is now disabled.

So get to what happens in automatic already! You’ve washed off the flatware (etc.) and put it into the top of the Hookee. So the flatware is obviously clean but also wet. Hookee senses when there’s enough ambient humidity (meaning wet) and triggers itself. So now all those discs start lighting up horizontally. But better than this eye candy is that an internal heater is now blowing upward to dry off the flatware. Good but couldn’t you just wait and let the stuff dry on its own? Sure, but there’s more going on, as in there’s a blue light starting up that is both eerie and recognizable. It’s a sterilization cycle that has now begun and is “removing” that pesky invisible junk. And yes both heater and sterilization light go off automatically so there’s now standing over it and making decisions. You’ve got stuff that needs doing.

It probably makes sense to point out that eventually the top area where the knifes, etc. have been placed will need cleaning — not right away but eventually. Hookee provides a sheet with details as to how to do it, but don’t just go off crazy because electricity is involved. So with it unplugged and having waited so that the unit isn’t hot from having had the heated dryer running, you’ll carefully pull out the top which can then be hand cleaned easily. Realistically this shouldn’t need to be done for quite a long time, but it’s good to know that it CAN be done. Also for cleaning the outside of the unit, the cleaning and maintenance sheet points out that a soft cloth and non-corrosive cleaning material should be used.

The Hookee Knife Block is presently on Kickstarter, which perhaps explains why there is no manual to read — that sheet noted above pretty much conveys what it does/need to know.