The right knife for each job

The right knife for each job

The right knife for each job This leaflet will tell you more on the different kinds of knives and what they are best used for. You ll also learn about the different parts of a knife, the materials they re made of and how a knife s constructed. Storage and safety are also a topic of this booklet. 2 I

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A Point: very end of the knife. Used for incisions and carving. Parts of a knife There are 3 varieties: high tip: the edge is curved while the spine (see D) is straight, like on a utility knife. A Centre tip: edge as well as the spine (see D) are gently curved. As used in a chef s knife B D Low tip: the spine (see D) is curved while the edge smoothly ends in the point. A vegetable knife has a low tip. C BLADE Handle E H F G I J 4 I

B Tip: first part which is used for small or delicate work. C Edge: entire cutting surface of the knife, part of the blade A fine edge blade produces a smooth, clean cut. Needed to peel fruit or vegetables, a fined edged blade is needed A serrated edge blade is used on knives that are particularly made to cut or slice food with a hard outside and a soft inside, like bread or tomatoes. A granton edge blade or hollow-ground edge blade has little scallops that reduce sticking of the cut parts to the knife. D Spine: top, thicker portion of the blade giving strength and weight E Bolster: thick metal portion joining the handle and the blade, which adds weight and balance. F Finger Guard: part of the bolster for secure grip. G Tang: section of the metal blade extending into the handle, giving the knife stability and extra weight. Can be visible or hidden. H Rivets: metal pins that hold the scales to the tang (not always present, see p. 8) I Handle Guard: lip to gives the knife a better grip and prevents slipping J Back: end of the handle I 5

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Material of the blades and handles On our knives there are often etchings like X50CrMoV15 or X30Cr14. Generally, one can say that steel is an alloy made of iron with carbon in it. To give the material certain characteristics and performance, other substances are added. When a knife is made of X50CrMoV15 it means that it contains stainless steel with the inevitable iron, 0,50% Carbon, 15% Chromium and an amount of Molybdeen and Vanadium. This material is very tough, corrosion-resistant and easy to sharpen. Carbon is present in all steel and is important for the hardening and the strength of steel. 0,30% is commonly used. Chromium is added for resistance to wear and to corrosion. When steel has 10,5% chromium or more, it is considered stainless steel. Our knives all have 13% or more. To enhance the characteristics of the alloy, Molybdenum and Vanadium are added. Molybdenum prevents brittleness and makes the steel strong. Vanadium adds hardenability and resistance to wear. It allows the blade to have a very sharp edge. However, it s plenty tough and resists corrosion well. A knife made of 6Cr16MoV contains 0,60% carbon, 16% chromium and molybdenum and vanadium. So it s high-grade stainless steel with great resistance to wear and corrosion. When a knife is manufactured of X30Cr14 it s stainless steel with great resistance to corrosion and stains, strong and very sharp. The handle can be made of a synthetic material, stainless steel or (rather seldom) wood. The synthetic materials, like ABS, PP, POM and TPR offer optimum hygiene, good grip and low-weight for comfortable use. PP stands for polypropylene, POM means polyoxymethyleen and TPR is short for thermoplastic rubber. Wooden handles are not recommended due to hygiene issues. POM Stainless steel TPR PP I 7

Construction Most knives are either forged or stamped. A forged knife undergoes several steps in which its hardness, density and flexibility is enhanced. Such a knife feels heavier and more balanced. This kind of knife is recognized by its prominent bolster the part between handle and blade. A stamped knife is cut from rolls of steel. They are lighter than forged ones. There are several ways to connect the handle to the blade: A handle made of a synthetic material is placed over the tang and connects seamlessly to the bolster. They are joined through melting and cooling the synthetic material. A handle can be connected to the tang by (mostly) 3 rivets A hollow-handle knife is made when the parts of the handle is glued or welded to the tang. 8 I

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The indicated size is the size from the blade Peeling knife Small 6-7 cm / 2 1/4-2 3/4 inch), lightweight with a pointed tip that curves downward with a straight cutting edge. Use it for peeling fruits and vegetables, to remove blemishes and to cut decorative garnishes Carving knife Large knife between 20 cm and 38 cm (8 and 15 inches) that is used to slice thin cuts of meat. They are generally shorter and wider than slicing knives. Often used in combination with a carving fork to hold the roast. Utility knife Sized between a paring knife and a chef s knife, about between 10 cm and 18 cm (4 and 7 inches), with a straight cutting edge. Paring knife Small, lightweight with a straight cutting edge. Usually between 6 to 10 cm (2 1/2 to 4 inches) long. All-purpose knife, ideal for peeling and other small work that s similar to the use of a peeling knife. Often used to peel fruits or vegetable that are hald in the hand. Boning knife Thin, flexible blade, usually about 12 cm to 15 cm (5 or 6 inches) long. Used to remove bones from cuts of meat. The thin blade allows to get in to small spaces. Comes in a flexible or inflexible version. The flexible is perfect for poultry and fish, the inflexible one is good for beef and pork. 10 I

Chef s knife most commonly sized between 15 cm and 30 cm (6 and 12 inches). The knife that s most used in the kitchen for all kinds of tasks. The upward curved tip allows rocking the knife for easy mincing on a cutting board. Because of the wide and heavy blade it s also suitable as a cleaver. Cleaver knife of about 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7 inches) with a wide, rectangular, thick blade. Used for cutting large pieces of meat and cleaving its bones. They often have a hole at the end for hanging in a rack. Slicing knife Knife with straight or serrated cutting edge. Generally longer and narrower than a carving knife and designed to cut thinner slices of meat. Often with a flexible blade and a granton edge that easily separates from the knife s blade. Also in a special salmon/ham version with a slim, flexible blade for extra thin slices. Bread knife Large knife between 15 cm and 25 cm (6 and 10 inches) with a serrated blade. Used for food that is hard on the outside and soft in the middle, like bread and other bakery goods. Can also be used for slicing tomatoes. Steak knife While the other knives are used in the kitchen to prepare the ingredients, the steak knives are meant to be used at the table when steak or other meats are served. Poultry shears The poultry shears are designed specifically to be able to cut through bone, chicken skin, and other tough materials. These shears can be used as general kitchen shears, suited for a wide variety of heavy duty kitchen tasks. Santoku knife Asian-style knife of about 12 cm to 18 cm (5 to 7 inches) long with a straighter edge than a chef s knife. All-round knife for a variety of tasks. The wide blade allows for some typical activities like crushing garlic and scooping up the chopped ingredients on the blade. Some Santoku knives come with a granton edge blade that reduces sticking of the cut items to the blade. I 11

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Safety tips Always put knives down where they can be clearly seen, with the handle towards you and far enough from the edge of the worktop to ensure that they cannot fall onto the floor. Only ever pick a knife up by the handle. Always use the right knife vegetables, meat, fish, cold cuts and bread vary considerably in size and texture. That is why there is a suitable knife for every purpose. Always cut away from the body to avoid injuries if the knife slips. Wash knives separately treat sharp knives with particular care when cleaning them. Never simply throw them into the washing-up water. Store knives well, out of reach of children. Never wipe a knife along the cutting edge from the handle to the tip. Not even to test for sharpness. To avoid damage or burns, never leave a knife on a hot plate or near any source of heat. Storing your knives Storing your knives in a proper way not only adds to safety but also helps to maintains their edges. The best place to store your knives is a knife block. It s convenient, safe and hygienic. A knife set often comes with a knife block, but if you have acquired your knives throughout the years, a separate knife block can also be bought. If you don t like a knife block on your countertop, there are foldable knife blocks that can be conveniently stored in a drawer when not in use. When you keep your knives separately in a drawer, keep them away from the rest of the kitchen utensils. Reaching for such a utensil that s close to a knife might result in severe cuts. Use in-drawer trays for safe storage. I 13

Caring for your knives Knives should be cleaned immediately after use since fruit and vegetable juice can work as acids. Spots can be removed with a standard metal cleaner. Technically, our knives and shears are dishwasher safe, but we recommend to hand wash them. The detergents and salts in your dishwasher are too harsh. Also, the knives can hit other objects in the dish tray which can damage them and might make them blunt. If you choose to clean the knives and shears in the dishwasher anyway, hand-dry them directly after the machine has stopped. Also make sure the knives can t hit other objects in the washer to avoid them to blunt. When cleaning by hand, use a mild detergent and a soft cloth. It s best to wash the knives under warm running water (don t throw them into the water where you can t see them when reaching for them). Do it carefully to avoid hurting yourself. Dry the knife with a soft cloth. Never wipe the knife from the handle to the tip, exercise extra care at the cutting edge. For additional hygiene, spend extra attention to cleaning the shears. Surfaces to cut on Always use a cutting board to chop, slice, dice and so on. Wooden, bamboo or synthetic (polypropylene) are best to keep your knives sharp and free from dents. Try to avoid ceramic, glass or metal surfaces. Take extra care sanitizing your boards. Wash them directly after cutting poultry, fish or meat. Cutting boards in different colours or materials help you to keep track of which cutting board is reserved for certain types of foods, so for instance, you ll avoid cutting vegetables on the same board you just used for raw poultry. This way you ll avoid transferring harmful bacteria from one food product to another through contaminated tools, equipment or hands (cross contamination). By law, under 18s are not allowed to buy knives. 14 I

Using the sharpener: how to sharpen your knives. A sharp knife is safer because you don t have to exercise much pressure to cut. With a dull knife, more strength is needed to push the knife through the food. The extra effort might cause accidents and slipping of the knife might occur. 2 1 2 3 4 position 1 position 2 5 1 Hold the ceramic sharpener firmly in one hand, position it at a right angle to a firm surface 2 Hold the knife in your other hand. Place the knife s cutting edge at a 90 angle to the sharpener. The knife s bolster is close to the sharpener. 3 Then, while still holding the edge to the sharpener, reduce the angle to 45. Halve the angle once again to position the blade at a 22 angle. Draw the knife, while keeping the 22 angle, from position 1... 4 to position 2. Use only light pressure. For safety reasons do this slowly. Quick moves won t result in a better sharpness. 5 Change sides and repeat procedure 1 to 5 6 Repeat this procedure alternatively 5 times per side, so don t stroke each side 5 times in a row. Don t sharpen a serrated knife using a sharpener. 6 I 15

BergHOFF Worldwide (Headquarters) Boterbosstraat 6/1 - Industrieterrein Zolder-Lummen 2114 3550 Heusden-Zolder, Belgium Tel: +32/13.35.86.03 Fax: +32/13.35.86.11 E-mail adres: internationalsales@berghoff.be