Product Knowledge John Lewis Partnership

Knives Product Learning Guide

Home | Cookware Welcome to your Learning guide.

Why this guide? This guide gives detail on the knives assortment, to give you the information and knowledge to advise your customers on the right for them with confidence. Contents:

What will the guide cover? After completing this guide you will be able to assist customers make the Buying Knives 4 best choice of knife for them. The guide looks at the different types of knife, as well as the different blades, brands, manufacturing methods, and Age Restricted Sales 4 laws around the sale of knives. Knife Parts 5 Knife Manufacture 6 You should work through the work book in sequence, referring to your Different Types of Knife 7 department’s assortment. Use the notes pages to write down key points you want to remember or refer to, for example notes on stock in your Branded Knives 8 department. Care and Maintenance 9 Notes Pages 11 As you go through the workbook your Section Manager will be able to give you any additional guidance you need.

There is no time limit to completing the workbook but the sooner you have a thorough grasp of all sections, the sooner you will feel confident about selling and advising your customers on knives, and in providing excellent customer service

2 Section/footer Introduction to Knives

There are 6 more common, everyday knives.

Let’s take a look...

3 Section/footer heading Buying KNIVES & AGE RESTRICTIONS

There are 6 more common, everyday knives. These are a should suit the user. Different knives need different degrees of parer or peeling knife, utility, serrated utility, bread, cooks flexibility. A filleting knife or ham slicer knife depend on being highly and carving. There are also specialist knives that cover flexible to function properly; a cook’s knife or needs to be all cooking jobs. Which ones to buy will depend to some extremely stiff. extent on what kind of cooking and food preparation the There is no ‘perfect’ knife, and not even a consensus amongst leading customer does. This is the type of thing to find out when chefs on which knife is the best; and so the decision on what type of selling the products. handle, what type of blade etc. can only be made by the customer.

The kitchen knives market sector has witnessed probably more innovation in terms of materials and cutting technology during the last Further sales opportunities involve few years than any other, and this has resulted in knife ranges being available today in an unprecedented field of options. Knife handles how the knives might be stored (in a knife might be made of wood, plastic or metal. They may be moulded to block, a drawer dock, or on a magnetic the blade, riveted or welded. The blades may be stamped from sheet wall rack) and how or fully forged; the edges may be serrated, scalloped or plain; the blades may be bevelled, hollow-ground, taper-ground; they may be they will be maintained coated in another material, clad or multilayered; of steel, or ceramic, or in a sharp condition. a hybrid material. This guide will explain all types of manufacture and Sharpening solutions construction. include sharpening rods Obviously the customer’s budget is important. With knives, you and steels, pull-through generally get what you pay for, and selecting high quality knives is a knife sharpeners, and good investment. whetstones. There really is no substitute for putting a knife into a customer’s hand and inviting them to judge the feel of it. The handle should fit SALES OPPORTUNITY... comfortably and securely in the hand, and the weight and balance

Age Restricted Sales...

We sell a range of products that are covered by different individual, then that person may also be prosecuted. We have a till legislation regarding how old someone must be before they prompt system which identifies these products at point of sale so the can purchase them. The knife assortment is affected by branches can check the customer’s age. these restrictions. We therefore need to ensure that we have suitable procedures in place to ensure we comply Procedures for checking the customer’s age for all age restricted with these legal requirements. products will be covered during induction training and cashier training.

We may face prosecution for selling products to someone who is Your line manager or Selling Coach can also cover these procedures underage. You should also be aware that not only can John Lewis with you. In addition, in support of the government initiative to tackle be prosecuted, but if an offence is caused due to the neglect of an knife crime, we do not sell kitchen knives online or over

Product Age

Knives, knife blades, axes, double edge razor blades. This includes all knives (folding, craft, canteens of cutlery), but does 18 not include scissors, letter openers, children’s safety cutlery, cheese slicers, pizza cutters or knitting needles.

4 Knives Product Learning Guide Tang (Full Tang)

The tang is the extension of the blade, to which the knife handle is attached. A ‘full tang’ knife is one in which the tang runs the length and breadth Knife of the handle, adding weight and strength to the knife and contributing to better balance. Full tangs are found on the best quality knives and can sometimes be thicker than the blade. A full tang PARTS... is visible on the outer edges of a riveted-handled knife, but it can also be encased within a plastic handle. Less expensive knives may have a ‘half tang’ - in other words the tang is half the length of the handle. Cheap knives may have what is called a ‘neb tang’ or ‘whittle tang’ - even shorter than the half tang.

Spine Point

Handle

Handles are available in a variety of materials. Plastic handles can be moulded in one piece to slot over the tang, or in two pieces to be riveted either side of the tang. Edge Heel Bolster Wooden handles require more care than others, and are unlikely to be Knives might have a plain The right angled end The thick dishwasher proof as they can split blade edge without scallops of the blade, where divider and crack. An alternative is wood/ or serrations (main picture). the blade meets the between plastic composite, which requires Plain edge knives require handle, sometimes blade and little maintenance, is hygienic, and frequent sharpening to part of the bolster. handle, looks and feels like wood. Knives can maintain the edge and are which helps also have stainless steel handles, usually made of very hard The heel can be used to provide which are welded onto the tang, and stainless steel. Alternatively as part of the cutting balance to can feature indentations to improve they might have a scalloped edge, and in a cook’s the knife and grip. The shape and weight of a edge. These knives cannot knife needs to be acts as a knife’s handle should also be taken be easily sharpened using a deep enough to allow safety guard into account as they contribute to steel, because the scallops room for a thumb for the hand. the comfort and balance of the knife need to be sharpened and fingers to hold when in use. individually – but they the handle without stay sharp for a long time. knocking against the Hollow Handle Scallop edged knives are board when the knife A hollow handle generally refers to a used for cutting bread or is used with a rocking handle made of stainless steel in two foods which are hard or action in chopping. halves and wither joined to the blade crusty on the outside. internally or externally. If the handle is left hollow, it may be too light to balance the weight of the blade; in which case metal weights or sand can be added inside the handle to provide perfect balance.

5 Knives Product Learning Guide Knife Manufacture

Manufacture Blade Types Blade Types

Fully Forged Taper Ground Carbon Steel

A fully forged knife has the blade and Arguably the finest of all types of blade; Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and tang made from a single piece of steel. they are machine ground all over to carbon, the carbon steel used for knives These knives almost always incorporate produce a gradual taper from the spine usually contains about 1% carbon. a bolster, which separates the blade from down to the edge, and from the handle The best carbon steel blades contain the handle. Sometimes this is forged to the tip of the blade. Taper ground a high proportion of carbon: the higher traditionally, where the steel is heated blades are extremely strong and provide the carbon content the easier it is to and the force of the forge shapes the excellent balance for chopping and keep the blade sharp. However, carbon knife. The other way is to heat and melt general-purpose slicing. The taper also steel can rust and stain and so requires the steel, and a mould will shape the allows the blade to slice easily through careful maintenance. knife. The traditional forge is better, as food. the molecular structure is unchanged, and will mean the steel remains stronger Stainless Steel without any weakness. Fully forged Hardening manufacture is used on the best knives, An alloy of iron that contains at least and either method will produce strong A process in which steel is first heated to 10% chromium, with the possible and durable knives. a very high temperature, then quenched addition in various combinations of in oil or water to reduce the temperature nickel, molydenum and carbon, and very rapidly. This process converts the used to make, amongst many other Welded Construction microstructure of the steel from a uniform things, blades. The low grain called pearlite to a fine, needlelike carbon types of stainless steel are Almost all metal knives which appear to grain structure called martensite, and softer than carbon steel and need to be made from a single piece of steel are in the process it makes the steel harder be sharpened more often, although actually made in several pieces, welded and thus able to maintain a sharper edge they need little maintenance compared together and ground and polished so for longer. Hardness is measured on the to carbon steel. High carbon stainless that the welded joint is invisible. Rockwell scale. steel, which, as the name suggest, contains a higher percentage of carbon, aims to achieve a perfect balance Stamped Blade Tempering between carbon steel and low-carbon stainless steel, maintaining a sharper This is the alternative to a forged blade. Tempering is a heat treatment in which a edge than standard stainless steel and The shape of the blade is stamped knife blade is reheated to a temperature less prone to rust. straight out of cold rolled steel, heat below its lower critical temperature. treated, and then ground, polished and This rearranges the carbon atoms in sharpened. This is the process used to the martensite in the steel, making it Ceramic make most budget-price knives. stronger, more ductile and malleable, and easier to machine. Ceramic is very hard; harder than steel. The edges on a are sharper, making the cutting edge Ice Tempering more precise. The edges retain their sharpness for longer than steel knives. A special process during the hardening They are lightweight and will not rust or of knives, where the metal blade, after brown fruit. Ceramic knives should not being heated, is quenched in sub-zero need to be sharpened, but if they do will temperature, which produces an extra- need special sharpening, as they cannot hard blade which can subsequently be be sharpened with a normal steel sharpened to perform to a very high sharpener. Ceramic knives can chip if standard. struck against a hard edge.

6 Knives Product Learning Guide Different TYPES OF KNIFE...

Paring/Peeling Knife Serrated utility Cooks Knife Knife

A small, all-purpose knife with a A serrated utility is a general The cook’s knife, or chef’s knife, The Santoku knife has become sharp point, ideal for all sorts of purpose knife, but the serrated is a large, versatile, all-purpose more popular in recent years. It is intricate and fiddly jobs, including edge makes it good for cutting knife. The blade has a straight a general purpose kitchen knife those done in the hand, such foods with a hard outside and a edge from heel to halfway along that originated from Japan. The as peeling, de-seeding, top soft inside, for example bread or the blade, which then gradually word Santoku loosely translates and tailing and slicing fruits or tomatoes. tapers towards the point. as 3 uses; a reference to the 3 vegetables. cutting jobs the Santoku knife is The blade is broad and strong, designed to do slicing, dicing and and the user can chop, using a mincing. Utility Bread Knives rocking motion, with one hand, while controlling the blade with A general purpose knife with Bread knives have rigid serrated the other. The deep heel allows a serrated edge. It is used to or scalloped edges. plenty of space between the cut and trim meat and larger cook’s hand and the cutting vegetables board.

Carving Knives Boning Knives Cleaver Filleting Knife

Carving knives are long and A specialist preparation knife A large hatchet-like knife with a This knife has an extremely are available in a range of styles for removing bones from raw broadly rectangular blade, used thin, flexible blade so that when to suit the food to be carved. poultry and other meat. Boning for chopping through boned pressed against the backbone For joints of meat a reasonably knives can either have rigid, joints. It can also double up for of a fish it will follow its curve and good rigid blade is needed, with narrow blades or more flexible, chopping vegetables. the flesh can be swept off cleanly. a sharp point to work around longer and broader blades, but When the tip of the blade is bones. Poultry requires a slightly all feature very sharp points for pressed onto a hard surface such more flexible blade, while cold working around bones. as a chopping board it should meats require even more ‘spring’. demonstrate a springy resistance. It is more economical to purchase a carving set which comes with a matching fork. However, carving forks can be purchases separately as well.

Ham Slicer Oyster/Shellfish Knife

A knife with a long slim, usually This is a specialist knife. It is Oyster/Shellfish knife A shellfish knife, similar to the flexible blade with rounded a small serrated knife which An oyster knife is a small tool oyster knife, is a stubby knife end, used for thinly slicing joints enables it to slice easily through with a short, blunt blade and a to be held in the palm of the of ham, beef and sometimes the tomato skin without damaging wooden or silicone handle, used hand, featuring a short blade smoked salmon. The blade can the softer flesh inside. Tomato to prise open an oyster shell and and wooden, plastic or soft grip be with or without scalloping or knives have a forked tip on the then remove the oyster itself. It handle. Shellfish knives also fluting. end which allows the slices to be often incorporates a guard to tend to incorporate a knuckle picked up and placed after being prevent knuckles grazing on the guard between the blade and the sliced. shell. handle.

7 Knives Product Learning Guide Branded KNIVES...

Global - Based on the Japanese art of sword making, Knives are professional quality kitchen knives which are manufactured in Yoshikin, Japan. The original concept of the brand was to create an innovative product using the highest quality materials and newest manufacturing technology.

Global kitchen knives were first designed in 1985 by Komin Yamada. When Komin Yamada was commissioned for this task his mandate was to develop a range of knives that was truly new and revolutionary, using the best materials available and the latest manufacturing techniques. He was to fashion a series of kitchen knives which would appeal to the professional and amateur chef alike. It needed to be comfortable and easy to handle, and meet their most demanding requirements.

Sabatier - The Sabatier knife was born in Thiers’ Basin (near Lyon in France) at the beginning of the 19th Century. It carries the name of a local family whose ancestors created knives designed for professionals in the catering industry.

The Sabatier brand is internationally well-known. Its careful choice of materials and design provide comfort and balance in the hand. The long-lasting quality of Sabatier knives makes them a worthwhile investment. As such, a lifetime guarantee is offered on most products.

Analon - High-carbon steel makes for a high-performance blade that stays sharp and resists staining and corrosion. The soft Santoprene handle provides a confident grip that feels great and may reduce repetitive stress injuries. The Anolon knife is a forged knife for increased strength and durability.

The blade is made from high-carbon stainless steel, which has been ice-hardened. This makes for a high performance blade.

John Lewis - Taylor Eye Witness Ltd was founded in Sheffield in 1838 by John Taylor a working cutler. The company has supplied the partnership with high quality kitchen knives for over 40 years. They are one of the few knife makers still manufacturing in Britain.

They supply the JL Classic knives range, which are made in Sheffield. The knives are made from high carbon stainless steel, precision ground and hand honed to be as sharp as any knife on the market. The dishwasher safe handles are secured by brass rivets, and all knives are finished by hand. Every knife is test cut for sharpness before it leaves the factory.

Robert Welch - Founded in 1955 Robert Welch is a family run business based in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. All products are designed in-house by their team of designers. They have worked with professional chefs to develop a range of knives that give the user comfort in the hand and the optimum cutting action.

Each knife has been individually constructed for its specific task in food preparation. The handles and blades are set at the best angle to minimise fatigue. They are ideal for use by the professional or amateur chef.

8 Knives Product Learning Guide Branded Care and Maintenance KNIVES...

Caring for your knives...

 Hold the steel as shown, on a steady base and a wet cloth to save it slipping  Hold the blade at right angle 90°  Halve that to 45° and Half again and you will find yourself at 22.5°  It’s not about speed but accuracy of angle  Hold the knife blade at the top of the steel and draw down pulling the knife blade toward you at the same time  Repeat a few times each side.  Test against food never paper as this will undo all your hard work, if the blade runs without tugging its sharp enough.

Sharpening It is important to sharpen knives little and often. This will maintain or ‘hone’ the edge. Once the edge is lost it is difficult to get back, as only some sharpeners will do this. Effective sharpening requires a harder material than that which is being sharpened. There are quite a variety of knife sharpeners on the market. A sharpening steel is a long, straight rod with an abrasive surface against which the knife is drawn, but some people find that it is not the easiest tool to use. Alternatives include a worktop sharpener with two slots; the knife is drawn through each in turn. A similar worktop tool with one slot containing crossed steels is designed to replicate the action of the sharpening steel. Finally a whetstone can be used, which is a fine-grained block of stone. There are also small hand-held sharpeners, as well as electrical models.

Sharpening steel - A long, straight tool made from a high carbon steel, which, being harder than that used for knife blades, will maintain or ‘hone’ the edge. It is important to get the right edge for sharpening with a steel.

Diamond sharpener - A normal steel sharpener cannot be used on knives with blades which are hardened to a high degree or ceramic knives which require specialist sharpening. One disadvantage of diamond sharpeners is that the diamond powder coating will eventually wear off the sharpener after prolonged use.

Draw through sharpeners - will maintain the edge when sharp or new but have the advantage of giving the right angle so are very popular

Whet Stones - will also bring a dead blade back to life but are only popular with real enthusiasts. The edge will be as new but you have to soak the stone in water or oil before use.

9 Knives Product Learning Guide Care and Maintenance

Safety Appropriate storage is important in the safety of keeping knives.

Knife blocks come in a variety of shapes and materials, and perform the job of keeping knives all in one place on the worktop, storing the blades safely and preventing damage to the knives themselves. They typically incorporate a number of slots to hold different sizes of knife.

Magnetic racks are an alternative to a knife block. A magnetic rack uses a magnetic strip with which to hold the knives in place. It can be mounted on the wall or inside a kitchen cabinet for greater safety.

Corrosion Modern stainless steel knives are highly corrosion resistant. Older knives made of carbon steel may discolour badly, particularly when in contact with acidic foods like lemons, onions etc. Carbon steel knife blades may also rust if they are not dried promptly after washing.

Nickel is a highly corrosion-resistant metal which is used to give stainless steel its corrosion resistance. When stainless steel is described as ‘18/10’, for example, the ‘10’ refers to the percentage of nickel in the metal.

Discolouration While stainless steel knives are highly resistant to discolouration, it may occur if the knife has been exposed to a naked flame or other heat source. Also, some detergents may produce a bluish film, although this can usually be removed. More seriously, brown or black discolouration can signify the early stages of rust or corrosion, which usually indicates a lack of care in keeping the blade clean and dry and is attributable to prolonged exposure to acidic foods, salts or detergents, steam from a dishwasher, etc, which can induce rusting and corrosion. At an early stage, this can usually be rectified by washing or scrubbing with a mild abrasive. Alternatively, there are various proprietary stainless steel cleaners available. If left to persist, discolouration can result in pitting and cracking of the stainless steel.

Washing Knives should be washed by hand using a mild detergent and water. After washing, rinse with water and dry thoroughly with a towel.

Individual manufacturers should state whether a particular range of knives is dishwasher-safe or not. Instructions to avoid dishwashers could mean that the handles are not dishwasher safe, but many manufacturers also advise that knife blades are susceptible to corrosion if exposed for too long to the damp, steamy atmosphere of a dishwasher, and may also be damaged by contact with other items in the dishwasher. Wooden handles in particular are unlikely to be dish-washer-safe, as they can warp and split.

10 Knives Product Learning Guide A space for notes

11 Knives Product Learning Guide John Lewis Partnership

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