THE RIGHT FOR EVERY JOB

Ovenware & Tools & Flatware 01 Pots & pans 02 bakeware 03 accessories 04 05

06 Tableware 07 Glassware 08 Outdoor 09 Tronic THE RIGHT KNIFE FOR EVERY JOB

This guide will tell you more on the different kinds of knives and what they are best used for. You’ll learn about the several parts of a knife, the materials they’re made of and how a knife is constructed. Storage and safety are also a topic of this booklet.

I 1 PARTS OF A KNIFE

A

B

D

C

E D H

F

HANDLE E J I

G

2 I A I Point: Very end of the knife. Used for incisions and piercing. There are 3 varieties:

High tip: The edge is curved while the spine (see D) is straight, like on a .

Centre tip: Edge as well as the spine (see D) are gently curved, as used in a chef’s knife.

Low tip: The spine (see D) is curved while the edge smoothly ends in the point. A vegetable knife has a low tip.

B I Tip: First part, used for small or delicate work.

C I Edge: Entire cutting surface of the knife, part of the blade.

A fine edge blade produces a smooth, clean cut. Works good to peel fruit or vegetables.

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 I Spine: Top, thicker portion of the blade giving strength and weight.

E I Bolster: Separates the blade from the handle. Thick metal portion joining the handle and the blade, adding weight and balance.

F I Finger Guard: The part of the bolster for secure grip.

G I Tang: Section of the metal blade extending into the handle, giving the knife stability and extra weight. Can be visible or hidden.

H I Rivets: Metal pins that hold the handle to the tang (not always present, see p. 8).

I I Handle Guard: Lip to give the knife a better grip and prevents slipping.

J I Back: End of the handle. I 3 MATERIAL OF THE AND HANDLES

On our knives there are often etchings like X50CrMoV15 or X30Cr14.

4 I Generally, one can say that steel is an alloy made of iron with carbon. 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 molybdenum 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.

Some knives come with a silicone coated blade to enhance its non-stick qualities.

A ceramic knife is incredibly light but exceptionally sharp. The material used in the blade is often dioxide. The blade stays sharp for many times longer than other type of material. They are neutral to taste and smell without transfer of odours or flavours from one food to another when cut with the same knife. Ceramic knives need to be sharpened by a professional (don’t use a sharpener). Due to their sharpness, ceramic knives often come with a protective sheath.

The handles 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.

Coated Ceramic POM Stainless TPR PP steel

I 5 CONSTRUCTION

Most knives are either forged or stamped.

A forged knife has a blade and tang made from a single piece of steel. A forged knife undergoes several steps in which its hardness, density and flexibility is enhanced. Such a knife feels heavier and more balanced. It 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.

6 I There are several ways to connect the handle to the blade:

A handle made of a synthetic material is A handle can be connected to the A hollow-handle knife is made when the placed over the tang and connects tang by (mostly 3) rivets parts of the handle are glued or welded seamlessly to the bolster. They are joined to the tang. through melting and cooling the synthetic material.

I 7 8 8 I I THE RIGHT KNIFE FOR EVERY JOB The indicated sizes are the size from the blade

Paring knife Small, lightweight with a straight cutting edge. Usually between 6 to 10 cm (2 1/2 to 4 inches). 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 vegetables that are held in the hand.

Peeling knife Carving knife Small 6-7 cm (2 1/4 - 2 3/4 inch), lightweight with a pointed tip that curves Large knife between 20 cm and 38 cm downward with a straight cutting edge. (8 and 15 inches) that is used to slice thin Thin, flexible blade, usually about 12 cm to Use it for peeling fruits and vegetables, to cuts of meat. They are generally shorter 15 cm (5 or 6 inches). Used to remove remove blemishes and to cut decorative and wider than slicing knives. Often used bones from cuts of meat. The thin blade garnishes. in combination with a carving fork to hold allows to get into small spaces. Comes the roast. in a flexible or inflexible version. The flexible is perfect for poultry and fish, the inflexible one is good for beef and pork.

Utility knife Sized between a paring knife and a chef’s knife, between 10 cm and 18 cm (4 and 7 inches), with a straight cutting edge.

I 8 I 9 Slicing knife Chef’s knife knife Knife with straight or serrated cutting Most commonly sized between 15 cm and Asian style knife of about 12 cm to 18 cm long edge. Generally longer and narrower 30 cm (6 and 12 inches). The knife that’s (5 to 7 inches) with a straighter edge than a than a carving knife and designed to most used i n the kitchen for all kinds chef’s knife. All-round knife for a variety of cut thinner slices of meat. Often with a of tasks. The upward curved tip allows tasks. The wide blade allows for some typical flexible blade and a granton edge that rocking the knife for easy mincing on a activities like crushing garlic and scooping up easily separates slices from the knife’s cutting board. Because of the wide and the chopped ingredients on the blade. Some blade. Also in a special salmon/ham heavy blade it’s also suitable as a . Santoku knives come with a granton edge blade version with a slim, flexible blade for that reduces sticking of the cut items to the extra thin slices. blade.

Cleaver “Knife” of about 15 to 18 Large knife between 15 cm and 25 cm (6 cm (6 to 7 inches) with a and 10 inches) with a . Used wide, rectangular, thick for food that is hard on the outside and soft blade. Used for cutting in the middle, like bread and other bakery large pieces of meat and goods. Can also be used for slicing toma- cleaving its bones. They of- toes. ten have a hole at the end for hanging on a rack.

10 I Poultry shears The poultry shears are designed Typical is the upward curved tip which specifically to be able to cut through makes serving easier. For soft cheeses bone, chicken skin, and other tough the knife has a serrated blade with holes materials. These shears can be used as to prevent the cheese from sticking to the general kitchen shears, suited for a wide blade. Hard cheeses require a firm blade variety of heavy duty kitchen tasks. to cut through the toughest varieties.

Steak knife Rounded herb cutter While the other knives are used in the Designed to simply roll back and forth to kitchen to prepare the ingredients, the mince all kind of herbs. The herb cutter steak knives are meant to be used at has twin rounded blades. the table when steak or other meats are served.

I 11 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 can not fall onto the floor.

• Only ever pick up a knife 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 dishwater.

• 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.

12 I STORING YOUR KNIVES

Storing your knives in a proper way not only adds to safety but also helps to maintain 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.

Ceramic knives come with a protective sheath. Make sure you use it when putting these sharp knives away.

A folding bag often comes in handy too.

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 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.

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.

14 I SURFACES TO CUT ON

Always use a cutting board to chop, slice, dice and so on. Wood, 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).

I 15 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.

16 I 2

1 2

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 3 4 keeping the 22° angle, from position 1 ... position 1 position 2

4 ... to position 2. Use only light pressure. For safety reasons do this slowly. Quick moves won’t result in a sharper knife.

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 serrated knives using a sharpener. 5 6

I 17 BergHOFF Boterbosstraat 6/1 - Industrieterrein Zolder-Lummen 2114 3550 Heusden-Zolder, Belgium T. +32 (0)13 35 86 03 F. +32 (0)13 35 86 11 [email protected] www.berghoffworldwide.com