Sharpening Tips

Customers who participate in your in-store demonstration may feel confident about sharpening their own cutlery, yet when they return home, may often forget important parts of the process.


To eliminate that problem, create a 3- by 5-inch laminated Sharpening Tip Card that outlines sharpening tips. One side could highlight the sharpening steel, the other, manual and electric sharpeners. Present these to customers after each demonstration or cutlery sale. Your vendor can help create this take-home piece by providing small illustrations that depict the proper techniques for knife sharpening.

Knives Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

My kitchen knives and sharpeners

Bread Knife : Bread knives are a type of serrated knife, though unlike other serrated knives they are often simply called a Serrated Knife. Bread knives are usually between 6 and 10 inches, with 8 inches being a common length. The serrations on the blade make it ideal for cutting bread.

Meat Knives : A carving knife is a large knife (between 8 and 15 inches) that is used to carve poultry, roasts, hams, and other large cooked meats. A carving knife is much thinner than a chef's knife (particularly at the spine), enabling them to make thinner and more precise slices. Carving knives occasionally have granton edges, and they are generally shorter and wider than slicers.

Slicer : A slicer serves a similar function to a carving knife, although it is generally longer and narrower. Slicers are often more flexible and as such are better suited for slicing ham or fish. Slicers are occasionally serrated.

Cleaver : A cleaver is a large, rectangular knife that is used in cutting meat. The blade, approximately 6 inches long, is very heavy, enabling the knife to cut through bone and joints with sheer force. Many cleavers have a hole in the end to allow them to be hung up easily. Cleavers are an essential tool for any restaurant that prepares its own meat. However, most home cooks do not need cleavers as in most home meat preparation the bone is removed with a boning knife .

Small Knives : Peeling Also known as a Tourne Knife or Bird's Beak Knife, a peeling knife has a pointed tip that curves downward (towards the blade). They are often used for many of the same tasks as paring knives. They can be used to cut decorative garnishes (such as rosettes or fluted mushrooms), slice soft fruits, or peel skins or blemishes. They are also used to make a cut known as a tournée cut in vegetables such as carrots.

Cheese Knives : Soft cheese knives are specially designed for slicing soft cheese. They generally have holes in the blade to prevent the cheese from sticking.Hard cheese knives are specially designed for slicing hard cheese. They are sharp, so they can cut exact slices, and often have a forked tip, allowing them to be used as a serving utensil as well.

Knives Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

Electric knife sharpener

Specifications:

Feature list

Electrical motorized knife sharpening -- professional performance for household use.
Precise blade guide to sharpen the knife at its manufacturer recommended angle.
Knife stall protection, and blade burn prevention with spring loaded abrasive grinding wheel which keeps constant grinding force on the blade edge;
Two stages sharpening --coarse & fine abrasive grinding on both sides of the blade;
Additional unique edge reformer -- the honing stand removes burr and keeps edge straight and razor sharp!
Convenient operation & instant sharpening within a few strokes --only in a minute!
Removable magnetized dust collection;
Cord storage;
Painted metallic enclosure -- in different colors;
220-240vac, 80watts; 3000rpms

Knives-Sharpeners Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

Henckels Stainless Steel Twin Select Knife Sharpener

Suitable for all quality knives with non-coated blades, this sharpener features two slits (one with steel wheels for coarse and pre-sharpening; another with ceramic wheels for fine sharpening and smoothing). Made for right- or left-handed use, it’s safe and stable with its non-skid feet.


Model No.: 32601-003
Width: 7.5-in.
Depth: 2-in.
Height: 2.75-in.
Origin: Germany
Warranty: Lifetime

Knives-Sharpeners Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

Kitchen Knives and Sharpeners

Product Features

"Resets" a knife's edge; alternative to knife steel

Employs steel and ceramic wheels to hone knife's edge

Simple to use--draw knife through slot, toward your body

Lifetime warranty against manufacturers defects

Knives-Sharpeners Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

Knife Sharpener

SHARPENING THEORY: Several things - blade thickness, blade shape, edge angle, edge thickness and edge smoothness, determine cutting ability.

Blade thickness is set by the manufacturer and has a great effect of slicing ability. Your hunting knife will never slice like a filet knife or a kitchen knife, no matter what you do to the edge. It is possible to change blade thickness a little near the edge, but that can make a big difference in cutting ability.

Blade shape likewise is set when the blade is made and is determined by the usage. For instance, more belly or curve helps skinning and filet knives slice, while a reverse curve is needed on a linoleum knife. Blade shapes like serrations and reverse curves give an aggressive look to fantasy knives.

Serrations help with some cutting chores by letting the edge attack repeatedly from different angles, always slicing the material a different point. This lets you cut with less pressure. In my opinion serrated edges are desirable for three cutting tasks - slicing tomatoes, slicing bread, and cutting rope. All other tasks are done as well or better with a plain edge (sometimes called a fine edge). A plain edge is also easier to maintain.

Sharpening is about the remaining three items - edge angle, edge thickness and edge smoothness. Edge angle is measured between the center of the blade and the bevel or flat cut by the stone. Most Western knives are double bevel, so the total angle at the edge is twice this angle. Asian knives and woodworking tools are single bevel, and the resulting smaller angle can make them aggressive cutters. That is why sashimi knifes seem so sharp.

Edge angles can vary from 10 degrees to 40 degrees, but most are between 15 degrees (filet knives) and 30 degrees (survival knives). Different angles are suited for different tasks. What's suitable in the kitchen will not do for camping. Twenty degrees is about right for kitchen knives, twenty two degrees is good for pocket knives, and twenty five degrees gives a long lasting edge to a camp knife. A good starting point is to duplicate the angle the maker put on the blade. Edge angle is difficult to measure after the fact, but is fairly easy to control when sharpening by controlling the angle between the stone and the blade.

Any edge thickness under a few thousandths of an inch may be considered sharp. Paper is about 2 to 3 thousands thick and will cut you if conditions are right. Edge thickness naturally increases with wear.

Ideally the flats cut by the stone would come together to make a perfect edge with zero edge thickness, but edge thickness is limited by several factors. First is malleability, or the tendency for steel to move when it is pushed. The yield strength of steel is thousands of pounds per square inch, but as the edge thickness approaches zero, it takes only a fraction of an ounce to move it. The force of your hand with a stone or steel can move enough steel to create or smooth a burr.

Knives-Sharpeners Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com

Kitchen Chef's Choice Steel Pro

Knife sharpener, model 470, manual, super hardened, non-abrasive miniature steel rods & precision angle guides, safe-grip black handle with hanging ring

Since it's launch in 1985, the EdgeCraft Corporation has grown from a small manufacturer of revolutionary electric knife sharpeners to a world leader in sharpening.

The ingenuity and passion for excellence that led to the development of the first knife sharpener means that commitment to high standards of each and every product remains to this very day. Chef's Choice offers consumers and professionals worldwide the most extensive line of 100% diamond abrasive sharpeners.

Knives-Sharpeners Information Posted By: Blueshoots.com