Gourmet Retailer Magazine Personnel Trainer 2008 - (Page 18) KNIFE SHARPENERS oday’s fastest growing cutlery segment is the Asian knife. According to many retailers, Asian knives account for half of their cutlery sales. Traditionally, consumers have been very loyal to their knives and knife brands. In fact, historically, consumers selected a knife brand and stuck with it for life. And yet, within only a few years, Asian knives have managed to garner half the market. l Why are consumers so enamored of Asian knives? Most of the Asian-style knives have thinner blades and a more acute (smaller) edge angle. This combination results in less effort required to cut, and the knife appears easier to control. T Choosing the Right Sharpener Retailers have to discuss the needs of their customers to point them in the right direction to selecting the perfect sharpener for the job. Asking the right questions will help guide the customer to the right sharpener. Here’s what to ask: Q. What type of knives do you own? Answer: All European knives. Recommendation: A 20-degree sharpener with the suggested sharpener basic features would be ideal. Answer: A combination of European/American and Asian knives. Recommendation: A model geared to accommodate both Western- and Asian-style knives probably featuring a 15degree angle sharpening system. Answer: All Asian knives. Recommendation: A sharpener specifically designed for Asian-style knives. Make sure that the sharpener is designed to sharpen both double-bevel blades like Santoku knives, and single-bevel blades such as the traditional sashimi knives. Abrasives: Choosing the right abrasive will help obtain a better edge and will also avoid detempering the blade. Oldfashioned single-stage sharpening wheels or grinders remove excess metal, and can overheat the edge so that the steel is weakened and fails more quickly. Never use overly aggressive single-stage sharpeners (like those built into many can openers) which grind away excessive metal and can detemper the blade. Select sharpeners that use diamond abrasives. Because of their extreme hardness, diamonds remove metal efficiently without heating or damaging the blade edge. Guides: A sharpener that features precision angle guides holds the knife at a predetermined correct sharpening angle while controlling the amount of sharpening pressure. Manual sharpening tools, such as steels and stones, often disappoint because of the difficulty of maintaining a consistent sharpening angle. Multi-Stage Sharpening Systems: To obtain the ultimate edge, suggest using a sharpener that has multiple stages. Proper sharpening requires both shaping the edge with coarser abrasives in the initial stage and polishing closer to the edge with finer abrasives in the final stage. The sharpening angle must be slightly larger in each successive stage. The use of finer abrasives, which remove only microscopic amounts of metal, is very important for resharpening the knife, thereby extending its life. l Is there a difference between the European-, Western- and Asian-style edges? Virtually all European- and American-style household knives are factory sharpened with edge facets at 20 degrees. Most of the Asian knives, however, are sharpened at 15 degrees on each side of the edge which has established their reputation for edge sharpness. They differ from Euro/American-style knives in that the popular Asian blades have a thinner cross section where the edge facets are formed. The thinner blade behind the edge facets of Asian blades is ideal for preparing, slicing and chopping vegetables, filleting fish, and for preparing sushi and sashimi. l What are the disadvantages of Asian-style knives? The typical Asian factory edge is sharper but less durable than the traditional Euro/American-style edge because there is less metal supporting the edge. Conventional Asian edges need more frequent sharpening, particularly if they are worked heavily. However, advanced technology sharpeners can overcome the problem. Multi-stage sharpening systems provide a multi-bevel structure to the 15-degree basic edge that makes it more durable. l Can American- and European-style knives be converted to Asian-style edges? With some of the advanced electric sharpeners on the market, this conversion can now be quickly and easily made. Because of their multi-staged design, these advanced sharpeners provide not only an extremely sharp 15-degree edge, but also a very durable one. Therefore, the consumer does not have to trade sharpness for edge durability. l How long will a factory edge last? After the first several uses, the original factory edge is lost. The knife begins to dull, and then, for more than 99 percent of the knife’s remaining useful life, its edge performance depends entirely on how it’s resharpened. l How should I choose the correct knife sharpener? Your knives are only as good as the sharpener that will be maintaining their edges. There are several individual factors to consider when purchasing a sharpener but also a few basics should be kept in mind. Sharpener Basics: The key elements to consider when shopping for a sharpener are the style of abrasives, angle guides and multi-stage sharpening system. l What about sharpening serrated edges? Serrated edges can be sharpened and maintained quickly and easily using a quality electric sharpener that features a honing or stropping stage comprised of a flexible, mild abrasive that works on serrated knives. 58 The Gourmet Retailer Magazine | February 2008
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