Cutlery, cutlery sets, and kitchen knives

Welcome to Bradshawcutlery.com. Cutlery items are the most frequently used items in the kitchen, almost every meal requires the use of some kind of cutlery. While many people think cutleries are just knives this category also includes silverware as well. Buying quality knives are an investment. A good set of knives can last a lifetime with proper care.

Most knives will be made from stainless steel. High carbon steel is the best quality metal that can be used and hold a sharp edge for longer than other kinds of steel. For a knife to be durable and long lasting it’s important that it be full tang. The tang is the part of the blade that is not exposed; it’s embedded in the handle. The best knives have a tang that extends through the length of the handle. If a tang is only partial it can snap out of the handle or break. The tang should be secured into the handle with metal rivets.

When it comes to cutlery sets there are two types: knives sets and silverware sets. A complete silverware set will come with four, eight, or twelve place settings, with each place setting composed of five pieces: a salad fork, a dinner fork, a teaspoon, a table spoon, and a table knife. Some accessory pieces that can be included are a sugar spoon, a wide-blade butter or spreading knife, and a few serving spoons.

A knife set will have several different knives with their function listed below, and will also usually include a storage block or individual covers to protect the blades. These sets can also have some accessory items like a pair of kitchen shears and a sharpening steel to help maintain an edge in between professional sharpenings. The knives included in a complete set will be:

•Chef’s knife- this knife is versatile and can be used to cut or chop almost any food.

•Bread knife- has serrated edge to slice bread without crushing the loaf.

•Santoku knives- are like narrow-bladed cleavers used in Asian cooking, they are good for chopping, mincing, and slicing.

•Paring knife-is used for peeling fruits and vegetables and can also cut them into small pieces.

•Filet or boning knife- this knife is designed to remove meat from bones and is normally used on chicken and fish.

•Carving knife- used for carving and slicing meats like roasts and pork.

•Meat cleaver- used specifically to split meat bones.

•Chinese cleaver- is for cleaving vegetables

•Steak knives- smaller serrated knives to be used at the table to cut meat. A good set will have four to eight steak knives.

Taking good care of the knives can ensure they last a long time. Knives should be professionally sharpened every three to four years. A sharpening steel can be used in between sharpening, but electric sharpeners should be avoided as they can over sharpen and damage the blades. Make sure knives are cleaned and dried after every use. Allowing food to remain on knives can cause the blade to breakdown prematurely.

Feel free to browse through our site to get additional information on the various cutlery sets and accessories on the market. Knowing about knives will help the customer make the best buying decision and we do are very best to provide this information.

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