kitchen knife glossary(part two)
By XYj Knife
May 28th, 2018
Deburring – The act of removing a burr. This can be done by many means, but the common method is to cut into something like cork, rubber or ultra-rock-hard felt, as these substances provide pressure on all directions and the friction to pull the tiny burrs off. The immediate result of deburring is that the burrs formed are literally torn off, so if you deburr after sharpening on a low grit medium, it is advisable to continue on to higher grits, deburring after each stone, and building up a minimum burr on the next higher stone. It is theoretically possible to sharpen and raise a burr so tiny it is undetectable before stopping intentionally, but it is NOT possible to meet both planes of a bevel on the cutting edge without raising any kind of burr, at least not using sharpening stones. Removal of a wire edge is the same as deburring, since a wire edge is a type of burr.
Deformation – A more specific word for dulling, refers to the loss of the proper structure of the edge, be it through chipping, bending, rolling, or otherwise.
Diamond Plate – A steel plate coated in synthetic diamonds of varying grits. These plates are extremely aggressive, and are often reserved for lapping and bevel setting.
Differential Heat Treat – A process in which one section of a single piece of steel is heat treated differently than another section. This process was created for swords, to enable a single piece of high quality steel to be hardened on it's edge and maintain a sharp, durable angle, but the steel on the spine would be soft, allowing for flexibility to prevent the sword from breaking in high-impact situations. In kitchen knives, it is mostly tradition and aesthetics, though there are some who profess to notice a feeling of “liveliness” in blades treated this way.
Dishing – The slow, inevitable formation of low spots on a sharpening stone, due to uneven surface wear. A dished stone, when used as normal, will create a more convexed edge than intended, and might roll the edge. Usually dealt with by lapping or occasional flattening with a variety of coarser mediums.
Distal Taper – See Taper
Double Bevel – a knife with a bevel on both sides of the blade. Also called V-Bevel
Drawing motion – a cutting motion where the tip is placed on the cutting board with the heel up, and the blade is pulled through the food.
Drawer Queen – another term for safe queen.
Edge – The part of a knife that is physically altered to improve the cutting characteristics of a knife. The purpose of an edge is to provide a strong, sharp, and easy to maintain interface between the knife and it’s target. An edge is made up of 1 or more bevels
Edge Failure – The sudden dulling of a cutting edge through chipping, bending, or any other deformation. This can be a sign of defective steel, but almost always indicates a poor quality or erroneous sharpening job.
Edge Geometry – The shape and angles of the Bevels. This is one of the aspects of a knife's design that is most commonly altered on a knife. Simply using a different angle than the factory used is changing the geometry. Also see Blade Geometry
Edge Grain – A piece of wood that is cut with the grain so that the grain is parallel to the surface. This is common in less expensive cutting boards, because it is easier to make—planks of wood typically are cut with the grain, since that is how the tree grows.
Edge Profile – The general design and shape of the edge, as seen when looking directly at the face. One of the most important qualities of a knife. The qualities that make a great edge profile are nuanced and depend largely on the applied technique and personal preference. The edge profile is often altered, providing for more/less/different belly, but is best left to those with experience with such alterations, as it is easy to create a problem with the symmetry of the bevels or an overgrind.
Edge Retention – The quality of a blade to resist deformation of any type.
Edge Test – Any of a wide variety of cutting tasks that a knife is put through to determine it's cutting characteristics. While many tests can be useful and informative, the only surefire test that a knife is working well is to use it to cut what it was intended to cut.
End Grain – A piece of wood that is cut across the grain so that the grain is perpendicular to the surface. This is common in the very best cutting boards, because the grain can separate to allow a knife to cut into it without damaging the wood too severely, and without abrading the edge unnecessarily.
Face – The side of the blade above the edge, usually emblazoned with some kind of logo. The face of a knife is not always flat.
Fail – See Edge Failure
Fat – Slang for a very thick knife, perhaps too thick.
Figured – Refers to the quality of wood having a visually interesting grain structure. Wood with very unusual or complex patterns is referred to as “highly figured”. Plain-looking wood can be said to “not exhibit much(or any) figuring.”
Filework – Decorative grooves and patterns ground into the edge of a bar of metal, usually on the tang and/or spine. While aesthetically pleasing, it serves no function, and may actually house food particles, and therefore frowned upon for professional food service use
Finger Point – A grip in which the handle is grasped with 4 fingers around the handle, and the index finger is place, pad first, on the spine of the knife. This is a good grip for slicing, but does not provide a lot of security, so inexperienced cooks are advised against this grip. Very common for sushi chefs, where there is not any downward pressure needed to make cuts.
Fit and Finish – The level to which an object is functionally and aesthetically refined. Usually refers to level of polish, tightness of the fittings, quality of the overall grind, any extra time and effort spent at the end of the knife making process.
Fittings – Everything on a knife that is not a blade, tang, or scale.
Flat Grind – A grind that is a flat plane.
Force a Patina – see Patina
Forge – Either an object or a process. A Forge is a very hot(thousands of degrees) oven, used by [URL”http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php?2023-Kitchen-Knife-Glossary#bladesmith]bladesmiths[/URL] to heat steel to make it malleable. Forging is the practice of using a forge to make a knife. Technically, any knife that is heated for the purpose of shaping through impact or pressure can be called “forged”, and it is often used as a marketing term.
Freehand – Sharpening knives by hand, without the aid of a stabilizing device, or jig. With time and practice, sharpeners improve in their ability to maintain a steady angle, and create a more precise edge. Due to the complex nature of the human body, a perfectly flat bevel is impossible to achieve. This does not necessarily mean that the edge is less precise, as a certain amount of convexing is considered acceptable or even desirable.
Front of House – The areas of a restaurant customers are allowed to be in.
Full Tang – Handle design in which the tang shares a silhouette with the handle scales, and is visible all the way around. Often touted as better quality for kitchen knives, but this only helps in heavy abuse situations, like sword fighting, and is kept around in kitchen cutlery for tradition's sake and aesthetic appeal.
Grabby – The quality of an edge to cut into food instantly when slicing.
Grantons – shallow indentations behind the edge that are intended to keep food from sticking by allowing air between the blade and the food. The effectiveness(or lack thereof) of grantons is a subject of debate.
Grit – A scale denoting the average particle size of an abrasive. The higher the grit, the smaller the particle, and the finer a finish it will leave. American and Japanese Grits are not the same, and there are many different grit ratings, even in the same country, and not all manufacturers' stated grits are accurate. There are many charts available to convert different grits into Micron size, which is a much more reliable scale. Generally, 'rough' grits are about 25-200 Microns, 'medium' grits are about 5-25 Microns, and 'fine' grits are less than 5 microns.
Grind – The way a knife is shaped, formed or forged at different parts. A blade can have different grinds, such as a hollow ground blade with a flat edge bevel. Ex: “a convex grind”. See Hollow Ground, Convex, and Flat grind.
Grip – The method of holding a knife. Does not refer to the handle itself. Common styles are Hammer Grip, Pinch Grip, and the Finger Point.
Guide – A (usually small and simple) object that is attached to a knife that helps to maintain a steady angle. The angle will change depending on how wide the blade is and where the guide is attached. Specially tailored guides can be helpful, but there is no guide that will work for every size, shape and style of blade.
hagane – Japanese term for core steel
Hammered Finish – A texture created on the face of a knife by repeated striking, usually with a metal punch. Mostly aesthetic value, as it does not really keep food from sticking. Food does not get stuck in the dimples so long as basic knife hygiene and safety are applied.
Hammer Grip – A grip in which the knife is held with all five fingers wrapped around the handle, like one would hold a hammer.
Hammer-In – An organized social get-together of knifemakers at a shop, for the purpose of making and discussing knives, sharing good company, and eating and drinking.
Hamon – A line created in the steel when a piece of uniform steel is differentially heat treated. Not to be confused with a clad line
Hanging Hair Test – An edge test in which a single hair is drawn across a motionless blade, in an attempt to break or at least whittle it
Haze – A contrasting finish left on a kasumi blade, achieved through careful honing/polishing. The abrasive needs to be hard enough to scratch the soft cladding, but small and evenly distributed enough to polish the core steel. An ideal Kasumi finish would be one in which the soft steel cladding and hard core steel contrast each other, without deep scratches.
Heat Treat– The process of heating and cooling steel, in varying patterns and ranges, to produce desirable characteristics in the steel. Differs from the forging process, because the steel is not being heated for the purpose of being shaped or hammered. Any shape change during heat treating is referred to as warpage.
High-Carbon – Any Steel that contains more than .5% Carbon. Often this term is just marketing, since .5% carbon is really not much(some go as high as 3.8%[MPL-1]), and many steels qualify for this term, despite being heat treated poorly or even made up of an altogether undesirable alloy.
Hole in the Edge – Slang for the area that is no longer creating desired board contact when an overgrind affects the cutting edge.
Hollow Ground – A feature of a knife that has a grind that has a rounded inward curve.
Hone – A generic term for sharpening, but often used to denote use of a honing rod.
Honing Rod – A cylindrical rod used for minor touchups and maintenance of an edge between sharpening sessions, to keep the edge at peak performance. While it is a common item, it is very rare to see one used correctly, on television, in pro kitchens, or anywhere. The purpose is to gently re-align the teeth of a knife that are bent through normal use, making the edge feel “fresh” again. Steel rods are made of a steel hardened to around HRC 61, which is hard enough to align teeth on a knife of soft steel, about HRC 59 or less. Harder knives do not respond well to steel hones, because they are often harder than the hone itself, or they become dull through micro chipping, literally breaking *teeth* off instead of bending them. These knives benefit from glass, ceramic or borosilicate rods, though many prefer to simply strop their hard steel knives between sharpening.
Honyaki – Japanese term for differential heat treat
House Knives – Restaurant industry term for the knives the restaurant owns, as opposed to the knives cooks bring and maintain themselves. Typically these “beaters” are inexpensive, poorly cared for, and make up the bulk of what is used to prepare your food outside your house. Rarely, there are restaurants that supply good quality knives to their staff.
J-Blade – slang for a Japanese-made knife
Jig – Any device used to mount either the knife, stone, or both, to aid in maintaining a precise angle, and remove the element of human error from the sharpening process. Given hard sharpening media, a “dead flat” bevel is achievable, but this does not necessarily mean the edge is more precise, as a certain amount of convexing is considered acceptable, or even desirable. There are many, many of these available, but only a few work well enough to use on a wide variety of quality cutlery.
jigane – Japanese term for cladding
Kasumi – Japanese for 'mist', also the name for clad construction. It refers to the [URL=http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php?2023-Kitchen-Knife-Glossary#haze]haze traditionally left on the blade.
Kata-Ha – The Japanese term for a style of single-bevel knife construction. Often pronounced “Kah-tah-bah”.
Knife Callous – The internationally recognized sign of a working cook. A small rough patch of skin on the index finger that is caused by abrasion from using a knife for hours at a time, day after day.
Knifemaker – A person who makes knives. Does not denote any specific method of knifemaking.
Kuro-Uchi – A “rustic” finish where the scale from the forge is not removed in the process of making a knife. Provides a moderate amount of corrosion resistance, similar to a patina. This also allows the maker to skip a step in finishing the blade, and can help to reduce cost, making otherwise pricy steel a little more accessible.
Lapping – abrading a stone during a sharpening session with a flatter, coarser medium, to make the stone flat, and/or to quickly build up mud. Not everyone laps their stones, but flattening at least occasionally is advised to prevent dishing.
Laser – Slang for a knife that is very sharp and very thin. Often this is a subjective assessment.
Lineup – A particular progression of sharpening stones, hones, strops and other sharpening tools. A person's chosen “lineup” is so named because often the stones are laid out in a row on a table, and used one after another. Does not imply that these are the only stones the person owns, just the ones being used.
Loading – Can mean 2 things, but both with the same basic meaning—having a rough surface coated with tiny particles. (1) The act of coating a strop with a compound to aid in edge refinement (2) The effect of swarf being left behind and depositing on a Sharpening Stone, which can damage the stones cutting speed and apparent grit size—this is never a desirable occurance.
Marker Trick – A sharpening aid process in which a permanent marker is used to color over the entire edge up to the cutting edge, and given a few seconds to dry before proceeding with normal sharpening. The hone being used will abrade away the surface, and will reveal what part(s) of the bevel is making consistent contact with the stone, by removing the ink. Be careful not to not shade it too high if you don't want any of the marker left on the face of the knife behind the edge.
Marketing Term – Legitimately useful words whose meanings is either vague or obscure enough to allow them be used by unscrupulous vendors to misrepresent an item. When a knife's ad copy says something like “100% forged german steel with a tempered blade”, it is like saying you are selling a soccer ball that is “100% stitched American leather with a high-pressure inflated bladder”. They are designed to sound overly impressive to a casual user, and combating the deception they are used for is one of the purposes of this list.
Micarta – A heavy-duty handle material made with fabric that is layered and impregnated in a vacuum with plastic resin. Good micarta will not shrink, warp, crack, absorb water, or wear easily. Can be made into many different colors or patterns. Common on outdoor knives.
Microbevel – A bevel that is very small, and never the primary bevel. The purpose of a microbevel is to increase the strength of the cutting edge(because it creates a less acute angle), and the process of adding one can help in the removal of burrs and
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