Butcher knife

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Different butcher knives and handle hooks

Butcher knife , also butcher knife , butcher knife or butcher's knife , the common collective name of special knives for professional use and use in the slaughter of animals for slaughter and poultry as well as in meat processing . They belong to the group of professional knives and are among the most important (cutting) tools of the professional group of butcher / butcher / butcher and related professions. There are a number of different types and variants, each with their own names, which are designed for specific purposes and have different material properties, shapes and sizes as well as handle types and colors.

history

Cleaver and cleaver , around 1940 to 1960 (Museo del salame di Felino )

While in antiquity and antiquity it was mostly the livestock farmers who handled the meat processing themselves, with the establishment of large cities a separate profession gradually developed, which supplied the city dwellers with meat . The outdated historical term `` bones cutter '' and the professional title `` butcher '' / meat chopper , which is still common in Austria , make it clear that in the beginning it was mainly about slaughtering and cutting the animals (as well as making the meat durable by salting and smoking ). The special tool requirement was therefore primarily for cleavers and knives of various sizes, which were supplemented by a few smaller "all-purpose knives ".

In the Middle Ages , German cities took over the inspection of slaughter cattle for purity and health and moved the previous sale from farms in the surrounding area to public urban squares and markets. At the same time, the various craft groups formed associations such as guilds or guilds . This led to increasing specialization in meat processing and, in addition to the classic butcher and sausage maker (“butcher”), various own - now outdated - professional groups emerged within the butcher's trade, such as the Küter , who also sold offal , the Flecksieder or the Selcher . Since the range of meat and sausage products became more and more extensive and the sale in the open air was no longer feasible due to lack of space and hygienic reasons, stationary shops and butchers / butchers / slaughterhouses developed mostly in certain districts .

This was accompanied by the increasing need and the development of further professional tools and in particular from special professional knives to the now existing variety of types and variants of butcher's knives / butcher's knives / butcher's knives.

Well-known manufacturers

The well-known knife and cutlery manufacturers who also or mainly have butcher knives in their range include:

  • in Germany: Karl Bahns (brand name Burgvogel ) in Solingen, Friedr. Dick in Deizisau, Eicker Messer in Solingen, Friedrich Engels (brand name RÖR ) in Solingen, Johannes Giesser knife factory in Winnenden, Franz Güde in Solingen, Friedr. Herder Abr. Son in Solingen, Marsvogel Stahlwaren in Solingen, Ro-Da Stahlwaren in Solingen, Wüsthof in Solingen, Zico Zimmermann in Remscheid, Zwilling JA Henckels in Solingen.
  • in Austria: Bertsch Holding in Bludenz, Himmelberger Zeughammerwerk Leonhard Müller & Sons in Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud, Herbert Mair in Telfes in the Stubaital.
  • in Switzerland: Victorinox (brand name Swibo ) in Schwyz.
  • in the USA: MAC Knife in Sacramento / California.

nature

Structure and features

Showcase with butcher knives, here from the US manufacturer MAC Knife

Butcher knives represent some of the most important hand tools of butchers / butchers / butchers as well as related meat processing professions and are usually part of their personal basic equipment as a selection of different types of knives. High-quality butcher knives have many typical features of forged knives, which distinguish quality knives from “cheap goods” at first glance. For example, they must be very sharp and resilient and have all the necessary safety features, such as a large, ergonomically shaped handle ( handle ) with hand protection . Since the middle of the 20th century, they have no longer been made of (rust-prone) mono-carbon steels, but instead of rust-resistant mono-chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steel , which guarantees a high degree of sharpness and, above all, meets modern hygienic food law requirements. Other materials for knife blades are less suitable for everyday professional use. Ceramic , for example, is considered to be fragile and the blades can only be sharpened by a professional, which is usually expensive. On the other hand, blades made of Damascus steel or laminate steels are of certain higher quality and more expensive, but also particularly susceptible to rust (Damascus steel) and are therefore more labor-intensive and cost-intensive to maintain.

Today, quality butcher knives for the professional sector in trade and industry are mostly punched from tempered strip steel - or partly also cut using laser technology -, hardened and heat-treated for the end use. When sharpening the knife blade and making the "basic cut", some manufacturers also use laser technology to ensure the best possible sharpening angle on the cutting edge.

As a rule, steel knives can be easily sharpened with a sharpening steel .

→ See section # Resharpening and knife maintenance

Butcher knives in the knife quivers , along with a hinged to the belt sharpening steel

There are appropriately matched knives for many areas and jobs of butchers. In addition to different blade shapes and sizes (length and width of the blade), different handle or handle variants in different materials and colors are available. The criteria for the selection are the work task and the meat to be cut, as well as the personal preference and working method of the butcher. While the knife handles traditionally been mostly plugged stapling or riveted together grips passed, now dominate handles thermoplastic resin such as polyoxymethylene (POM). The wooden handles, which were widely used in the past, tend to swell when liquid is supplied, so that, as in general with handle shells, gap-shaped openings can form, which cause hygienic problems. In order to meet the hygiene requirements, many quality manufacturers now offer "gap-free" butcher knives. For this purpose, the handles made of POM or similar are seamlessly foamed onto the tang of the blade and onto the same, so that no meat residues or juices can penetrate between the blade and the handle.

The plastic handles are usually offered in differently shaped handle series and are usually ergonomically designed , so that they allow both a selection according to personal preference and longer, fatigue-free work. In addition, they are often available in different colors, so that the different types of knives can easily be assigned to personal knife equipment or to different employees.

During the slaughter and meat processing work, the butcher usually has his knives close at hand, safely stored in the knife quiver or in a knife pouch on the belt. In addition, the sharpening steel is often hung on the belt and is therefore also within reach; But there are also knife quivers / knife pockets with a pocket for the sharpening steel.

Butcher knives are sometimes used as kitchen knives and occasionally as hunting knives .

Rfid knife

RFID logo

In 2012/13 in Germany, as part of a PROZEUS project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics , a company in the meat processing industry in cooperation with a knife manufacturer tested the automated control and monitoring of all work steps in meat processing. In the meat processing industry, tools such as butcher knives and sharpening steels as well as protective clothing are used every day . In accordance with the relevant guidelines and ordinances, special requirements regarding traceability and hygiene apply. Since the required documentation is mostly done manually, it is accordingly prone to errors and complex and difficult to control. Instead, the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) was tested, which enables employees to be clearly assigned to their tools and the automatically controlled collection of data in all process steps. To this end, the knife manufacturer involved implanted so-called RFID transponders according to GS1 standards in the handles of certain knife series and sharpening steels as well as in sharpening aids and protective clothing. The innovative system (" Industry 4.0 ") is completed by appropriate hardware and software .

After further development, certain knife series, sharpening steels, sharpening aids and protective clothing with RFID technology are now being offered, which, in addition to tracing, also enables IT-supported tool management. According to the manufacturer, the offered RFID system for butcher knives and associated tools is a “world first”.

Types (selection)

→ See also: List of knives in food processing (>> "Meat processing" branch)

There are a large number of types and variants of butcher's knives, some of which differ only slightly depending on the manufacturer. The following is a selection of the most common types, the classification of which is based on their main purpose:

  • Boning knife: The "boning knife", also known as the release knife ("trigger"), is part of the basic equipment of every butcher / butcher. Depending on the meat and personal preferences, the boning knife is used with a blade length of usually 13 cm or 15 cm and the mostly narrow blade with various levels of flexibility. It is used to loosen the bones and separate them from the meat ( boning ) . The flexible blade can be guided close to the bone so that - except when cutting "meat bones" - as little meat as possible remains on the bone.
→ See also: Kitchen knife # Ausbeinmesser
  • Block knife: The block knife was traditionally used on chopping blocks in the past and hence its name. Thanks to its wide and sturdy blade, it is well suited for dividing pieces of meat or cutting them to the desired size. It has a blade length of about 16 cm to 36 cm.
  • Carving knife: variant of the block knife, with a narrow blade.
→ See also: Kitchen knives # Carving or meat knives
  • Cutting knife: The cutting knife, also known as the skin knife , has a long, curved blade that enables a long, drawing cut. It is used for cutting larger pieces of meat. It is also good for removing skin and fat fibers ( skin peeling ) or shearing (boning) large pieces of meat.

The following butcher knives are used for special purposes:

  • Skinning knife: It is used to easily separate the animal skin from the meat ( skinning ) without damaging the meat. Due to the special shape of the blade with a long cutting edge, even difficult cuts can be made precisely. It is available in different blade lengths.
  • Opening knife : It is used to saw open the so-called lock seam (bone seam where the pelvic bones meet ) and the sternum in game . A section of the beak-shaped, curved cutting edge is saw-ground . A ball at the tip of the cutting edge enables safe cutting without damaging the innards . Breaking knives are also widely used by hunters .
→ See also: hunting knife
  • Special knife: It is used for cutting open the abdomen in beef and pork . For this purpose, this is cut with the point on the cutting side of the special knife. The animal is then turned over and the abdominal wall with the hook-shaped end of the blade back is completely cut open. A bullet on the tip prevents injuries to the innards.

Sharpening and knife maintenance

With regular use of butcher knives, like kitchen knives and other knives and cutting tools, the blades become dull over time; Even the "best knife" loses its sharpness over time due to wear and tear on the material to be cut or on the cutting surface. The blade edge is - especially with high-quality knives - only a few hundredths of a millimeter thin and bends even with the most careful handling when cutting. The pointed, sharp edge (ridge) of the blade gradually wraps itself around, and when enlarged, the ridge looks more like a fine saw. As a result, the knife becomes blunt and no longer holds the edge.

Sharpening a boning knife on a sharpening steel

The cutting edges can be sharpened again using a knife sharpener. There is a wide range of different types and shapes. Most commonly used in the commercial sector - such as in slaughterhouses , slaughterhouses and other meat processing companies - are sharpening steels and manual sharpeners . Sometimes ceramic sharpening sticks or electric sharpening devices are also used, as well as occasionally whetstones, such as when using particularly hard knives from Japanese production. While the function is basically the same for every device, the different models differ in the abrasive material. In this case, be diamond , ceramic or steel used. In order for the cutting edges to be sharp, the grinding material must be harder than the material of the knife blade.

As a rule, butcher knives are briefly pulled over a sharpening steel before use and several times a day during use . Depending on personal preferences and availability or the respective operational practice, other sharpening aids or knife sharpeners are sometimes used. Over time, the "basic grind" is worn out, so that simply straightening the cutting edge on the sharpening steel is no longer enough to achieve the desired sharpness. The knives should then be sharpened according to expert recommendations by a specialist such as a professional knife and scissors grinder on grinding machines and the "basic grinding " renewed. Depending on the use, this should be done approximately every three to six months.

The knives must be cleaned regularly or after each use. Residues from highly concentrated cleaning agents , staying in the dishwasher for too long, as well as protein and meat residues can lead to stains on the blades and, over time, even to surface corrosion. According to expert recommendations, butcher knives should best be cleaned immediately after use with a mild, alkaline cleaning agent without acid, such as sodium hypochlorite ( sodium hypochlorite , also known as eau de labarraque ).

literature

  • Collective of authors; Werner Ungethüm (arrangement): Meat processing. Raw materials, equipment and processes for cutting meat and for producing and preserving meat products . 7th, improved edition. Fachbuchverlag, Leipzig 1988, ISBN 3-343-00293-3 , p. 133–144 (vocational school book).
  • Hans Fuchs; Martin Fuchs: Specialized lexicon for butchers. The whole industry from A – Z. Over 5000 technical terms (=  Afz series Fleischkaufmann & Praktiker ). 3rd, revised and expanded edition. Deutscher Fachbuchverlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-87150-747-4 (with 1 CD-ROM).
  • Wolfgang Müller: Pig. From head to toe . Matthaes Verlag, Stuttgart 2018, ISBN 978-3-87515-426-9 , pp. 26-27 .

Web links

Commons : Butcher Knife  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

Note: Individual references given at the end of paragraphs refer to the entire paragraph before.

  1. ↑ a b cf. B .: Agrarmarkt Austria : history of the butcher's work. In: wikimeat.at. Agrarmarkt Austria Marketing GesmbH, Vienna, accessed on April 25, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Sheets on vocational training: Die butcher knives . In: FH Fleischer-Handwerk . No. 1/2018 . B&L MedienGesellschaft mbh & Co. KG, ISSN  2193-5033 , p. 11 ( online edition at blmedien.de [accessed April 18, 2020]).
  3. ↑ See e.g. B .: butcher's knife. In: messerspezialist.de. Retrieved June 12, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c Gregor Krambs: Butcher knife adviser. In: strawpoll.de. Retrieved April 20, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b c d knife. Sharp and sleek . In: FH Fleischer-Handwerk . No. 1/2017 . B&L MedienGesellschaft mbh & Co. KG, ISSN  2193-5033 , p. 17 ( digital copy on fleischnet.de [PDF; 9.7 MB ; accessed on April 18, 2020]).
  6. ↑ GS1 Germany GmbH : butcher knives under RFID control. In: gs1-germany.de. May 2, 2013, accessed April 20, 2020 .
  7. ↑ See manufacturer information, such as here (accessed April 20, 2020).
  8. ↑ knife sharpener. Sharpening steel sharpens best . In: Stiftung Warentest (Ed.): Test . No. 01/2010 , p. 64–69 ( test.de [accessed April 18, 2020]).
  9. ↑ The best 13 knife sharpeners for all-round sharp knives in comparison - 2020 test and guide. In: stern.de . 2020, accessed on April 18, 2020 (comparison and consumer portal on stern.de, based on information from Heidorn GmbH , Breitenworbis).
  10. ↑ See e.g. B .: Christian Wietschorke: How often do you sharpen knives? Tips from the professional! In: messerundscherenschleifer.de. Retrieved April 18, 2020 .