How do you recognise good cutlery?
High-quality cutlery not only underlines the character of the dish but also contributes significantly to its enjoyment. Good cutlery should be comfortable to hold. It must be cleanly processed and durable. ZWILLING cutlery fully meets these criteria.
QUALITY AND FEATURES
MATERIAL
The quality of the steel has a crucial influence on the quality of the flatware. and is fundamental for its optimum functionality and longevity. All ZWILLING flatware is made of high-grade 18/10 stainless steel.
MATERIAL THICKNESS
The spoons and forks of good-quality flatware should be at least 2.5 mm thick. The thicker the material, the better and more expensive is the flatware. The thickness of the material used on forks and spoons is measured above the stamp
PROCESSING
The surface of quality flatware is clean and polished or matt without any pores. The edges are soft and have no scratches or grooves. The surface between the fork's prongs is finely polished; the spoon's bowl and the fork's rim have no sharp edges. The fork prongs are pointed but have no burrs
KNIFE BLADE
The knife blade is thinly ground; it has a clean serrated edge that is sharpened on the reverse side as well.
DESIGN
The demands on flatware are very exacting. In addition to being comfortable to hold, the individual pieces need to be easy to use and look attractive. Design and ergonomics are therefore as important as their function. ZWILLING works together with well-known designers, like the renowned Milan-based designer and architect Matteo Thun, in the development of new flatware.
CARE
18/10 stainless steel flatware can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Manufacturing
It is a long and complex process to transform a piece of stainless steel into a polished, beautifully manufactured piece of flatware. The production of a knife or spoon involves approximately 30 different production steps. The most important production steps are listed below.
FORK AND SPOON
- Forks and spoons are each punched out in one piece from sheet steel.
- These pre-cuts, which are called blanks, are then deburred and cross-rolled to thin down the material in the area that will later become the bowl.
- The fork and spoon blanks are then cropped to the corresponding shape of the series before the flatware is given its final shape and decoration using die stamping.
- The stamping process is carried out in a positive and negative stamping mould, which is used to shape the flatware in a cold state and by applying pressure of up to 650 t.
- Stamping inevitably produces a burr around the rim of the piece of flatware.
- This burr is ground off before the grinding and polishing production processes to smooth the surface and create a sheen on the surface.
KNIFE
When it comes to knives, a distinction is made between two types of production: the hollow-handle knife and the monobloc knife.
Hollow handle knife
Flatware that includes hollow-handle knives is generally of a higher quality. The production of hollow-handle knives is much more complicated than monobloc knives. The handle is made of 18/10 stainless steel and the blade is forged from top-quality blade steel.
Monobloc knife
This production process uses heat-treatable chrome steel with a relatively high carbon content and employs forging and rolling to produce a knife from a single piece. As this process is less complex than hollow-handle knives, monobloc knives are less expensive to manufacture. These knives also rely on perfect hardening and surface treatment for corrosion- resistance and good cutting properties.
Cementing the blade into the handle and the precision grinding of the transitional area between the bolster and handle are complex and demanding manufacturing steps.
MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP
Quality starts with the material. The quality of the steel significantly influences the quality of cutlery. It is an essential factor for the cutlery parts' optimal functionality and long service life. All ZWILLING cutlery is made from high-quality 18/10 stainless steel.
