Gourmet Business October 2013

Look Sharp

Have you ever been to a friend’s home, and, while helping out in the kitchen, found only a dull 12-inch carving knife available to do your chopping? If you have grown accustomed to having the proper sharp knife for the job, then situations like this tend to throw you off your game. Furthermore, one has to wonder if the resident cook realizes how much better the kitchen prep experience could be with a minimal additional investment in a knife sharpener or, god forbid, a 6-inch chef’s knife. I find this to be the case in far too many kitchens, and we need to take it upon ourselves to motivate our customers to demand better.

You may think the world has all the cutlery it needs, but I am here to tell you it just isn’t true. There are different sizes, shapes, flexibilities and even materials. Each can have unique functionalities that can be easily explained or demonstrated, and all can make kitchen prep chores easier. I hope that you have already invested in a comprehensive product assortment, but if you haven’t, I hope you find this issue helpful.

The other important point I would like you to take to heart is that this category extends far beyond the knife. Even if you have customers who already own more knives than a professional kitchen, there are still many more types of products that can enhance their kitchen experience.

Take sharpening, for instance. It’s quite possible if a customer has purchased a knife block set along the way that they have also received a sharpening steel included in the set. Guess what? Sharpening steels are considered a necessity because knives don’t stay sharp forever, but most customers probably don’t know how to use one properly. Fortunately, many companies have come to the rescue and designed electric or manual sharpeners that can restore the edge in seconds. I think ev- ery household should have one method available for keeping their knives sharp for their own culinary well-being.

I also think that we need to do a better job at educating our customers about cutting boards. Again, there are so many different sizes, shapes and materials available in the market, each with its own purpose. With all the variety and value-oriented price points available today, I often don’t see as many wood- en cutting boards as I used to because they are naturally more expensive. But, chopping with a sharp knife on a nice wooden board has a feeling that is just right, and it doesn’t dull the knife blade as fast. For those of you who have shied away from including a top-quality wooden board in your assortment, you will find a special buy in this issue from John Boos just in time for the holidays!

David Spencer 

Publisher, Gourmet Business 

President, HousewaresDirect, Inc. 

dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com