Although Sheffield, England, in the past has the reputation for the finest cutlery in the world, and although Sheffield must be given the credit for fathering the craft, yet the United States to-day is making some of the best cutlery and bids fair to outmake and outsell the world in quantity and quality. KITCHEN CUTLERY The subject of kitchen cutlery, the one which this chapter is dealing with, does not interest itself in silver plate and all the cutlery so beautifully made for table use. The same general principals apply, but there is too little space here to go into the detail of pattern, brands and general details of table cutlery. However, the blades for most cutting articles are made of shear steel, and for this crucible cast steel and forged steel are used. The essential parts of the process of cutlery making are: (1) forging; (2) hardening and tempering; (3) grinding; (4) polishing; (5) assembling, honing and the finishing touches; and these are subdivided into many divisions, making nearly a hundred in some instances and more in others. The last division is the one which the “cutler” does to-day. In the 18th Century the cutler did the whole work of making a knife, but to-day the polisher polishes and the grinder grinds, etc. The hundreds of processes to-day in the course of the manufacture of one piece of cutlery are in the hands of nearly as many workmen. Of course, the value of modern cutlery is in the finesse of manufacture and the quality of steel that is used, and in the perfection of its varying parts and their assembling. Knives are meant to cut. Knives, therefore, must be so made that they will keep their cutting edges, so proportioned as to fit the thing to be cut; so limber or so stiff as to be comfortably wielded; so assembled as to keep their handles fastened to them; and so balanced (even as a golf club) as to be not only easy but pleasant to use. Pleasant tools make light work. The knife has three or four main parts--the blade; the tang (that part which fits into the handle); the handle itself, or haft, as it is sometimes called; and in some cases a metal ferrule. Much depends upon the way these parts are made and fitted; they must be so married that nothing can divorce the knife from the handle, so that they will preserve their oneness indefinitely. The great Reno for the knife is the huddled drawer in which it is for the most part kept, but more of this later. VARIETY IN KNIFE-LIFE The kinds of knife in which the housewife is particularly interested are: carvers, vegetable slicers, parers, fruit, cleavers, etc. Subdivided, they are: paring, bread, meat, poultry, carving, cake, boning, paring (small pocket type style), spatula, lemon, grape and orange, curved in French, German and American fashions, cleavers and scrapers.