selection and care - to be hand written in journal

The points to be taken care before buying cutlery, crockery and glassware are:

1.     The Type to be purchased- for example type of metal, type of glass or type of crockery

2.     Utility of the product being bought- the product we are going to buy must be useful to us and the specification are to be as per our needs

3.     Design

4.     Matching with the set- the cutlery must be matching with the service ware and the crockery to be used and same to be followed while selecting glassware as well

5.     Cost of the product- cost element is unavoidable, budgetary provisions must be taken care of

6.     Future requirements in case of breakage/loss-  there must be a provision to buy the same designs in smaller quantities in case we need fewer numbers to complete the inventory of lost or broken items

CARE OF STAINLESS STEEL CUTLERY

Stains

First, it must be emphasised that staining is a rare phenomenon and that in most cases it is due to something that becomes firmly deposited on the steel, rather than to any attack of the steel itself. Probably the most common cause of staining is attack by one of the proprietary dip solutions used for removing tarnish from silver. Although excellent for cleaning silver and E.P.N.S., these solutions should never be allowed to come into contact with stainless steel; they contain acids that etch the steel, first giving it an iridescent rainbow stain and ultimately etching it a dull grey. Even if care is taken to dip only the silver handle of a knife, it is so easy, when lifting it from the solution, to let drips fall onto the stainless steel blades of other cutlery that happen to be lying around.
All tap water contains dissolved mineral salts that would leave an extremely thin film on any article on which it was allowed to dry out without wiping. In most cases, the resultant stain will wipe off, but occasionally more vigorous treatment is needed, using a polishing preparation, such as stainless steel cleaners.

Detergents, especially unnecessarily strong solutions of detergent, can leave an indelible rainbow stain on stainless steel if they are not rinsed off and are allowed to dry, out on its surface. This is a common problem with some dishwashing machines when the rinse cycle is malfunctioning.

Very hard water can deposit a chalky film on stainless steel, but this is only likely to occur in dishwashers that use un-softened or incompletely softened water.

Very hot grease, fat or meat juices sometimes leave stubborn rainbow coloured stains on stainless steel, but this is more likely to occur on meat dishes than cutlery - again this does not mean there is anything wrong this the stainless steel and the articles will be as good as new after the stain has been removed.

Heat by itself will impart a rainbow coloured heat tint to stainless steel, but this is only likely to occur if the cutlery is accidentally left on a hot plate or gas burner, when the cause would be immediately obvious.

Prolonged immersion in synthetic 'vinegar' (condiment) can stain stainless steel knives if left on for several hours, but more rapidly if the 'vinegar' also contains salt.

Sometimes rust coloured stains occur. Wet fragments of steel wool that find their way onto cutlery may go rusty and leave indelible rust stains on the stainless steel. Other rust coloured stains may come from corrosion pits in the cutlery, although the pits themselves may be so small as to be barely visible.

Most stains that resist ordinary rubbing with a soapy cloth can be removed with stainless steel cleaners.

Finally, it must be pointed out that there may be other causes of staining that have not yet been identified.

Pits

When stainless steel corrodes, it does not rust all over like non stainless steel but acquires small localised pits or holes. Remember its STAIN LESS steel which means it will rust or corroded under some circumstances.

The majority of spoons and forks are made from stainless steels that have such excellent corrosion resistance that they are virtually immune to pitting. For knives, however, the blade steel is selected to give a compromise between corrosion resistance and cutting properties. In order to achieve a lasting edge, a steel that is much harder but of lower corrosion resistance that spoon and fork steel is used. The corrosion resistance of this steel is strongly influenced by care in manufacture (thorough hardening and avoidance of overheating when grinding etc) but only marginal improvements are achieved by the selection of alternative steels, however, expensive. Research is continually being carried out in the search for significantly better steels and method of treatment.

Prolonged contact with water is probably responsible for more pitting trouble than anything else. Knives have been made from stainless steel for such a long time that the highly corrosive effect of tap water, caused by the traces of mineral salts it contains is not appreciated. Why then do blades in one establishment last for years without trouble, whilst in others pitting becomes apparent within a few months? The answer lies in the length of time the blades are wet; knives that are left undried or actually immersed in water overnight can receive, in this time, as much exposure to the corrosive effect of water as three or four months' ordinary use where they are in contact with water for only a few minutes each time they are washed.

Common salt and liquid bleaches or disinfectants are very corrosive and will greatly accelerate the corrosive action of water. Some water softeners are regenerated with salt. If they are not functioning correctly, the softened water can have a high salt content. After adding salt to water softeners in a dishwasher, make certain that it is put through the rinse programme recommended by the supplier before washing knives in the machine. Detergents, on the other hand, are normally harmless when fully dissolved - indeed they often inhibit corrosion by water. If, however, certain powder detergents are allowed to come into contact with blades in hot water before the detergent is fully dissolved, pits and/or stains can form within a few minutes. Un-dissolved table salt can have a similar effect.

If pitting does occur, a diligent enquiry into the washing procedure is recommended to find out whether the cutlery is ever left in contact with water for a long item. Managers of catering establishments are not always aware of what really happens in their kitchens - for example, probably only the person directly involved may know that dirty cutlery is always left soaking in a bucket of water until someone has time to wash it, or that the last batch of knives to be washed in the early hours is left unwiped to dry overnight in a humid basement.

CARE OF SILVER

The characteristic white 'patina' of silver which is responsible for much of its aesthetic appeal becomes more pronounced with age due to the optical effect of the multitude of very fine scratches that develop in use. On new highly polished silver, however, the few fine isolated scratches that first appear tend to be somewhat conspicuous until the white patina has fully developed.
Tarnish
Silver, being a noble metal, is highly resistant to corrosion, but it can be tarnished by sulphides that are always present to some extent in the atmosphere and in many foods, green vegetables and eggs being the most potent. Tarnish consists of a superficial film of silver sulphides. Initially it is a light gold colour, but, with prolonged exposure to sulphides, it can develop into a blue-black discolouration.
Sulphides in the atmosphere originate mainly from combustion of gas oil, coke, wood etc. and from living creatures. To avoid the need for frequent cleaning, it is best to store silver cutlery in a box or drawer in a room without a fire of any type and, if convenient, in one of the lesser used rooms. To avoid tarnishing by food, rinse it off the cutlery as soon as convenient. Tarnish resisting papers and cloths are available to store silver, which certainly reduce the rate of tarnishing.

Tarnish Removal

·         As per the unit studied before- “silver cleaning methods”.