Knife Skills Part One

Just how skilled are you, with a knife?

I have always been told that I scare people with a knife.

I know, I know, it’s true though and it wasn’t just from my mother, it’s the majority of people that have a problem with it.  Except for one person in particular….me, I have never really seen a problem, except with the speed that I chop with.  Very, very, very, slow.  Is that a speed?

So, the first lesson, KNIFE SKILLS.

Step 1:  Is to make sure that you have a chef’s knife or a Sotuku knife, and a good  pairing knife.  Once you have these two knives they will pretty much be what you will be using for the majority of all the cutting that you do in the kitchen.

Step 1a: Make nice with someone that sharpens knives professionally.  As I learned about knives and knife skills I realized this was half of my problem.  Very un-sharp (is that a word?) knives.

Of course you can get a wet-stone and learn to do it yourself.  It’s pretty easy to do but time-consuming to say the least.  I would rather pay $3 and have my knives sharpened REALLY well.

For in between sharpening it wouldn’t hurt to get you a decent Steel. (You know those long round metal things that you’ve seen in some kitchens with a handle on the end.  Here’s a link  SHARPENING STEEL? Some chef’s like to sharpen their knife with a steel daily.

Say your making chicken soup, chop the celery then you use the steel; chop the onion, then you use the steel; etc.

Note: It is not necessary to have a diamond steel, just preference.

Part 2 Coming Soon…