Knife Skills For Dummies
Early on, when I started cooking, I realized the importance of having nice, sharp knives. They obviously make your job easier and more fun, but they also make you less apt to do something stupid like pushing down on a dull knife or sawing with a blade that definitely isn’t serrated.
Unless you’re me, and you still do stupid things with the good ones.
As a cook, solid knife skills are important for a variety of reasons. Even if you couldn’t care less about the difference between a Lyonnaise and a julienne cut, knife skills teach you how to work more efficiently and use more of whatever vegetable/fruit/meat object that has the misfortune of crossing your path.
There are many different types of cuts and techniques, but if you follow these three rules, you’ll be in good shape to start:
Move the food, not the knife. A knife that is traveling all over your cutting board and back again is far more likely to behave in an unruly manner than a knife that stays stationary while you “feed” it.
Curl your fingers and tuck your thumb behind the rest of them. I learned this lesson the hard way with my middle finger (ha!). I sliced myself pretty badly, but I was really lucky. You can prevent SO MANY ACCIDENTS if you follow this simple suggestion.
Think about creating flat surfaces on round objects. Slicing an onion? Why would you keep it round? You’ll be chasing it all over the place. Slice it in half and keep the flat half down. Voila. No escape for runaway onion.
A good knife is a worthy investment, and one that should last you a couple of decades. My darling sister bought me a really cool 7” Global Santoku for Christmas 2006 — recommended by a friend who just happens to be a kickass chef — and Alison adores her Wustof Grand Prix II 9” chef’s knife.
Whichever knife you choose, make sure to talk to someone who knows something about knives first, and let that person know what kind of cooking you’re most likely to do so he/she can steer you in the right direction. Invest in a sharpener to ensure your shiny new weapon stays in top condition.
Most importantly, never lose respect for the blade, or it will teach you some respect — faster than you can blink. Consider taking a knife skills class at a local culinary institute or a kitchen store, which will teach you the most efficient way to slice/dice/chop everything you’re cooking, and how to NOT slice/dice/chop your fingers.
Here in the D.C. area, Alison highly recommends the knife skills classes offered at L’Academie de Cuisine, and nationally, Sur La Table’s basic workshop is a solid choice.
As for me, I’ve yet to take a class, but I’m a lot more careful with my beloved Santoku. Now if only I could find a chain mail glove…
Comments
By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a New York based consultant and freelance writer who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She originally hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College,spending time abroad at the University of Cambridge in the UK (where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Services). Her palate is ever-evolving but Burgundies are among her current obsessions. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
The Humble Gourmand encourages users to comment on any and all of its features, but reserves the right to remove any material deemed inappropriate.
Caree
October 15 7:11 a.m. 1Занимаюсь дизайном и хочу попросить автора humblegourmand.com отправить шаьлончик на мой мыил) Готов заплатить...