Basic Knife Skills

I recently decided to try and develop my knife skills and found on a few occassions that I had cut my finger nail on my index finger of my left hand TWICE! On another occassion, I cut my left thumb and did not even know I had done so until I saw some blood on an evelope that I was about to place in the mail box! That was the final straw for me! So I went on

I have already learned the basic terms like the PINCH and the CLAW. The PINCH is the name used to describe the way the knife is to be held for better control where the index and thumb pinch the blade. The correct way to hold a knife is to pinch the blade right above the handle with your thumb and your index finger. Then place your three other fingers on the handle. Holding the knife this way makes the blade an extension of your arm.

The CLAW is for the hand that guides the food. The way the hand has to be positioned, so you do not cut your fingers, looks like a claw. Most amateur cooks hold the item the wrong way, placing their fingers so that they have a hard time seeing the item they're about to cut. This is the wrong way to hold the object. In fact, it's downright dangerous as your fingers can get hit by the knife. Keep your fingers safe by bringing your hands up into what is called the claw grip. In the claw grip, your fingertips, including your thumb, are folded inwards and out of the way of the knife's blade. This position also allows you to use your knuckles as a guide for the up and down motion of the knife.

Remember, all cooking starts with a knife so get that right first, and you will not only be faster and safer, but you can sound off like a total know-it-all, which is endlessly entertaining.

Invest in a good set of stainless steel knives. A few months ago I purchased a knife that was reasonably priced and it looked of good quality. The mistake that I made was not ensure that was made of stainless steel. A few weeks later, it began to rust!

My latest acquistion is a stainless steel knife set that includes a knife sharpener (I think that this is a great idea to include this tool in the package). It is quite handy as ever so often my main knife gets dull and I sharpen it myself (don't have to depend on the husband!) Another important point is before I began working on my knife skills, I realized that my knife sometimes would not cut right through my food. I eventually realized that my knife just needed sharpening, I thought that I was not using my knife skills in the correct manner.