Articles Of Interest

I'm not completely sure, but I believe that the knife was the first cooking tool ever created by man. Ever since the beginning of the Stone Age, knives were used by man to gather and hunt for food, and later on used to prepare food when fire was discovered. Several centuries later, the knife is still one of the most common and most used tools everywhere you can find a kitchen. The ubiquitous knife is used everywhere, from homes to restaurants to cruise ships.

However, even if we know that the knife is a very important piece of equipment, the fact remains that still a lot of people don't know how to handle and take care of their knives properly. A friend once jokingly explained that perhaps it's because knives don't come with an instruction manual.

One of the things that really annoy me is watching people handle knives incorrectly. The problem is that nobody taught us how to do it properly when we were just kids. Our parents just told us that knives were dangerous and to keep away from them. Knives may not come with instruction manuals indeed, but I believe that people who use them regularly should at least take the effort to learn how to handle them correctly.

First, learn how to hold the knife properly. There are three basic ways to hold a knife, depending on the knife and what is being cut. When cutting against the board, a knife should generally be held with the blade between thumb and forefinger. The handle should be held with the other fingers. When cutting hanging meat, for example, hold the knife in a dagger-like fashion to get proper leverage. And when turning or peeling with a small knife, one or two fingers should grip the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

Learn also how to care for your knives. Use a wooden board for chopping and cutting. Plastic boards require more cleaning, and they are not quite as gentle on the edge of a knife as wooden boards. Get a board with the end-grain as a cutting surface, rather than side grain. Why? The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, and side-grains will chip off eventually.

When storing knives after use, it's better to use paperboards or plastic sleeves. Clean a knife after using it, then dry and store. Do not wash knives in a dishwasher, no matter how convenient it may seem. Remember that you have to protect the edge from other hard surfaces. It's more dangerous to use a dull knife than a sharp one, so always keep your knives as sharp as possible. To truly sharpen it, an abrasive surface that is harder than the knife must be used, such as a diamond honer. Using a whetstone needs lots of experience to achieve a fine, razor's edge.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the case knives and supplies you need.