A Complete Understanding Of How to Use Kitchen Knives

Knives can be harmful when they are too sharp or too dull. Sharp knives can easily cut you without you seeing it coming. On the other hand, when they are too dull, they can slip out of the grip when you are cutting. You should put these precautions into place.

• Avoid using your palm as a chopping board: if there is a need to cut food items like vegetables, fruits, carefully place them on a chopping board to avoid injury.
• While cutting on the board, keep your hand away from the knife 
• Do not place knives where children can reach. Some children can be very inquisitive. They want to try things out. Ensure to keep knives out of reach of all children.
• Prevent the cutting board from slipping back and forth by making use of rubber grips. 
• Pay attention to what you are cutting. Do not get carried away

What is the right way to hold kitchen Knives?

Hold the handle of the knife with your middle, ring and last finger. Your index finger should rest against the blade – very close to the handle. Position your thumb to be on the opposite side of the blade.

 What are the different types of kitchen knives available?

1. The all-purpose kitchen knife: this knife is good for chopping, slicing, and to do a lot of cutting in the kitchen. 

2. The chef’s knife: the blades are heavy duty and weighty. They can be used to slice fruits, to smash bulbs of garlic, to chop onions, to slice a big portion of beef, and other things in the kitchen. It has a big curve close to the tip

3. The paring knife:  this knife should be used to cut vegetables. Basically, the work of this kind of knife is peeling and slicing. It is too small to be used as a chopper or to carve. The size is about 2 ½ to 4 inches in length.

How to pick a good paring knife:

• Size: if you have a small hand then you will be more comfortable using a smaller knife, but generally, most chefs are comfortable with the 3 ½ inch
• Material: when choosing a paring knife, you should look out for strong blades. The handle can be selected according to your own preference. 

4. The bread knife: this knife is designed to slice bread because of its serrations. It is normally bigger than the serrated knife.

How to pick the best bread knife:

   Actually, any knife can be used to slice bread, but the main reason you should choose a bread knife is to make the cutting of bread more efficient and faster. Imagine buying a big loaf of bread which is to be shared with others, and at the end of the day, the bread shrinks because of a dull knife. It’s really not going to be nice, especially when you are sharing with guests. This is one reason you should invest in a bread knife. These are 3 top factors you should look out for when choosing your next bread knife.

• Sharpness: cutting bread with a dull knife can be annoying. The bread shrinks as you cut. Getting a sharp Knife will ensure that the bread crumbs do not shed too much 
• Length: a good bread knife is important to make the cutting process easy. The best length is about 9 inches in length.
• Serration: although it is not compulsory to pick serrated knives, serrated knives help to keep and preserve the bread from compressing. Also, these knives do not get easily dull compared to the knives with straight edges.

5. Serrated utility knife: another name for this knife is a tomato or sandwich knife. It is normally between 4 and 7 inches in length. Due to its serrations, it looks like a bread knife. The difference is that it is sharper and shorter than the actual bread knife. It also cuts veggies and fruits nicely without tearing them. It can also be used to cut beagles or a sandwich

6. Boning knife: this knife is thin and slightly flexible. It is normally used to separate meat from the bone.  A more flexible version of this knife is designed for the chicken. The extremely flexible version is designed and excellent for delicate fish.

7. The carving knife: this one measures about 8 to 15 inches in length.  Slightly thinner and more stretched out than the chef’s knife. Its design allows the meat to be sliced thinly and denser.

8. Cheese knives:  these knives are basically for slicing cheese. Due to the fact that cheese is soft, the knife is designed with perforations that prevent the cheese from sticking to the metal. In the case of hard cheese, a sharper knife can be used.

9. Decorating knives: these knives are made for decorating cakes and pastries. Most of the time, they have a zigzag shape

10. Grapefruit knife: this knife is usually long and flat. It has a dull blade which is almost like the palette knife of an artist.

What should you consider when buying a chef’s knife?

  One of the major things to look out for when purchasing a chef’s knife is the full tang. The tang is the extension of the knife blade into the handle. In a knife with a full tang, the metal blade extends throughout the handle. This enables proper balance, stability, and control. Although knives with full tang are more expensive, they are very durable. A cheap knife with partial tang will break off over time.

Another thing to check is the stainless Vs high carbon steel:

It is better to pick a stainless knife as it is more stable because it won’t rust or tarnish. It is also dishwasher safe.

  In conclusion, knowing the different knives available will help to know the right way to use the knives so that you don’t use a paring knife to cut bread.