All About Knives
Although I’m not completely sure about this, but I personally think that the first cooking implement created by man was the knife. Ages ago, man used knives to hunt and gather their food, and later on used to prepare food when fire was discovered. Today, the knife remains as one of the most important tools you could have. The ubiquitous knife is used everywhere, from homes to restaurants to cruise ships.
But although we can all agree about the importance of this versatile tool, it’s sad to see that very few people know how to properly handle and care for a knife. Perhaps it’s because knives don’t have manuals when we buy them.
One of the things that really annoy me is watching people use knives wrongly. But then, no one showed us how to use knives properly whe we were little. Our parents just told us that knives were dangerous and to keep away from them. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but it’s not a reason why people shouldn’t learn to use them properly.
You have to learn how to correctly hold a knife. Basically, there are three ways to hold a knife, depending on the knife and what is being cut. For cutting against a board, a knife should generally be held with the thumb and forefinger gripping the blade. The handle should be held with the other fingers. When cutting hanging meat, for example, the knife should be held like a dagger to get proper leverage. And when turning or peeling with a small knife, it should be held with one or two fingers gripping the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.
Learn also how to care for your knives. A wooden board should be used 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. It’s also better to use one where the cutting surface is end grain, rather than side grain. Why? The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, so your knife’s edge will last a longer time.
Always store a knife in a way that protects the blade, such as a plastic sleeve or a paperboard. 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. To properly sharpen a knife, the best way is to use a knife sharpener with an abrasive, diamond surface. Of course, you can always use a whetstone, but it takes a lot of experience to be able to sharpen a knife to razor-like sharpness with it.
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.
Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the pocket knives and supplies you need.
- Azlan Irda
