We’re back with part 2 of tips for growing your knife skills. If you missed our post yesterday over the first 5 tips, make sure to check it out. We hope these tips help you continue to grow your skills in the kitchen! Let us know in the comments if you would like some video demos on knife skills.
Cutting Board Practices
It is always important to use a cutting board when you are using your knifes. Not only does this protect your counter, but it also protects your knives. To keep your board from sliding around, use a nonslip mat underneath your board (a damp paper towel can also work). When selecting your cutting board think about what you will be cutting and which knife you will be using. This way you select the right board (if you use color coded ones for certain ingredients) and proper size to fit your full knife blade.
Curl Your Fingers
When cutting ingredients you want to hold the item with your finger tips curled under. This protects them while you are cutting ingredients from sticking out and accidentally cutting yourself. It also creates a guide with your knuckles and the knife. It may seem weird at first, but it will soon become second nature after some practice.
Knife Maintenance and Storage
In order to keep the edge on your knife it is important to maintain and store it properly. Honing your knife helps keeping your blade edge for a longer amount of time before you need to sharpen it again. Storing your knives in a knife cover or in a knife block also keep the blade safe. This also keeps you safer from cutting yourself on an uncovered knife. It also keeps your knife safe from having the tip damaged.
Practice, Practice, Practice
We did not get where we are today by just doing things once. We have mastered our skills and become experts from doing things over and over again. It all comes with the practice of doing the same skills consistently over time, so keep up the work and you will get there.
SAFETY
While many of our tips have included safety measures, these are communication focused. In professional kitchens some of the main calls that you can hear (aside from order calls) are “behind”, “hot”, and “sharp”. This is because they are communicating with their team to keep everyone safe. These are great tips to use in everyday life in your own kitchen to make sure that yourself and others are safe (we use them everyday).
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