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Knife Skills
There are many ways you can hold a chef's knife, although we feel the way that maximizes comfort, control and safety while minimizing fatigue is a good rule of thumb. Grip the knife around its bolster. The bolster is both your knife's balance point and a finger guard. Only your last three fingers should rest on the handle. Your thumb and index finger should be on opposite sides of the blade. When you hold a knife around its balance point, it works as an extension of your hand. Hence your arm doesn't tire and you have excellent control.
Whether it's dices, julienne cuts, or straight slices, your other hand has a key role to play. It stabilizes the food you are cutting, guides the knife, and determines the size of your cut. Make certain that your fingers are curled inward and your thumb is tucked underneath. The side of the blade should rest against your knuckles, but NEVER the edge itself. Remember to take it slowly at first. It is all about technique. With time, practice and confidence, your speed and technique will increase.
Sharpening
There are many ways to keep your knives sharp. A few strokes on a steel sharpening tool, applied each time you use a knife, will keep the knife's edge properly aligned.
A properly maintained knife is sharp. A dull knife can be dangerous because you will apply much more pressure than you would with a sharp knife and your hand will be much more likely to slip.
A knife's edge is very delicate and with use its miniature teeth will curl over. A steel sharpening tool will realign the edge and also bring to the surface the carbon molecules that provide most of the cutting action. Frequent steeling is essential and will keep your knife cutting like new for months.
Use your steel virtually every time you use your knives. For most home chefs a regular-cut steel is preferred. It will take away some metal, doing a little bit of resharpening in addition to realigning.
It may look intimidating, but if you understand the mechanics, you can soon master the technique. There are many ways to hold a steel, but the easiest way for a beginner is to hold it vertically with the point down, resting securely on a towel. This position allows you to see the angle you are using and provides excellent control.
Keep these facts in mind, you must work the full length of the edge and you generally want an angle of about 22.5 degrees.
Start with the heel of the blade contacting the steel sharpening tool as close to the handle as possible with the tip pointing straight out away from you. Pull the blade back towards you and down the shaft of the steel. The motion should end with the tip of the blade in contact with the steel towards the bottom of the shaft. Switch sides and do the exact same thing on the other side. Because you are holding the steel vertically you can see that you are using the same angle on both sides. Repeat about 4 - 5 times. Gentle pressure is all that is needed. You don't want to grind your knife. If you hear an almost musical sound, the pressure is perfect.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
