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Knife Skills
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Page 1: Knife skills

Knife Skills

Page 2: Knife skills

Parts of a knifeKnives are divided into 2 sections – 1. The blade2. The handle

Page 3: Knife skills

Tip:Used for slicing and handling small items such as shallots, mushrooms, and onions.

Edge:This is where all of the work takes place, the part you cut with.

Spine:Smooth top part of the knife. It allows you to grip the knife between the thumb and forefinger for good control during cutting and chopping.

Page 4: Knife skills

Heel:Last few inches of the cutting edge. This part of the blade is used when maximum leverage is needed or for heavy cutting tasks.

Bolster:Part between the blade and the handle that assists in the balance of the knife.

Tang:Metal that extends into the handle. On a good knife, the tang will extend all the way to the butt of the handle, and the rivets will go through the tang (known as a full tang). This helps create a well balanced knife.

Page 5: Knife skills

TYPES OF KNIVES

Cooks knife

Carving fork

Utility knife

Filleting knife

Boning knife

Paring knife

Slicing knife

Sharpening steel or stone

Palette knife

Meat cleaver

Bread knife (serrated)

Turning knife

East/West Knife

Kitchen scissors

Page 6: Knife skills

Chef's Knife

The most versatile knife in the kitchen. Makes slicing, dicing, mincing and chopping fun. Chef's knives are usually 6” - 12” long with 8” being the average.

Page 7: Knife skills

Boning Knife

A thin bladed knife used for removing the bones of poultry, meat, and fish. The blade is generally 6 inches long and may be rigid or flexible.

Page 8: Knife skills

Slicer

Has a very thin, sharp edge that quickly and easily cuts meats and fish without tearing. It comes especially handy during the holiday season to carve the perfect turkey.

Page 9: Knife skills

Serrated Bread Knife

Commonly known as a bread knife. It is purposely designed with a long serrated blade and a blunt end. The teeth (serrations) allow it to cut bread using less vertical force, which keeps the bread from being compressed or crushed. It is the best knife available for angel food cake.

Page 10: Knife skills

Paring Knife

Perhaps the most versatile of knives. It is a short knife with a 2 to 4- inch long blade. Because it is designed for peeling and trimming fruits and vegetables, the paring knife's edge must be kept sharp. These knives are also used for carving specialty shapes and garnishes.

Page 11: Knife skills

Steel

A steel is used to hone, not sharpen, knives. It is made of hard, high-carbon steel or ceramic. It comes as a long, tapered, round rod, but some people prefer the flat model.

Use a steel on a knife before each use and throughout food preparation to keep the blade razor sharp.

To use a steel, hold the knife at a 20° angle and pull across in a swift motion from the heel to the tip of the knife 6 to 8 times, alternating sides.

Page 12: Knife skills

Knife sharpeningHoning using a steelHold the steel at an angle of 45 degrees with

your thumb facing upwards on the handle.Maintain an angle of 10 degrees against the

steel. Using a slicing motion, move the knife against the steel along its full length. Work from the heel of the knife to the tip.

Stroke the other side of the knife against the steel the same way. Two or three strokes each side should be enough.

Wash and dry the knife carefully.

Page 13: Knife skills

Knife sharpening continued...

Sharpening using a stonePut the stone securely lengthwise on a bench. A

folded damp cloth under it will stop it from slipping.Smear the stone with water, oil or detergent –

depending on the type. Hold the knife at 10 – 15 degree angle to the stone.Use long even strokes to move the knife along the

whole length of the stone. Work the knife from heel to tip and alternate between sides.

Clean the knife under cold running water to wash off grindings.

Dry knife carefully.

Page 14: Knife skills

Knife safetyAlways use the correct knife for the jobKnives should always be kept sharp, blunt knives can

cause injury due to excessive pressure applied to the knife

The tip of the knife should ALWAYS point down when carrying a knife

A knife should be placed flat on a chopping board when not in use

Knives should be washed and wiped from the back of the knife

Knives should be put away immediately after useKnives should never be left in a sink of water

Page 15: Knife skills

Precision cutting This is the cutting of food, usually vegetables, into

specific sizes and shapes in order to garnish/enhance the presentation of food.

Julienne – long thin matchstick strips (3mm x 3mm x 40mm)

Brunoise – very fine dice (3mm) [cut julienne first then dice]

Jardinière – batons (4mm x 4mm x 20mm)Macedoine – large dice (8mm dice)Paysanne – thin slices (shapes vary)Chiffonnade – very fine shredding (lettuce, herbs etc)

Page 16: Knife skills

Rough cuttingThis is the coarse cutting of food,

usually vegetables that are not directly used for service i.e. Vegetables for stock, stew, soups.

•Mirepoix is an example of a rough cut/dice and usually consists of onions, carrot, celery and leek.