Quality Kitchen Cutlery

I was highly impressed with the many innovations made in the Swiss Family Robinson movie and display at Disneyworld and the famous tree house.  Man has always had the ability to adapt and make new innovations to make his tasks more simple.  Kitchen gagetry is no exception.  Manufacturers make knives and cutlery, cookware and more for every common task man faces.

I was impressed this morning as I cut up a rather large Indiana cantelope.  I enjoyed the ease of using the famous Chef Knife as a sliced through the thickness of the cantelope and then I used a 4 inch paring knife to dice into small chunks. It would have made the task more difficult to slice and dice this melon with the larger chef’s knife.

The next time you browse through the small appliance department of your favorite Department Store observe the many new gadgets that are displayed and the new innovations that are available to us.  You will find everything from new coffee makers to can openers, toasters, blenders and every sort of gadget imaginable.

If you have observed some new gadget that interests you tell us about it in our comment section below.

Until next Blog—The KitchenKing

Quality knives and Cutlery need to be sharpened to smooth and hone the blades and to keep your knives with a sharp edge.  There is nothing more frustrating to anyone in the kitchen or even devestating to a professional chef than to have a blade that is dull or with jagged tears.  To avoid this, quality knives and cutlery must be sharpened with a whetstone on a regular basis…at least every two or three months.  The very best way to sharpen a knife would be to have it professionally ground or sharpened, however, it is not practical to take your knives each time you want them sharpened to a professional craftsman.  Therefore, tools are available for sharpening your knives and cutlery yourself.  There are various styles of knife sharpeners but to get the best and sharpest edge is to use the whetstone and sharpening steel.  It may seem a little difficult to master the sharpening if using a whetstone and honing steel, or sharpening steel, but with practice you can do it yourself with much success. 

It is recommended that you first start with a whetstone which is made of carbonundum or another abrasive that comes in three densities:  coarse, medium (for all-purpose shrpening) and fine.   The coarse stone is good for sharpening Chef’s knives, while the fine stone is better for slicing knives or boning knives.  The whetstones come in two basic types–oil or water.  The oil whetstone is prepared by lubricating it with a few drops of oil which is smoothed to a light film across the stone.  A water stone will have to be soaked in water for approximately 15 minutes to absorb moisture.   Regardless of the type of stone you use, after it is prepared, be sure to place it on a non-stick surface, such as a tea towel, to steady the stone before you begin the sharpening.  Using the whetstone may leave a few minuscule pieces of jagged metal and therefore following up with the use of the honing steel is needed.

The honing steel, or sharpening steel, is a tool that serves a different purpose from the whetstone but they work in conjunction with the each other.  The honing steel is a steel rod up to one foot long, rounded in cross section with longitudinal ridges or grooves in it and it’s purpose is to smooth out or remove any microscopic nicks or jags in the edge left from using the whetstone and make the blade smooth.

It is recommended that you use your honing steel before each use to remove any tiny burrs and maintain the edge in between sharpening on the whetstone.

Whatever you do, don’t allow the blades of your knives and cutlery to become dull.  Keep them sharp using at least some type of knife sharpener on a regular basis.

Chef knives are a good all-purpose knife and sometimes referred to as the “Cook’s Knife.”  A chef’s knife can be used for other cutting tasks but is used mainly for chopping, dicing, slicing, and mincing.    The blade of the chef’s knife is curved and allows the cook to rock the knife on the cutting board for a more controlled precise cut.  The length of the chef’s knife can be found with different lengths anywhere from 6 - 12 inches, although 8 inches is the most common.  It is usually recommended using the size that is most comfortable for the cook’s hands.  Larger knives can be more difficult to handle but they can cut more and are versatile.

The best way to peel an apple while minimizing any risk of nicking yourself with a paring knife or a vegetable peeler is to core the apple first. After you core the apple, insert your index finger into the apple’s center, and begin removing the skin with a peeler, switching from one end of the apple to another to peel completely. Upon finishing, slice the apple according to your particular recipe’s instructions.

There are a number of apple corers available in supermarkets and department stores. Some are thin with a circular cutting tool at the end that is pushed straight through the fruit by its handle, while others are able to core and slice the apple at the same time. You can also cut an apple in half and use a melon baller or a teaspoon to remove the core if you don’t have an apple corer.

Keeping your knives sharp is imperative when you own kitchen cutlery.  If you have dull knives, they will fall to age and lack of care.  Here are some tips on how to sharpen your knives:Hold the steel firmly in your left hand with the guard positioned to stop the blade should it slip.

Hold the knife in your right hand and place on top part of steel as shown.

Raise back of the blade one-eight inch.

Now, moving the blade only, draw it across the steel in an arching curve, pivoted at your wrist. The blade tip should leave the steel about two-thirds of the way down.

Repeat the same action with the blade on the bottom side of the steel. Always maintain the same pressure and angle on both sides of the steel.

Repeat five or six times.

No matter what knife you may use in your kitchen knife set, safety must always be practiced.  A good quality knife is very sharp and can be very dangerous if not handled with care.  On the other hand, a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife.  A dull knife requires more  pressure for cutting which can cause the knife to slip.  Therefore, you want to keep your knives sharp at all times.

Always keep the blade and point of the knife angled away from you.  If you ever have to hand a knife to someone, always hand the handle to them.  Never hand a knife with the point or blade toward anyone.   After handling a knife, lay it down in a cleared area with the blade and point away from the body and a safe distance from the edge of your cutting area to avoid the possibility of falling.    If a knife should happen to fall, never try to catch it.  Allow the knife to fall staying alert to the direction it’s falling and step out of the way.    Wait for the knife to come to a complete rest before picking it up.  It’s better to let the knife fall than to try to catch it resulting in a disasterous injury.

It’s important to use the proper size and type of knife for the task.  Always use a cutting board, preferably a wooden cutting board, when cutting , chopping, dicing, mincing, etc., and be sure the cutting board has plenty of space to work while completing the job.   Also,  you want to make sure the cutting board is sitting level and firmly placed so that it doesn’t slip or slide.  Sometimes putting a dampened towel under the cutting board will help prevent slippage.   Never try cutting anything while in your hand.  When cutting, chopping or whatever the task, always cut away from the body when possible. 

Knives should not be stored in a drawer as stated in my previous blog.  If they are stored loosely in a drawer, never reach blindly for a knife; reach deliberately for the handle.  Knives are safest stored in a knife block.

Do not use a knife to stab, pull or lift materials.  Don’t attempt to open a can or bottlewith a knife.   Knives are not made to act as can openers, screw drivers, ice picks, or for prying apart frozen food.  Don’t use a knife to cut string, metal or paper.  This can dull or even damage the blade.

Lastly, never drop knives into a sink filled with sudsy water.  Reaching into the water, you cannot see the blade and you can easily grab the knife by the blade resulting in a severe cut.   Always hold knives by the handles, hand wash them carefully, and dry thoroughly.