This entry was posted on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 pm and is filed under Cutlery Information, Techniques, Uses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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.