Troop 70 Cooking Knife Skills
While we talk a lot about knife skills for bush crafting, one of the places we most use a knife is in the kitchen. Good knife skills in the kitchen are a skill that will last a lifetime. If you are working on the cooking merit badge, you should read this guide more than once
All of the things that we have learned in knife safety still apply, but we need to be more careful since the space is often smaller and our fingers are closer to the knife. Make sure you have enough room, that no person is in the way, and that you are unlikely to be bumped.
Knife Types
There are many, many different types of knives. The three most common knives found in our kitchens are:
Paring Knife - Paring knives are versatile, small knives that are used for many tasks from peeling vegetables to deveining shrimp.
Chef’s Knife - These knives are versatile workhorses in the kitchen and are used for many different tasks. They often have a wide, curved blade that tapers to a point. They are usually 6” to 12” long.
Bread Knife - Bread knives have serrated blades for cutting through bread crusts, and are usually 7 to 10” long. They are also good for cutting tomatoes.
The most common knife that you should be using for food preparation is a Chef’s Knife. We will focus on this knife.
Knife Grip
Holding the knife is important for knife control and safety. Pinch the blade near the bolster with your thumb and index finger, then wrap your remaining fingers around the handle.
Check out this page and these videos on how to hold a knife.
Knife Selection
Picking a knife is a very personal decision, and the best way to choose a knife is to hold it in your hand. There are three things to consider when picking a knife:
Weight - Choose a knife that does not feel too heavy. It should feel ‘right’, whatever that is.
Balance - Find a knife with the perfect balance for you. Judge this by gripping the knife as shown above. An unbalanced knife will make you work harder. A knife that is balanced in your hand will be easier and faster to use. Also consider side-to-side balance since a knife should not feel unstable.
Size - An eight inch chef’s knife is what is found in most kitchens. For youth, a six or seven inch knife is more appropriate, but it is often too small for larger jobs like cutting a watermelon.
While you will eventually want a knife that suits you, you’ll probably have to use whatever you have.
Cage - How to keep all your fingers
The cage or claw is an excellent, safe way to hold the food that you are cutting, and keep your fingers out of the way. Hold your knife in your dominant hand. Make your other hand into a claw, like an angry bear, keeping your thumb behind your fingers. Your finger tips should be vertical where they grip the food and directly next to the knife blade.
Cutting board
Cut on an appropriate, stable surface. Do not cut on surfaces that will dull the knife like stone, glass, steel or brick. Use a cutting board made of wood, bamboo, or plastic.
If the cutting surface is not heavy enough to be secure, put a damp paper towel underneath. This will help secure the cutting board so that it does not move around. Make sure that the cutting surface is not wobbly.
Types of cutting
There are many different ways to cut food for cooking. It depends on the food, what techniques you will be using, the artistry of the dish, etc. Let’s look at six ways to cut your food.
Slice - This is the standard cut that turns your carrots into tiny wheels.
Dice - This is how to make food into uniform cubes.
Rough Chop - This is a rough cut, where you do not care about uniformity.
Mince - A very small, less uniform dice.
Julienne - Also known as matchsticks, these are long, slender cuts.
Chiffonade - Roll up leaves, and cut cross-wise.
Sharpening
A dull knife is a dangerous knife. It makes your work harder and less safe. Keep your knives sharp, and treat them well.
The first way to keep an edge on your knife is to use a sharpening steel. Contrary to the name, this does not actually sharpen the knife, but realigns the edge back to its original position. If your knife is truly dull, this will not fix it.
The next way is to use one of the many kitchen gadgets and knife sharpeners available. You may have one in your house right now. These range from very good to very terrible.
The third and most labor intensive is to hand sharpen the knives.