You cannot become a classic cook if you lack the necessary home cook 101 and knife skills. A cook lacking the elementary skills of handling a knife is a burden in the pantry. Learning the basic knife skills and techniques is an essential aspect for anyone who aspires to be a good chef. There are different ways you can handle a knife. Mostly, the practices are dependent on the type of ingredients or foods you are cutting as a home cook 101. Consequently, the following are some of the notable knife handling practices that you should consider while preparing meals in the kitchen.
Holding a Knife
You should always avoid gripping the handle of your knife firmly using all your entire five fingers. If you clasp your knife this way, you will easily lose the complete control of it. Besides, you may not have enough control of the motion range you make when using the knife.
In its place, you should hold the handle of the knife gently using your thumb and pointer finger. The thumb should always touch the blade of your knife. Therefore, these knife skills are essential for all home cook 101.
Master the Cutting Motion
After grasping the indispensable requirements of holding a knife, the cutting motion comes next. The cutting motion is a fundamental element in learning the skills of handling a knife in your kitchen. For instance, a circular knife motion is a classic and essential aspect, particularly when mincing, dicing, or slicing.
To attain balance, you should always consider using the extreme end of the blade of the knife. You can practice this circular motion cutting using a knife even without having anything to cut. Consequently, the following ways offer guidance concerning the holding of a knife when carrying out different tasks in the kitchen.
- Dicing an Onion
For instance, when dicing an onion, the cutting board should be parallel with the blade of the knife. Home cook 101 recommends that when dicing an onion, the classic cook should make horizontal slices. The dicing should begin at the bottom, moving upwards.
Besides, knife skills during onion dicing require using the left hand to make claw shapes. The thumb should grasp the onion together to allow the classic cook to make vertical cuts with the blade.
- Peeling and Smashing of Garlic
First, you should place the garlic cloves on the cutting board. Home cook 101 requires laying of the blade of the knife on top of the board. After that, you should use your non-dominant hand when crushing and breaking the clove and paper shell respectfully.
Cutting across the clove root and subsequent removal of the peel requires the classic cook to use a trimming knife.
- Mincing Garlic
When mincing garlic, you should implement the technique of slicing or clawing to ensure thin slicing of garlic. Besides, you should scrape any remains from the blade of your knife and ensure your board is neat.
Subsequently, home cook 101 and other knife skills recommend resting your left hand on top of the blade. At this point, you should rock back and forth, side to side, and make up and down movements.
Sharpening of the Knives
The knife skills in home cook 101 recommend that you should find professional services when sharpening your knife. Besides, you should sharpen your knife regularly every six months. Nevertheless, using home knife sharpener is the other alternative for all classic knife users.
Cleaning of the Knives
Home cook 101 knife skills recommend that you should avoid putting your knife in the dishwasher. This precaution aims at preventing the blade of your knife from blunting quickly. Besides, knife skills require that you always consider washing your knife using water and soap. Moreover, you should also ensure drying the blades thoroughly before storing.
Storing of Kitchen Knives
The aspect of storing knives is essential because it ensures your safety besides ensuring your blades are in good condition. Therefore, home cook 101 suggests that you should avoid storing your knives in unfastened drawers. These knife skills aim at ensuring the safety of all users in addition to preventing the knives from dulling. Moreover, home cook 101 recommends classic cooks to use magnetic strips, knife block, or drawer organizers to store your knives.