learn how to cook like a chef? two words: knife skills | learn to …

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chef’s knife / French knife

In my last post I talked about why it is a good idea to have knife skills, and in this post I will talk about knife skills in more detail.

Grip

A good grip of a knife will help you to minimize accidents, have better control (making it easier to cut faster), and even help to reduce hand problems.  The size, shape,  task, and personal comfort all affect how you should grip the knife.  However, never place you index finger on top of the blade. This can make it unpleasant, and can hurt your hand.

Pointer finger on side of knif above blade!

thumb on the side of the knife how ever may feel cumfy!

Do not place pointer finger on top of blade!

Control

Having control over the movement of the knife is very important because this is what makes knife handling safe, and it helps make the cuts uniform in size and style. Use one hand to push the food through blade and the other to guide the knife through the cut.  One of the most important parts of handling a knife is to make sure that the knife is very sharp. Having a sharp knife at hand will not only make it safer to handle but makes the cuts more accurate. Let the knife do cutting; if you have to force the knife through the food then it is not sharp enough.  Use the shape of the knife to your advantage.

Hold the food with one hand, tuck thumb behind the food! Using other fingers in front with tips of fingers slightly tucked away from the blade!

Knife cuts will make the food a uniform size and shape, which will make the food look more attractive and cook evenly.

Basics Peeling techniques

To enhance flavors, textures and appearance, peeling is very important. Before  cutting many fruits and vegetables, you need to peel them. First rinse the fruits or vegetables before you peel them.

Vegetable peeler

Using a  vegetable peeler is probably one of the easiest ways to peel smaller fruits and vegetables with thin skin. This is a tool with a swivel blade which is used for thin skinned fruits and vegetable like carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and asparagus, just to name a few.

Using a paring knife

Paring knives are small and can be used to peel the skin of a vegetable or fruit. To use a paring knife carefully hold the item with one hand and hold the knife in the other at 20* angle to the surface of the food. This method can be used to peel vegetables and fruits with thin skins or skins that are a little thicker.

Using a chef knife / French knife

A chef’s knife is best used for thick skinned vegetables and fruits like pineapple, squash, and grapefruits.  This knife can be used to cut the ends of vegetables and fruits. First cut the ends of the item so that it will stand easily on its side. This keeps it from sliding, so you are less likely to cut yourself. Then you can cut the skin off.

There are many types of cuts that you will need to learn if you would like to cook like a chef. In this section I will explain some of these cuts.  Just remember that it takes time to learn these cuts. They are difficult to archive but it just takes practice.

Coarse chopping

This is one of the easiest cuts of all and probably the most used among home cooks. In this method all the pieces of the item are cut in different shapes but should be relatively same size. This cut is not concerned with accuracy. With one hand hold the food item and feed it into the blade, and with the other hand grip the knife and guide it like I talked about above. Just cut to about the size you need.  This is often used by chefs for more rustic looking plates, or to cut vegetables that will be taken out of the dish at the end.

Mincing

Mincing is when your cuts are very fine cuts. Start by coarse chopping as explained above, but next you grip the knife with one hand and one hand goes on top of the blade. While you keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board, you rock the knife cutting the food until you get the size you want. Mincing is used for fresh herbs and small vegetables like shallots and garlic.  (chef’s Notes: sometimes recipes will say chopped – it is your job to make a judgment here, but most of the time people call mincing chopped.)

Standardized cuts

These cuts are the difficult ones but with practice you can do it. These cuts have to be perfect size and they have specific measurements. What are these cuts for? They are used mainly for  presentation and also the uniform sizes will help in the cooking part to.

Batonnet

Dimensions :  1/4 x 1/4 x 2-2 ½ inches

Julienne / Alumette

Dimensions:  1/8  x 1/8 x  1 – 2 inches  

Brunoise

Dimensions:  1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 inches  

Macedoine

Dimensions: 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4  inches  

Parmentier

Dimensions: 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inches  

Carre

Dimensions: 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4 inches  

Rondelle

Dimensions: 1/8  –  1/2  thick primarily carrot cut

These are just a few of the different cuts that you should know if you want to learn to cook like a chef. In the future I will have some videos to help you learn your knife skills.  If this post was helpful please let me know or if you have any questions I can answer them by leaving a comment below.

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Blade Knife | Buy Kitchen Cutlery Sets

Blade Knife

Is it legal to carry a Fixed Blade

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Campanion Fixed Blade Knife | electric knife …

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  • Knife with drop point shape, 20-degree blade
  • Made of 1095 cro-van steel blade for strength
  • Handle made of Grivory material
  • Blade measures 5.5 inches; knife is 10.5 inches long
  • Knife made in USA, includes glass-filled, nylon sheath

Product DescriptionFor time the whole camp, hunt or pass. The Campanion works perfectly as the distribution of wood as he is more intrusive and gambling peeled, chop onions without mention of Chile to the fire! Amazon. DescriptionBring product as KA-BAR knives and tools Becker Company at its next hunting or camping. This knife has a lightweight durable steel blade 1095 Cro-van, perfect for from wood, counting game, or the right. . . More>>

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Fixed Blade

Where can I buy a fixed blade knife with a retractable sheath?

I used to have a knife with a button on the merits that the sheath retracted into the handle. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever had and I lost it, and I can not find a single website, a company or store that sells them, does anyone know where to find them?

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Set includes: one liner lock knife with half-serrated stainless steel blade, thumbstud, and stainless steel clip measuring 4-1/8″ closed and 7-1/8″ open, an additional liner lock knife with half-serrated stainless steel blade, thumbstud, and stainless steel clip measuring 3-1/2″ closed and 6″ open and one 8-1/2″ fixed blade knife with stainless steel blade measuring 4-1/8″. Heavy-duty nylon sheath also included. Limited lifetime warranty. Gift boxed.

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Electric Serrated Knife Sharpener – Sharpen Your Serrated Blades

A knife is one of the useful tools people use in their everyday life. It could aid your spouse for cutting something in their work area. Knives are very useful in the kitchen and dining area.

We need a knife to chop and make delicious food to serve on our table. There are different kinds of knives, for chopping, slicing, mincing, cutting frozen foods, for fillets, breads etc.

Like any other tools many types of knife are developed for a certain tasks. Such as the serrated knife that has teeth along the edge of its blade. Its recesses augmented its cutting surface. Unlike a straight edge blade knife a serrated knife needs not be sharpened frequently for the teeth on the knife edge will be the one to penetrate whatever you’ll be cutting and at the same time protects the recessed cutting edge from getting dull easily.

One example of a serrated knife is a bread knife; its edge helps in cutting the bread and not losing the breads form. When people see that a serrated edge knife can almost cut through anything other than ordinary knives, knife makers decided to make many kinds of knife with a serrated edges on them.

This can include such things as Combat knives, hunting knives, pocket knives, utility knives etc. to name a few. Like other sharp object serrated knife also needs to be sharpened although not as frequently as straight blade knives.

But you can’t sharpen it in an ordinary knife sharpener. You need a special sharpener for serrated knife. Listed below are few of the serrated knife sharpeners which you might be familiar with or can be of use to you.

Learn About The Best Chef-Knife | electric knife sharpeners …

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The purpose in sharing the contents found within the article would be to help you get hold of the ultimate superior quality kitchen knife at a very reasonable price. I adhere to one personal and special theory that many people don’t usually think of when they’re ready to buy their knives. what I believe is rather than buying that seventeen piece set that promises you would need every one, I’d prefer to buy a minimum number of quality knives which will definitely ensure 99% completion of any knife related tasks. your cooking style wouldn’t dictate the kind of knife you’d be getting, but always stick to anything basic when you are buying knives. the two most useful knives would be: a serrated & a chef’s knife. A chef’s knife holds a characteristic of having a very straight and very sharp-edge feature, usually measuring approximately eight to ten inches in its span. This type of knife is definitely useful in approximately 80% of knife related duties. Serrated knives should include features like: long, sharp and jagged edges which will allow the knife to cut through soft and tender objects such as tomatoes and bread. the two mentioned knives cover approximately ninety five percent of any kitchen duties. I may opt not to use other knives because the 2 ones would already be sufficient. Although there are certain instances that it is important to get specialized knives to perform certain tasks that both these knives wouldn’t be performing accurately. Some examples would include a paring knife/kitchen scissors. But then again the 2 basic knives would still be better in performing any special tasks. If buying any of the 2 basic knives we have been mentioning be keen in checking those forged-blade knives rather than those stamped-blade ones. Telling them apart is easy; their difference lies in their handles, a forged-blade’s knife’s hand-molded. , while the stamped-blade knife was pressed using some machine. the forged-blade knife naturally comes superior compared to that of a stamped-blade knife. Its huge advantage would be their durability. when using a stamped-blade knife especially when its blades are loose, you might cut yourself accidentally. while using a forged-blade knife together with appropriate care and maintenance, will last one lifetime & by far safer to use. by now you have understood the qualities to check for when you buy a forged-blade knife, other contributing factors in searching for the ultimate best knife includes the dimensions of the knife. as a ‘rule of thumb’ whenever choosing the knife’s size. Check the length of the cutting or chopping board that you’d use often, and then measure the board diagonally. Purchase knives which are approximately equal or perhaps one to about two inches less than the total size of your cutting or chopping board. always think that during buying knives, this kitchen equipment is truly a huge investment. Imagine the convenience it would bring the user. together with quality and appropriate care and maintenance a forged-blade knife could last one lifetime. also check the knife’s maintenance-package and really take extra care with it by reading the instructions and following them carefully when sharpening your knives, there are many tools available today. But my most favored would be that steel-sharpening rod & that two-stage ‘knife sharpener’, I usually don’t prefer using those electric ones. What’s also great when using regular sharpening models is that they actually cost approximately half as much and performs equally the same superior job. when looking in enhancing kitchen productivity, getting quality knives is the ultimate best step to achieve that. I did suffer using those cheap stamped-blade knives. it was only recently that I realized that together with great techniques and that quality superior-knife. I now can definitely cut about 1/2 the time on my slicing, dicing & chopping duties. good Luck!

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Gerber Knives and Knife Sharpeners | Knife Set Reviews

Gerber knives and knife sharpeners are some of the most well-known models in the industry. Founded seventy years ago, today Gerber offers high-quality knives, sharpeners, and accessories. Specializing in multi tools, fixed blade knives, and pocketknives, as well as sharpening kits and other accessories, they are a well-known name in the world of knives and cutlery.

Gerber began almost accidentally, by Joseph Gerber, an advertising executive. The first knives were kitchen cutlery sets commissioned as a gift for his advertising clients. These high-quality knife sets were soon offered through Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs, and Gerber quit his advertising job to run Gerber Legendary Blades full-time. Gerber knives continue to be manufactured in Portland, and today they are the second biggest multi-tool manufacturer in the country.

Today, Gerber is especially well-known among hunters, who favor their knives as hunting knives. There are many knives designed particularly for hunting purposes. One of the most popular Gerber hunting knives is the Freeman Hunter, with a polished wooden handle and high-quality grip for rugged outdoor use. The Freeman knife is relatively short, so it is recommended for skinning smaller animals.

Gerber Firestorm knives are a little larger, so they are better suited to larger game. These are usually the most widely used of all hunting knives because of their versatile length. The blade has a tanto tip, and is surgical stainless.

The Harsey fixed blade hunting knife features a relatively long 5 1/4″ blade in stainless steel, with a total length of 10 1/2″. The Magnum Camo Jr. is a 2 3/4″ blade knife, known for its durable and extra-sharp edge, as well as a fiberglass-reinforced handle. Popular Gerber knives are both folding blade and fixed blade, in a wide range of styles. Other tools, such as the Flik multi-tool, also remain quite popular with those who already use a selection of Gerber knives. Today, there are over 120 different knife designs from which you can choose. They specialize in kitchen cutlery, hunting and tactical knives, so you’re sure to find a knife suitable for any purpose.

Gerber is known for high-quality materials and the latest technology. All of the handles are specifically designed to hold up to a lifetime of wear no matter how you use the knife. Even after seven decades of knife manufacturing, Gerber remains at the forefront of knife technology. The vast majority of Gerber knives feature high carbon stainless steel or surgical stainless blades, which are known for being easy to sharpen and hold a very sharp edge. Many experienced hunters can feel a change in how the knife cuts as it begins to grow dull, which allows them to easily identify when it’s time to sharpen their Gerber knife.

Many Gerber knife sharpeners are portable, making them a good choice to take along with your Gerber hunting knife for outdoor activities. The range of Gerber sharpeners, including ceramic and diamond sharpeners that will fit in your pocket or come with a pocket clip, will make it easy to sharpen the stainless steel blade to a very sharp edge.