While many fishing enthusiasts will argue that catching a fish is the most exciting part of a fishing excursion and filleting the least, preparing your catch for a meal is an inevitable part of the experience. To help simplify the process of preparation, it’s important to have the right tools and to make sure those tools are in top-working condition. Sharp fillet knives are key, but how does one go about skillfully sharpening a knife?

To begin with, you’ll need a quality sharpening stone and sharpening oil. There are a variety of stones, including water lubricated stones and diamond impregnated stones. The latter type does a fantastic job, but is costly. Whatever stone you choose, follow the instructions that come with it to avoid damage to both the stone itself and your fishing knives.

There are two basic methods for sharpening knives. By using the slice method, you will hold your knife at a 20-degree angle to the stone. As though you are attempting to slice off a very thin slice of cheese from a block, you’ll draw the knife blade across and down the stone. Do this three times on each side of the blade, followed by two times on each side, and, finally, one time on each side.

Another option is to follow the circular method in which you will also hold the blade at a 20-degree angle to the stone. This time, you’ll wipe the blade around the stone with a circular movement. Just as with the slice method, you’ll do this three times on each side, followed by two times on each side, and, finally, one time on each side.

While this sounds easy enough, sharpening knives is a skill and there are common problems shared by many beginners. For one, “rounded shoulders” on knives will be make it extremely difficult to create a straight edge. Once the rounded shoulder is removed from the knife, it is much easier to maintain the angle necessary to properly sharpen a knife. These days, there are tools that will help rid your fishing knives of their rounded shoulders should this problem develop. Once the rounded shoulders are removed, you will then be able to sharpen and hone your knives far easier.

The final step in sharpening your knife will be to hone it. Honing with steel realigns the feathered edge created from sharpening. For this step, you’ll simply pass each side of the knife’s edge over the steel a few times. You’re now ready to test your fishing knife.

I’m pretty new to all this kitchen knife stuff. I recently migrated over from the straight razor forums.

I want to start with a gyuto and petty for now. I figure that I don’t slice enough meat or fish to justify a suji or yanagi. And I won’t need a honesuki/hankotsu since a petty can probably handle any minor chicken boning, right?

So I have the gyuto figured out and now I need help with the petty. I’ll write my thoughts and then maybe you guys can give me some feedback. I figure I could pick up a cheaper, smaller petty like a Carbonext, Fujiwara FKM, or something like that. My gyuto will be carbon, so I’d like to try something stainless/semi-stainless for the petty since I haven’t tried any Japanese knives, yet. The other option for the petty in my mind is to go for something really nice. The options I’ve thought of are 210mm Konosuke HD or 210mm Suisin Inox Honyaki. I haven’t tested enough to know what I like or don’t like, but I figured that given the high praise both these lines get (Konosuke HD and Suisin Inox Honyaki), it’d be a pretty safe bet if I ended up choosing one of them. What do you guys think? Would it be worth it for me as a newbie to pick up one of the two more expensive knives or should I wait and experiment with a few cheaper ones?

Kitchen knives are one the tools in the kitchen that we cannot do without. Just image how we could cut the onion, tomato, fish or meat without the kitchen knife. How can we cook a whole chicken or whole meat? We have to cut it. I do not think anyone could under estimate the importance of a knife in the kitchen.

I grew up with the practice of washing the knife with a soap then keep it to its rightful place. In fact, that could be in any place. Sometimes it is placed beside the spoon and fork. Sometimes simply place it beside the plates.

However, it is only recently that I learned I had been doing it wrong. The knife should be washed with your bare hands with a non-harsh detergent. Use a lukewarm water to protect the blade. It is important that we use detergents that are not harsh so as to protect the blade. After washing our kitchen knife, wipe it clean with a cloth. For our protection, the cutting edge should be away from us. It should be wiped clean with the blade placed on a flat surface. Again, make sure the cutting edge is away from you. As soon as one side is already cleaned, turn the other part of the blade on the flat surface then repeat the process. As soon as you are sure your knife is dried and cleaned, it is advisable to place it in a wooden or polyethylene knife block. Remember also to regularly sharpened your kitchen knife. However, please note that some knives need more sharpening than others. Inquire this when you buy your kitchen knives.

Not to sound too repetitive but allow me to remind you again. Please keep the cutting blade against or away from you every time you wash your knife. This goes until the stage when you are already wiping your knife dry as well.

Hope I am able to share something today.

By the way, picture came from bestkitchenknives.files.wordpress.com

Take care always.

Taking a knife skills class will dramatically change the way you cook and bring more enjoyment in the kitchen. Learning how to choose knives for purchase, how to choose knives for specific tasks, how to care for your knives, and applying proper cutting techniques will open up a whole new world of culinary possibilities. Learning to properly prepare ingredients and save time in the kitchen will result in better-finished dishes. Cook the dishes you have never dared to prepare, and dazzle your diners in the process.

Your knife skills instructor will show you different knives, how they are made, how to hold them, and what tasks each knife is best suited for. You will learn about the different metals that knives are made from and how the quality of knives makes a huge difference in the cutting results. The best knives make the best tools and it is always easier for a beginner or a seasoned professional to achieve the best results by owning and using the best equipment. For a beginning cook or aspiring chef, learning cutting skills properly, from a professional, right from the start in your cooking career is the perfect approach.

Learning to care for your knives, how to keep them sharp, and how to wash and store them is paramount to having good cooking results each time you enter the kitchen. Your knife skills instructor will go over the various equipment and techniques available to sharpen your knives. You will also be taught how to handle and use them to avoid damaging them, how to keep them in the best shape by properly caring for them, and how to put them away after each use so they maintain their peak usefulness.

You will learn detailed cutting techniques for a large variety of every day cooking ingredients. Basic cutting techniques for ingredients such as meats, poultry, fruits, vegetables, fish and shellfish are the foundation to more advanced techniques and specialty cutting, as well as approaching the ingredients in ways never before imagined by non-professionals. For example, once you know how to chop, dice and mince a bell pepper for speed and size of ingredient required, you can move on to a julienne cut for visual appeal, or learn how peeling the bell pepper and removing its skin presents the pepper in a whole new light. Learn how each cut presents the ingredient in a different way, shape, texture and flavor, and affects the finished dish.

The importance of knives to the sophisticated home cook or professional chef cannot be overstated. Don’t wait any longer, have some fun and learn knife skills at a local cooking class today.

Perhaps you’re wondering, “Who carries a pocket knife anymore?”

If so, your next self-directed questions ought to be, “How often am I grabbing the kitchen cutlery to cut twine for gardening?” Or, “How can I quickly dispose of the boxes after my kid’s birthday party? Or even, “For heaven’s sake, how do I get to the actual toy in those boxes with all of the insane packaging?”

Carry a trusty pocket knife- a good one- and you’ll have a handy go-to tool that you’ll use much more often than you might think.

If you are not in the military or law enforcement, and are not an avid outdoors-person, you may have never considered getting a pocket knife. But having one on hand makes sense, even if you’re not in law enforcement or the military; even if you don’t hunt or fish.

Not all pocket knives are the same, so it helps to keep few things in mind when you look for one that will suit your needs. One, with the host of sites offering discount knives from top brands, there is no reason that this purchase should break the bank or even dent the budget. And two, always put safety first, for yourself and your family, keeping knives away from little hands and using all safety features in the knife’s design.

How Might You Use Your Knife?

The first thing to think about is the ways in which you will use your new knife. Let’s say you are truly urban, do not have a backyard to tend, and don’t often set foot outside the city limits. You can still benefit from a quality pocket knife. Think about:

• Breaking down boxes after a move
• Opening packages in the mail
• Opening products wrapped in “high-security” packaging
• Cutting rope, wire, plastic or other materials for decorating
• Self-defense

What if you are a member of a suburban household? You take care of your yard, make trips to parks or nature preserves, perhaps go on camping or hiking excursions from time to time, so you can use a good knife for:

• Cutting limbs and small branches that fall into your yard
• Cutting boxes and other large cardboard items
• Cutting twine, string, and other materials
• Camping uses-which are virtually endless
• Cutting tangled fishing line
• Whittling

Truly, you would be amazed at the number of times your pocket knife comes in very handy, once you have the right one.

Design

Once you realize that having a pocket knife in your possession is a pretty good idea, its time to choose one. It won’t be long before you notice that your options are endless and you may have to just let yourself be stunned for a moment at the huge market that exists for knives of all types and pocket knives in particular. But don’t be overwhelmed-there’s one that’s right for you and you can find it.

A few design details you’ll want to look at and consider:

• Size and length of the blade
• Blade type and material
• Handle shape (think ergonomics) and materials
• Design features, such as the retraction of the blade or additional tools

If you are single in the city, you might prefer a small, but quality steel pocket knife with a retractable blade; something you can grab in a flash to open a delivery box. If you are the occasional outdoorsman, a larger knife may be better. You might consider shopping from the affordable tier of a top brand manufacturer. You’ll benefit from the reputable R&D behind it, even if it costs less, and get features like one handed blade retraction and easy use and cleaning.

On a side note, the more rugged individual may want to consider a multi-tool version that offers more than just a blade: something with many tools combined into a single unit. (Think Swiss Army Knife) These are ideal for camping and hiking. But many outdoor enthusiasts still prefer the basic pocket knife.

So next time you grab your favorite paring knife to open a package or use a butter knife to unscrew a battery pack, consider purchasing a quality pocket knife to keep handy.

You can either remove the bones from your fish before or after cooking it. It’s actually a lot easier to remove them once the fish is cooked but it’s generally not very pleasant to eat fish that has had the bones left in it.

The first step is to clean and rinse the fish thoroughly. That is, the fish needs to be gutted and rinsed in cold running tap water. Then place the fish on its side on a clean cutting surface. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down into the fish, just behind the gills until the blade touches the backbone. Then rotate the knife so that the blade is laying flat against the backbone, parallel to the cutting surface. The sharp edge should be toward the tail. Using a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion, cut along the backbone all the way down the fish to the tail, under the fillet. Repeat the same for the other side after turning the fish over. Now the backbone has been removed and the ribs and pin bones need to be removed next. Just cut the rib cage bones away from the fillet by slicing between them and the meat of the fillet. Remove the tiny pin bones by pulling them out with a pair of needle-nose pliers or tweezers. If they are not visible, feel for the tips of the bones with your fingers.

Always be sure to use care when dealing with sharp knives. Dull knives should not be used, as the blade will have a tendency to tear the fillet and not cleanly slice through it. Using a serrated or electric knife on fish will also shred the meat.