Last week, I wrote this about using a chef’s knife in the kitchen:

“When we were cooking the Dog Mountain Farm dinner, I was lost for a few moments in the rhythm of my knife on the plastic cutting board as I chopped herbs fine. Something made me listen to it, step outside of myself as my sharp knife divided the rosemary in half, then half again. It sounded good. It sounded right. The tip of my knife stayed on the board as the blade moved from right to left, like a lawnmower through tall green grass. I haven’t noticed, in months and months, just how evenly I cut something now. Chopping is meditation, getting a job done. Now that I have the confidence of hours of doing this the right way in my hands, I don’t have to think. I can simply step up to the counter and enjoy.”

Many of you wrote me to ask — how did you get there?

Well, I watched Danny and I practiced. (Also, I’m still not that good, just more sure.)

Since many of you have asked recently, and before this too, we did a video of Danny demonstrating how to use a knife well.

This is the first part in a video series on knife skills.

Watch and practice, if you don’t already feel comfortable with a knife in the kitchen.

July 28, 2010 by TV Products 

Yoshiblade  – Fantastic Ceramic Kitchen Knife

Introducing the razor-sharp, feather-light YoshiBlade Chef Knife. The World’s Best Ceramic Knife That Revolutionizes Kitchen Cutting – It’s the last knife you’ll ever need at an unbelievably low price!  Take advantage of this amazing low offer: Buy one Yoshiblade Ceramic Knife for $19.95 and get one FREE plus two Bonus ceramic peelers!

Are you constantly searching your kitchen for a sharp knife that can cut?  Well, now there’s one knife thats sharpness is guaranteed to last.  Introducing the Yoshiblade, the ceramic knife that’s guaranteed to stay sharp…for life!  It will be your go-to for everything in your kitchen!

Yoshiblade -  Razor Sharp Ceramic

Yoshiblade is made from diamond hard zirconium oxide that’s 40% stronger than steel, so it’s the one knife that stays razor sharp for life.  In fact, this space-age material is so hard that professional chefs actually use ceramic to sharpen their expensive steel knives!  Your YoshiBlade Chef Knife is rust- and stain-proof, easy to clean, and will not affect the taste or smell of food like steel knives. Won’t rust…won’t pit.  It just stays in its beautiful, original condition for life.

The Yoshiblade can replace you drawer full of dull metal knives to:

• carve meat any thickness
• chop vegetables like a pro
• slice soft bread without crushing it
• slice tomatoes razor thin.

Do it all effortlessly with the Yoshiblade!

Say good-bye to old-fashioned steel knives!  Look at these Yoshiblade advantages:

• Ceramic rarely needs sharpening!
• Made with razor-sharp, long-lasting, diamond-hard zirconium oxide!
• Won’t affect food’s taste, plus rust and stain-proof!
• Santoku design ideal for precision cutting and thin slicing
• Made of natural eco-friendly ceramic materials that last long!

Use the Yoshiblade to start making your kitchen cutting, chopping and slicing an easy task rather than a dreaded chore like with your old, dull steel knives.  Order Today!

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Make Cooking Easier with These Accessories

A well-stocked kitchen is one that contains modern gadgets, accessories, and kitchen tools that help to make cooking pleasurable no matter what the situation may be.  For many, cooking is preferred to be quick and painless. With the new products discussed below, you can be in and out of your kitchen quickly, with time to spare and a great meal in hand.

Knives

No kitchen is complete without a great set of hard-wearing, long-lasting, durable knives. No matter what you are cooking, it is almost certain that a sharp knife is going to be needed for something. Chopping, slicing, dicing, and peeling, can be so much easier with a set of great quality, forged steel knives that have handles that enable a firm, sturdy grip. Knife sets can be sold for a reasonable price at most retailers, and often include anywhere from five to twenty five knives each. Depending on your interior décor, you can also get colorful knives to match any kitchen theme. Store your knives in a clean knife holder for visibility and easy access.

If you are not keen on the knife idea, there are many other modern accessories that can replace knives in your cooking regimen.  Items such as a handheld mandoline slicer work to deliver five-star restaurant results without ever having to leave your home. This handy and easy to use product allows you to slice anything from vegetables to fruit and more in three different thicknesses. There is also a product entitled the Chop Wizard, which is wonderful for dicing food into the perfect form.  In one swift motion you can dice anything from cheese to vegetables in seconds.

If you find that you need a product that is going to be able to do more than slice or dice a few vegetables, consider a food processor. Food processors can finely chop anything from nuts to breadcrumbs while also being able to make delicious and smooth dips, salad dressings and smoothies.  Also supplying a no-mess cooking area, a food processor is simply one of the best food preparation accessories you will ever own.

Cookware

Most people who love to cook and be in their kitchen constantly whipping something delicious up, will already own a basic set of pots and pans with which they can cook most meals. However, there are a few more modern cookware products that you and your food can greatly benefit from by adding to your collection such as the cast iron skillet and the Dutch oven.

A cast iron skillet is an incredibly versatile and extremely heavy piece of cookware that enables the perfect cooking of any delicious meal. They are perfect for use on the stovetop, in the oven, on the grill, and even over a campfire. You can easily cook a steak, make cornbread, scramble eggs, or make grilled sandwiches all on the same item. The heavy cast iron surface makes it easy to cook every type of food evenly, without burning.

The Dutch oven is another heavily constructed product that can be a wonderful addition to your kitchen. Most Dutch oven’s are created from cast iron or porcelain-covered iron, and is guaranteed to cook better roasts, stews, soups, casseroles, chili, and more. A Dutch oven can easily go straight from the oven or stovetop to the tabletop without burning any of your furniture.

An adjustable tiered oven rack is also a great addition to the kitchen of a cooking lover. When added to your oven, an adjustable tiered rack can do a great job of helping you fit in more of the food that needs to be cooked. These products are great for when you are cooking for large family get-togethers, and can make cooking easier by saving baking time. The tiered oven rack with help you to make sure your dishes are ready at the right time without having to reheat your food when the meal is ready to serve.

Kitchen Gadgets

Modern kitchen gadgets can make a world of difference in your kitchen and in your cooking. With items that can slice, dice, and help to create mouth-watering entrees and snacks, you definitely want to consider investing in the handy kitchen gadgets discussed below.

A cherry and olive pitter is a great accessory that is also extremely helpful. Remove cherry and olive pits quickly and easily without making a mess, with the addition of a splatter shield on this die-cast zinc construction tool.

Make pancakes, waffles, and other delicious breakfast foods with the help of a great batter dispenser. The batter can be mixed in the dispenser, and then squeezed to dispense exactly the right amount of batter to produce perfect breakfast dishes. This products is easy to use, easy to clean, and is even good for creating home-made muffins and cupcakes.

A funnel pitches is another great tool for pouring items such as dressings and gravies. The funnel pitches is shaped like an ordinary pitcher but has an extra-long funnel that gives you much better aim for pouring sauces onto any meal. With this product there are no drips or splatters to worry about, which means less cleaning time!

About the Author

Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who writes about cooking and other home products, often discussing particular types of items such as cooking accessories

How to Choose Kitchen Knives : Types of Steel Used for Kitchen Knives: Part 2

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When you’ve got the fish in the boat or back at the dock or at your camper or home, a vital process begins.

You get the fish ready for cooking.

It is not a mysterious process but is something that takes practice and careful hands. Most Arkansas anglers use the filleting technique. You take a very sharp knife with a thin and flexible blade, then you slice the meat away from the backbone. Sure, there is more to filleting than those few words, but that’s the basic idea.

Special knives are made for filleting, and these can run from inexpensive to high dollar. They fall into four types — manual and three forms of electrically operated instruments.

With a manual filleting knife and with practice, you can fillet an average size crappie, for instance, in less than a minute. The usual procedure is to make a diagonal cut just behind the head and gill to the backbone, turn the knife on its side and cut along the backbone to near the tail, but leave a bit of skin at the tail. This cut will include whacking through the ribs. When you’ve cut to the tail, flip this slab of meat over then carefully slide the blade between skin and meat back to your original cut. Next, you use the point of the knife to trim out the ribs in an arc pattern.

The first time you try filleting, you’ll quickly see the importance of a thin, flexible blade.

With electric knives, the process is the same except you have power assistance.

Electric filleting knives can be the ones you also use for slicing a ham or carving a turkey. It can be the type that runs off household current, 110-120 volt, as long as the blade is reasonably thin.

The electric knife can be battery powered so you can use it away from a plug-in.

And the electric knife can be 12-volt powered, meaning running off a boat battery or plugged into the cigarette lighter in your vehicle. Many of these come with wires and alligator clips that attach to battery posts.

Take a plastic or wooden board along with you in the boat, and your catch can be filleted on the spot. It is wise to keep the scraps — heads and carcasses — in a bucket until the outing is over in case an officer wants to verify what kind of fish and how many you caught.

With manual filleting knives, sharpening is essential. They have to be sharp to function. With electric knives, many with serrated twin blades, sharpening isn’t as necessary. But most anglers using electric knives have a manual knife too. This is used to trim out the ribs, although an electric knife can handle this task too — if you are careful and keep the tip from biting into your board.

When you get into filleting fish, a natural question is about the meat that is left behind. Or if a family member or friend looks on, you’re apt to get something like, “Look at all that meat you are wasting.”

Yes, some meat is missed in the filleting process, but it is a small, really small, percentage. Forget about it. The alternative is to scale the fish and prepare it whole, and this is what you are getting away from by choosing filleting.

Filleting takes practice. It takes a sensitive touch with your hands because you feel your way with the knife as it cuts through the fish. This touch is especially delicate when filleting bream. A little misstep, and you’ve whacked through the backbone or cut the fillet away from the tail prematurely. No big deal. You can correct the error.

Keep your filleting knives clean, whether they are manual or electric. Washing the blades immediately after use is the way to go. It is much more difficult when the residue on them has dried.

A suggestion, if you are new to fish filleting, is to watch someone do it. Yes, if it is an experienced person doing the filleting, he or she may make the job seem quick and easy.

It can be for you also. Just put in the necessary practice to gain this experience. That starts with going out and catching some fish.

Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas’ best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at

A Good Kitchen Knife Set Is Definitely Part Of Cookware Essentials

As far as cookware essentials go a good kitchen knife set is a must have! These are some of the most important tools you can have at your fingertips in the kitchen. There are many different knives and many different uses for each. Some of the tops brands can be investments for a life time. Not only will having a good kitchen knife set make preparing meals easier it is also a safety concern.

Trying to cut food with a dull knife is a very dangerous task. A sharp knife gives you more control over what you are trying to cut. It is very hard to cut things that are slipping away from your hands. It sounds a little strange but if you want to avoid cuts to your fingers it is a good idea to have a gourmet knife set. This is just one of the reasons that they are part of the list of cookware essentials Comments

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Whether you take cooking classes in person or from an online course, it’s important to understand the significance of the chef’s knife. In fact, one of the 5 Chef Secrets that professionals use to create amazing meals at home and on the job is the use of the chef’s knife.

Professional chefs know that correct preparation of ingredients helps in the eye appeal of the final presentation of the dish. More importantly, items that are cut consistently will cook consistently. That way, every piece of carrot has the same texture in the soup. If they’re cut to different sizes, the larger one will be hard and crunchy, and the smaller piece soft and mushy.

Practicing correct skills with your kitchen knives will also save money by allowing you to buy larger items and break them into usable pieces. When you prepare fresh ingredients correctly, there is less waste and fresh ingredients improve your cooking by increasing the nutrients in your diet by using more wholesome foods.

One of the most common items that needs to be cut in household cooking is an onion. Every time you make a cut into an onion, it releases sulfur-based gas. When that gas comes in contact with the water in your eye, it turns into sulfuric acid and burns. So, not only does the onion need to be cut into consistent pieces, it is certainly more pleasant if you can do it with as few knife strokes as possible.

Wrong Way to Cut an Onion

The common rocking of the knife against the cutting board, the “mezzaluna” motion is just another way to chop things inconsistently.

Right Way to Cut an Onion

The correct way to dice an onion is to first cut the onion in half from root end to blossom end, giving you a flat surface to work from, avoiding a rolling onion and sharp knife. Since the root end of the onion holds it together, the next step is to cut the blossom end from the onion and remove the skin.

The natural curve of the onion layers will help you in cutting the item into consistent pieces if you first make horizontal cuts in the onion that travel parallel to your cutting board. Now, make vertical cuts in the onion with the tip of your knife, but not all the way back to the root end.

You should now have a “checkerboard” type slices in the onion, but it should stay together because you haven’t cut back to the root end. A tip/fulcrum method will now cut the onion into consistent diced pieces if you now cut across the previous two cuts.

Try it at home! You’re going to love the time and tears that it saves you as well as having the ability to have consistent sized pieces of onion. So, keep in mind, whether you take cooking classes online or in person, one of the most important of chef secrets is having knife skills. The correct use of a chef’s knife will help you save money, use better foods, improve your confidence, and save time spent in the kitchen.

Related Posts:
Number One Chef Secret Will Change Your Cooking Forever
Easy Cooking Ideas a Recipe Book Will Never Tell You

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Paring Steak

Steak and fruit ….. Which knives are the best to .. to ..?

Which knives are the best to use for chopping and paring “without cutting or losing a finger”

I wouldn’t know. I am poor, so I use whatever sharp knife I can find, and just use a cutting board, and not put my finger in the way. That is my solution. I don’t even “par” my fruit really. I just scrub it with veggie wash, and eat it. or cut off what needs to be cut with a knife.

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Block Set consists of: 2-1/2-inch peeling knife, 4-inch paring knife, 5-Inch serrated/utility knife, 8-inch Chef’s knife, sharpening steel, kitchen shears, and a hardwood block……..
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– Includes 8-inch chef’s; 5-inch utility; 4-inch paring; 2-1/2-inch peeling
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– Ice-hardened blades for strength; hand-honed for sharpness
– 7.8 pounds; lifetime warranty
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 “J.A, Henckels Twin Signature 7 Piece Knife Set is “SHARP!” 2010-02-07
By Mrs. Huggies (Blue Springs, Mo. USA)
Although we’re had this set just a short time, we are quite pleased with the quality of the product. After making do with an old less than sharp knife set, this set is great.

 “Nice Entry Level Set” 2009-12-05
By Garry Balestracci
I never had a “good set” of knives before. They are good quality and are every thing that I had expected Henckel knives to be. I was not disappointed.

 “The knives rust” 2008-11-01
By M. Kim (LA, California)
I like the knife set in general. However half the knives have rusted and I have to throw them away. I only recently bought this knife 3 months ago.

 “Love the grip on these!” 2008-07-25
By Kristin (San Diego, CA)
My first Henkels’ purchase was a “one-man” and it was cheap in price and quality. It was so heavy, my mom couldn’t use it. I returned that one right away, and found the Twin Signature.

I loved it right away! The handle is the best part because it fits very well for a good grip and it doesn’t feel heavy. The knives are sharp and I use the scissors all the time for everything! Everyone that comes by my house comments on how they like the knives after using them. For a little more money, buy the “two-man” Henkel–it’s worth it.

 “Great Set at a Great Price.” 2008-03-28
By Emihole
The Twin Signature is the lower end of Henckels more professional brand. The knives are sleek, very sharp. Great Value for great price (when on sale).

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