If you are a home chef who loves to cook you may begin to purchase professional grade cooking items such as Specialty Gourmet Knives. When working with professional grade knives there are some chopping tips you should use for both safety and knife maintenance.
Safe Storage and Chopping Surfaces
When using specialty gourmet knives it is important to chop on the proper surface. Many people make the mistake of thinking that their beautiful granite or marble countertops can withstand a little chopping so do not use a chopping board. Although your counters might withstand the chopping your knives will not. It is very important to chop on a wood or plastic cutting board to ensure your knives are not damaged. Glass, marble, stone, granite and even basic laminate counters can both dull and damage your professional grade knife blades. As well many knives come with a special sheath, but this is not provided for storage. It is simply packaging. Instead knives should be stored in a wooden knife block to protect the blades.
Safe and Easy Chopping Techniques
Here are a few ideas to make chopping safer and easier for some of the more challenging food items:
- Mangos: Mangoes have a large flat seed in the centre. Use your knife to feel for the seed and slice down the sides of the seed as closely as possible. Then place each half on a cutting board or on a dishcloth for support. Slice down to the skin first vertically and the horizontally. You can then fold back the skin so the cubes can easily be removed.
- Onions: Onions have to be diced or sliced uniformly so they do not cook unevenly. First remove the top and root from the onion. Then place the onion on either end so it is safely flat on the cutting board. Slice the onion in half and peel off the outer skin and greener layer of onion. Place on the flat side and for slices cut along the onion from top to bottom in even slices. If you require dices, turn the onion slices still intact on the diagonal and cut slices the other way as evenly as possible.
- Meat: Always carve meat against the grain to keep it tender.
Chopping safely will protect your fingers and your specialty gourmet knives.
