Knives are essential tools in any kitchen and can be your best friend when you’re preparing food. They’re incredibly versatile and should do most of the work for you if used properly. Here are three useful knives and tips that are always good to have on hand. They’ll help you slice, core and cut like a pro!
• Chef’s Knives are great for cutting both raw and cooked meat. Before you slice raw steak, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting into slices. Cut steak across the grain, straight up and down and as thinly and evenly as possible, holding the chef’s knife at a 45-degree angle to the cutting board. Chef’s knives are also handy for thinly slicing raw beef for stir-fries. You can use them to chop large or hard vegetables and mince smaller items such as garlic, too.
• Paring Knives are an excellent choice for precision work and can be used to cut out the cores of peppers. To chop or slice, stand the pepper on its end on a cutting board. Cut down 3 or 4 times to form vertical slices. Discard the stem, core and seeds. Remove the white veins or membranes. Cut the slices into strips or chop as desired. Paring knives are also good for peeling fruits and vegetables and slicing smaller items.
• Serrated Knives have a wavy blade that has teeth along the edge. This gives them a greater ability to cut, and makes them ideal for foods that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Serrated knives are also perfect for slicing more delicate foods such as tomatoes and cakes. They cut a lot better than plain-edge knives, even when they’re dull. These also last longer without sharpening.
Print the step-by-step knife skills instructions: http://www.kraftfoods.com/assets/pdf/guides/KnifeSkills_US.pdf
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