The Right Tool for the Job

No matter what the task it’s always easier when you have the right tool for the job. While it is certainly possible to slice the packing tape with a ballpoint pen to open a box it is much easier and the contents are safer when you use a utility knife as it was intended. The same holds true for food preparation and serving – you can spread butter with a bread knife but the results will be much better when you use a butter knife.

That’s why every kitchen should be equipped with a decent set of chef cutleryand knives which includes poultry shears and sharpening tools along with a knife block or other knife storage solution.  It’s often said that a sharp knife is a safe knife and for good reason – with a dull knife you exert far more force in an effort to cut or slice whatever you are working with; this exacerbates the potential for slipping and related accidents.

Knives can be sharpened any number of ways and many cooks prefer to use a sharpening rod or steel. Regardless of the actual material the device is referred to as a steel; it can be made of ceramic or coated with diamond dust. The trick to using a sharpening steel is that you need to be able to maintain the knife’s edge and thus hold the knife on the correct angle which is often an acquired skill. Many home cooks prefer to use an electric knife sharpener or a pull-through model which eliminates the potential for harming or changing the knife’s edge. Once sharpened knives should be stored in such a way that the blade does not touch another blade – a knife and gadget drawer is not a good idea.