During the summer, I love a fresh tomato. The only thing that
can spoil its beauty is attempting to slice it with a dull knife
and crushing it instead.
During the summer, I love a fresh tomato. The only thing that can spoil its beauty is attempting to slice it with a dull knife and crushing it instead.
The same thing is true during the winter. We have many holiday main entrees that require slicing. A dull knife can make the task of slicing a beautiful fire-roasted turkey, ham or roast a difficult task. The same can be said throughout the year for slicing grilled tri-tip, chicken and ribs. Since the holidays are quickly approaching, and we will be slicing larger cuts of meat, I want to talk a little about sharpening your knives.
Although I am as careful as possible in the kitchen, there are times that a knife does slip, and I cut myself. It is more common for people to cut themselves with dull knives than with sharp knives. The blade of a dull knife is harder to use and more pressure has to be applied to the knife to get the job done. This is not true with a sharp knife, since the knife does the work for you and accidents are less common. You can also achieve a finer slice with a sharp knife. For cooking and safety reasons, sharp knives should always be used in the kitchen.
How can you tell if you knife is not sharp? If you are not cutting softer fruits or vegetables, there is a good test to determine if your knife blade is dull. Take a piece of paper and attempt to slice into the paper while holding it in midair. If the paper is just chipped, starts to slice and then tears or bends, your knife is in need of sharpening.
If you knives are not sharp, what is the best way to sharpen them? There are a variety of ways to sharpen your knives. You may sharpen them yourself or have them sharpened professionally. Once sharpened, maintaining your knives keeps them sharper for a longer period of time.
If your knives have never been sharpened, you may need to reestablish the blade. This is particularly necessary if the blade has slight nicks to it too. The easiest way to do this is on a sharpening stone. The best sharpening stones have a course, medium and fine grit area. If you choose to do this yourself, please use caution.
Wet the sharpening stone with a little water. With the knife pointing away from you, run the knife the full length of the stone at about a 15-degree angle. Continue doing this until the blade develops a burr. This is an edge that feels like a ridge along the blade of the knife. Repeat this same procedure on the opposite side of the knife to develop a beveled edge, but do not create a burr. Continue this same procedure at a slightly wider angle on the finer grit section of the sharpening stone for about 8 strokes on each side of the knife. Finish with a few strokes on the finest grit of sharpening stone or sharpening steel.
A sharpening steel comes with most knife sets and is for everyday sharpening. If you do not have one, they are a great investment for maintaining your knife set. It has a handle and a cylinder piece of steel that tapers to a dull point on the end. With just a few strokes at a 20-degree angle before every few uses, you will maintain a perfect sharp edge on your knife.
If this task is a little daunting for you, there are many professional knife sharpeners listed in the yellow pages. They will know the best way to sharpen your particular knives properly and teach you how to maintain the blade.
We are also fortunate that the Nob Hill chain of grocery stores offers knife sharpening for its customers. You need to pick up their cardboard knife sheaths in the meat department so that the knives are transported into the store with the sheaths on them. As the holidays approach, they will be busy with their orders, so a few days turnaround are necessary. For further details, check with the butcher at your local Nob Hill grocery store.
If you take the time this holiday season to prepare a beautiful slow-roasted turkey, ham or roast on the grill, make sure its beauty is maintained with the use of a sharp knife. A sharp knife will not only make your job easier, but also create better slicing results. Every day cutting and slicing tasks will be easier and help you to avoid those unfortunate accidents in the kitchen.
Mitch L. Mariani II is a self-taught amateur chef. Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to him through e-mail at Mi*******************@***oo.com. For tips and recipes, visit www.geocities.com/MixedGrillSouthValley.
