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Cooking Utensils: Knives

Take your time to get acquainted with each one.

Knife usage:
• Keep your knives sharp. But be sure to keep them out of reach of children. Dull knives can slip while you’re cutting. Also, you’re more apt to be careful with sharp knives.

• Slice away from your hand and keep your fingers clear of the blade. Slicing away from your hand prevents an accidental cut if the knife slips.

• Don’t ever use the palm of your hand as a cutting board. That’s just inviting the knife to slice into your hand!

• When mincing, keep the tip of your knife on the cutting board and pump the handle up and down quickly. However, because that knife is moving fast, be extra careful about your fingers.

• Curl your fingers under and hold the food with your fingertips when chopping. Better to ding a knuckle than slice a fingertip!

• Use caution with steak knives. They’re sharp enough to cut meat, which means they’re sharp enough to cut you.

• Don’t lick the cream cheese off that butter knife! It really can cut your tongue.

• Secure your cutting board. If it doesn’t have rubber feet to help grip the counter, put a damp towel under the board when cutting.

• Never slice things freehand over the sink. That’s just an accident waiting to happen!

If you do cut yourself, wash the cut and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Raise your hand above your head while you press the cut with a cloth or paper towel until the bleeding stops. Then, put antibiotic cream on the cut and bandage it.

HOW TO BUY A KNIFE

Knife Brands to Know

Most premium knives hail from Germany or Japan. German manufacturers make mostly European-style knives, which often feature thicker blades and a large bolster. Many Japanese manufacturers opt for a thinner blade and a finer edge. The brands featured here include many that CR has tested in the past, or which we recently reviewed with our in-house ergonomics expert. Steel is the metal used to form most knife blades, but not all steel is the same. Most knives use a combination of stainless steel and carbon steel, but in varying quantities. Stainless steel resists rust and corrosion, while carbon steel can take a better edge. Look for a knife that offers "high-carbon stainless steel" if you want to blend the best of both metals. 

 

What to Consider When Shopping for Kitchen Knives

Focus on Essentials You only need three knives in your kitchen—a chef's knife and a serrated bread knife. The chef's knife cuts just about anything, except for crusty bread, while the bread knife, well, you can probably guess. A small utility or paring knife for items like strawberries, as are kitchen shears, which work for everything from twine to trimming a rotisserie chicken into pieces. But unless you're committed to buying or building a full set, you can keep it to the basics. 

 

Consider Size

As the workhorse of the kitchen, the size of your chef's knife needs some consideration. You'll find most are between 6 and 10 inches. Shorter knives are easier to handle and control, but longer knives let you slice through larger foods, like a watermelon or a roast. For many, an 8-inch chef's knife hits the sweet spot, which is why it's the most common size you'll find. Some people are accustomed to smaller knives so consider this as well when buying.

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