Knife Knowledge and How to Avoid an ER visit.

Listen up friends! The single most important tool you need to learn to cook is a Good Sharp Chef Knife. You don't need a whole fancy set or a $500 one to get started. You just need a solid knife. I use a Wustof Classic 8 inch Chef Knife. It has been with me since I enrolled in culinary school and its my favorite hands down. I'm lucky enough at my job that I get to try all the new shiny knives and hottest ones on the market.

I teach roughly 2-3 knife skills classes a month and my message is always the same. You have to find a knife that feels good in your hand or you will never use it. There are hundreds of options out there. Think of it like a car. There are Corvette and Hondas. Everyone may tell you to get the luxury of the Corvette and how amazing it is. It however may feel too heavy or uncomfortable in your hand. Try the Honda... you just may love it.

Here is a quick checklist of what you should look for in the knife you buy.

• Is it a single piece of steal from point to handle? Meaning can you see one continuous piece of steal running through it. If there is a fully covered Handel skip it, it is flimsy and will eventually crap out on you, and cost you more in the end because you will have to replace it.
• Do you feel any type of pinching or rubbing on your gripping hand? If you do try another knife, its like shoes- if they hurt when you try them on you will get blisters and calluses later when your using it.
• Is the length comfortable for you? Chef knives come in all different lengths. I find that 4 inch knifes do not really have much use in the kitchen and 10 inches are for those trying to compensate for something else smaller. Try out and decided between a 6 or 8 inch knife. You can do almost all your work with that size.
• Asian knives vs. Western Knives. Ok- Asian knives are all the rage. They have detailed and fancy handles and basically are small versions of samuri swords. They are far to light for me, but you may love them. They are for a more eastern style cooking (think sashimis, and fine detailed artistic work). Western Style or German Knives are heavy, and in my opinion ready to be the workhorse of the kitchen. They can break down whole chickens through the bones, your hardest vegetables and fruits, and are built to last. Both have needs and most people who start with one style chef knife end up later buying the counterpart as a second knife.
• Don't feel pressured to buy a whole set. Unless you obsessed with being all matchy matchy... Stop, buy what you need, and add on later.
• Spend the extra money and get a good cutting board: wood, bamboo, or plastic. NO GLASS or marble. A good board will extend the life of your knife and time between sharpening it.

So I'm sure by now you have stopped reading, went out and bought a great knife, and are so excited to use it, right? Well now to the important stuff... How not to cut your fingers off, or what some may call Knife Basics. This is a step by step run through for you, so watch and learn folks.

You should always hold your knife in a whats called a pinch or professional grip. your thumb on one side and your pointer finger pinching the other side.

Your other fingers should wrap under the handle and come around to form a good grip. This will make the knife an extension of your arm, causing less fatigue on your wrist and less opportunity for the knife to go all loosy goosy and slip and cut you.

Unless your cutting a huge melon or chicken, all basic cuts should have the tip of your knife on the board.

Your other hand will be in what's called the claw position ( yes- I do in my head say "The CLAW!" like Jim Carrey in Liar Lair every single time I teach this)

This should feel a little awkward because its training yourself to do a new habit, but when you start, keep your three middle fingers on the boars bent over, and you can hold down your pinkie with your thumb. Those two fingers are the most likely to slip out from under your claw and require stitches. This happens a lot on holidays, so heads up- the wait is long in the ER.

When you're ready to cut, slowly glide your knife towards the top of the board from the tip, rocking the body of the blade all the way through the bolster (back end of the blade). You should rock forward the whole length of the blade.

Chopping should never sound like chopping, it should be a symphonic sound of your knife gliding through the food you're cutting. As you cut, walk your claw backwards away from the blade.

Make sure you have a good grip on your knife and that all fingers steer clear of the blade. Don't beat yourself up if this is challenging at first, just stop and restart. You have probably been holding your knife and cutting the same way for as long as you can remember. Old habits die hard, but you will get it and become a much more efficient cook in the kitchen.