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Knife Skills

Ms. Perez

+Bell ringer

Why would the knife that you use matter?

+Parts of the CHEF KNIFE

+French/chef knife

Used for chopping, mincing, dicing, and some slicing, especially vegetables.

Function: General knife that can be used on produce and meats

Sometimes it is used for splitting poultry and lobsters or for mashing fresh ginger and garlic when turned on its side.

+Santoku

Japanese-style chef’s knife similar to a French knife.

The blade is thinner than a French knife, allowing the user to create thin, precise cuts.

Used for slicing, dicing, and chopping

+butcher knife

designed for cutting rather than chopping raw meats and poultry.

Slicing and dicing

It is used for cutting apart roasts and poultry

+paring knife

second most used knife in the professional kitchen

It is used for peeling, cutting, and trimming foods—mostly fruits and vegetables.

A paring knife can also be used for mincing herbs and for scoring hams and baked goods prior to baking or roasting.

+serrated knife

designed to cut through an outer crust and then to slice the inner,

A serrated knife can be used for slicing breads, angel food cake, tomatoes, and some other fruits and vegetables.

The blade is used in a sawing motion.

Function: Because it is serrated, it is easier to cut through tough things

+utility knife

It can be used for jobs too big for a paring knife and too small for a French knife: chopping, dicing, slicing, and peeling.

all-purpose knife that is a bit smaller than a French knife and a bit larger than a paring knife.

Sometimes it is tapered, and sometimes it is serrated.

+Peeler

Used to remove skin off of fruits and vegetables

Peels and pairing

+Types of cuts

+Julienne

a rectangular matchstick (baton) shape approximately 1/8 × 1/8 × 21⁄2 inches in length.

http://www.slashfood.com/videos-partner/what-is-a-julienne-cut-297708869-56'

+Dicing

Cube shape

Small dice is a 1⁄4 × 1⁄4 × 1⁄4-inch square cube.

Medium dice is a 1⁄2 × 1⁄2 × 1⁄2-inch square cube.

Large dice is a 3⁄4 × 3⁄4 × 3⁄4-inch square cube.

http://on.aol.com/video/how-to-cut-daikon-radish-516955004

http://www.oprah.com/food/Easy-Ways-to-Dice-Vegetables-and-Potatoes-O-Cookbook-Video

+Chop

Irregular shape cuts, approximately 1/2-inch thick by 1⁄2-inch long.

The chop is one of the most common cuts made by chefs.

http://video.about.com/italianfood/Chopping-Peppers.htm

+Mince

An exceptionally fine chop, stopping just short of making a paste

Mincing is commonly used when preparing parsley and herbs for garnish as well as for ginger, garlic, and other pungent ingredients where even spreading throughout a recipe is needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Vzy550ilY

+Peeling/paring

To cut off a very thin layer of the peel with a pairing knife or peeler

+Slicing

To cut foods into large thing pieces