Kitchen Knives you need and how to use them

I love to cook but have never had a proper set of knives. Tefal reached out asked if I’d like to try the Jamie Oliver by Tefal Knife Block and I was extremely excited.

I had no idea what Kitchen knives you need or how to use them. Here is what I’ve learnt.

The Essential Kitchen knives you need

This great knife block has all the essential knives for any home cook.

Small Knives

• Starting with the smallest knife which is called a Paring Knife. A small paring knife is a great all-rounder. It’s ideal for chopping and slicing smaller vegetables. This knife is ideal for precision work such as hulling strawberries and scraping seeds from vanilla pods.
• Next up is what is referred to as a Utility Knife. The blade of a utility knife is sharp, smooth and precise, making it ideal for peeling, chopping and fine slicing. This knife is larger than a paring knife making it great for switching between different sized fruit and veg. Use to quarter cherry tomatoes and finely slice red onion
• Similar to a carving knife a Slicing Knife has a long, thin blade with a pointed tip. With a more flexible blade than a carving knife, they are used for carving meat on or off the bone and can get thinner slices than a carving knife, the long, sharp blade will do most of the hard work for you.

Larger Knives

• The long, serrated blade of a Bread Knife stays sharp on its own, so you don’t need to worry about maintaining it. Simply glide it across bread effortlessly – the blade will take care of the hard work for you. A bread knife can also be used for removing the skin from a pineapple and roughly chopping chocolate.
• Next up is the Santoku Knife. I actually. have used one of these for years and love them. They are perfect for slicing, dicing and chopping. Japanese in origin, the flat edge and sheepsfoot blade not only looks beautiful, but is super efficient, too.
• The final knife in this great collection is the Chef’s Knife. My research has shown that this knife is an absolute must in your collection. The blade is rounded towards the tip, making it perfect for rock chopping and is straight at its edge, making it ideal for tap chopping.

How to use your kitchen knives

There are three methods of chopping:-

• Rock Chopping. Great for chopping thicker-skinned capsicums, chillies and tomatoes. The trick is to create a controlled rocking motion with the blade, from the tip down to the heel of the knife. Position your fingers on top of the veg, making sure the tips of your fingers are tucked in and out of the way.
• Tap Chopping. Only use this method on veg with flat, stable edges, like potatoes, carrots etc. Place your fingers over the top of your vegetable. Tuck in your fingertips so they’re out of the way, then anchor your thumb at the back. As you chop down with the knife, move your tucked fingers back along the veg towards your thumb. The joint of your finger should guide the blade and control its position, keeping your fingertips safe
• Cross Chopping. This simple method is great for finely chopping lots of herbs, garlic or vegetables. It’s easy and safe. Holding the knife firmly in one hand, place the tip of the knife on a board at an angle of 20º. Then keeping the fingers of your other hand rigid on the lower half of the blunt-side of the blade. Raise and lower the handle of the knife, keeping the tip of the knife on the board. Sweep your ingredients back into the middle with the blade as you go.

Taking care of your knives

Taking care of your knives is fairly straightforward.

• Rule Number one is not to use the dishwasher. Wash your knives in warm soapy water and dry well.
• Store your knives in a knife block or knife magnet. Avoid storing them in drawers where they can bang against each other and damage the blades.
• Do not use glass or marble chopping boards as they are too hard for the knife blades.
• Use a knife steel after every few uses to maintain a sharp blade. You can see how to do this here.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you’ve got any questions please reach out.

If you would love some great recipes to use with your beautiful knives. Try this delicious corn chowder or apricot chicken.