All About Knives

I'm not completely sure, but I personally think that the first cooking implement created by man was the knife. Ever since the Stone Age, knives were used by man to gather and hunt for food, and later on used to prepare food when fire was discovered. Today, the knife remains as one of the most important tools you could have. The ubiquitous knife is used everywhere, from homes to restaurants to cruise ships.

But although we can all agree about the importance of this versatile tool, it's sad to see that very few people know how to properly handle and care for a knife. A friend once jokingly told me that perhaps it's because knives don't have instruction manuals.

One of my pet peeves is watching people handle knives incorrectly. The problem is that nobody taught us how to do it properly when we were just kids. All we knew at that time was that knives were dangerous and better kept away from us kids. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but that's no reason why people shouldn't learn to use them properly.

First, learn how to hold the knife properly. Basically, there are three ways to hold a knife, but it depends on the kind of knife and what is it going to be used for. When cutting against the board, the knife should usually be held with the thumb and forefinger gripping the blade. The handle should be held with the other fingers. When you want to cut hanging meat, for example, the knife should be held like a dagger for proper leverage. And when turning or peeling with a small knife, one or two fingers should grip the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

There are also several ways to properly care for your knives. A wooden board should be used for chopping and cutting. Plastic boards require more cleaning, and they are not quite as gentle on the edge of a knife as wooden boards. It's also better to use one where the cutting surface is end grain, rather than side grain. Why? The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, and side-grains will chip off eventually.

Always store a knife in a way that protects the blade, such as a plastic sleeve or a paperboard. Clean the knife first after use, then dry before storing it away. Do not wash knives in a dishwasher, or just throw it in the wash basin. Remember that you have to protect the edge from other hard objects. To properly sharpen a knife, the best way is to use a knife sharpener with an abrasive, diamond surface. Of course, you can always use a whetstone, but it takes a lot of experience to be able to sharpen a knife to razor-like sharpness with it.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the gerber knives and supplies you need.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the automatic knives and supplies you need.

- Azlan Irda