'Knife Skills' is a hands-on manual, one that will hone your skills  to the finest edge! Compiled by a superb team Charlie Trotter, Marcus Wareing, Shaun Hill and Lyn Hall. 

In 'Knife Skills' these multi-talented and highly skilled chefs teach us how to carve and chop, slice and dice, fillet and bone. 

From choosing knives, learning correct sharpening to kitchen techniques, this is a book that teaches the fundamentals that we all need for preparation and cooking.

A brilliant book, 'Knife Skills' should be required reading for any aspiring young chef, housewives and cooks who would like to sharpen their talents.  

 

Cutting safely: As a general rule, cut all ingredients on a wooden or plastic chopping board, with a damp cloth placed underneath to stop it slipping. Slice an end off round items, so that they sit on the board without rolling.

Holding food: To avoid cutting your fingers grip the food with your hand like a claw, with the fingernails and top finger joint parallel to the blade. You can then safely guide the blade against your knuckles as they move back.

Cleaning knife blades: Rinse the knife in clean, hot soapy water. With the blade facing away from you, wipe it with a damp, double-folded cloth to remove any food debris. Wipe from the heel and the spine towards the blade and point - never in the opposite direction. Spritz the blade with sanitizer and dry using a tea towel and wiping in the same way.

The most dangerous and common of knife injuries occurs when a person grabs at something in a sink and a blade slices the hand between thumb and forefinger, so never leave knives soaking in soapy water in the sink.

Handling knives safely: Treat knives with great respect, especially when others are in the kitchen and when carrying a knife. Never be tempted to try to catch a falling knife – stand out of the way and let it drop to the floor.

Walking with a knife: Hold the handle firmly, with the blade close to your side, its tip pointing downwards, and the cutting edge facing behind you. For extra control, place your thumb on the spine. Never run, rush or otherwise jeopardize the safety of yourself or anyone else. If your kitchen includes a collection of very sharp knives, wear covered shoes to protect your feet.

Storage system: Once you have the outlay on a set of good knives, spare a thought about how to protect the blades. Don’t try to store them jumbled in your kitchen drawers or leave them loose. This is unhygienic, dangerous to fingers and will dull the blades. Opt for a system that allows you to select a knife quickly. Choose a tine-honoured material like wood which will hold the blades individually and securely, or a plastic or metal that can be properly cleaned.

Free standing knife blocks. These come in various sizes, so choose one to suit your assortment of knives. Make sure that it is solid and heavy and will not topple over and that the holes fit your blades. The handles are angled to make it easy to grasp any knife.

Draw inserts: If you aim for a clutter-free worktop, a sleek kitchen and safety lay out your knives in an insert in a drawer, it may be a standard design or custom-made to suit your own collection. This system also avoids blunting the cutting edges.

Magnetic knife strip: This simple storage system keeps knives and blades visible, and is also hygienic. Choose the strongest magnetic power available and always store the blades pointing upwards. Test heavy knives on the strip before letting go of the handle. Often it is better to store large knives in a drawer protected by a homemade cardboard sheath.

Caring for knives  

Honing knives: Steels don’t sharpen blunt blades as do sharpening stones, but maintain the cutting edge on a sharpened knife. Keep a steel handy and always hone a knife before you use it. Hone the entire cutting edge from heel to point, otherwise you will grind a curve in the centre of the blade, which will soon stop you chopping effectively.

Freehand honing:

1. To begin, hold the steel firmly in one hand. Place the heel of the blade at the top of the steel, with the spine towards your body, at an angle of 10-20º.

2. Holding the knife firmly, draw the blades swiftly down and across the steel. Take care to maintain a constant angle between the blade and the steel. Finish the stroke by pulling the tip off the base of the steel.

3. Place the other side of the blade on the other side of the steel, so that its spine faces away from you, and repeat steps I and 2 to complete the first pass. Repeat until the cutting edge is honed sufficiently.

Some expert butchers twist the steel as they draw the blade along it, to offer up a clean part of the steel constantly to the blade. 

Cutting bread

Even a simple slice of bread can be elegant if cut with care and skill. When slicing soft bread, use plenty of sawing motions, so that the knife cuts cleanly and without tearing. It also helps to use very soft butter.

Bread and butter. For the thinnest slices of bread and butter, take a slightly stale brown loaf and cut off the end crust. Use a table knife to spread the face of the loaf with very soft butter, and then cut off a very thin slice with a bread knife, (the butter helps to keep the slice from tearing). Repeat until you have enough slices.Serve with smoked salmon or another smoked fish and a wedge of lemon, with potted shrimps, or with bread and butter pickle.

Sandwiches add your chosen filling to buttered bread and close the sandwiches. Pile 3 rounds on top of each other. Grip a granton, long serrated or forged bread knife with your thumb on top of the bolster and cut off the crusts. Trim the bread, as you cut, into a perfect square.

Use the same grip to cut the stack of sandwiches into triangles (shown here) or into fingers. As soon as the blade bites gently into the first corner, place your hand on top, pressing firmly and evenly to hold the filling and bread in place. Serve for afternoon tea.

Darling Kindersley www.dk.com

For more information see 
Cook's Corner