1. vegetable cuts and mise en place
KNIFE SKILLS
vegetable cuts and mise en place
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

2. Session Three-Knife Skills
Agenda
Quiz
Quiz Review
Intro to Knives
Self Intro—Standard Breading
Knife Skills Demo
Knife Skills Review
Discuss Standard Breading
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

3. Knife construction and configurations:
Material and configuration of the knife blade makes the difference in how a knife functions, how sharp and clean it stays, and how it handles in the heavy use demanded in a professional kitchen.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

4. Session Three-Knife Skills
Materials Used
Obsidian, Bone, and Ceramic
Carbon Steel
Stainless surgical steel
High carbon stainless steel
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

5. Session Three-Knife Skills
Holding the Knife
There are many different ways a knife can be held. The way you hold the knife depends on how your knife and your hand fit together, and according to the task you must complete.
The four basic grips are as follows:
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

6. Session Three-Knife Skills
Holding the Knife
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

7. Session Three-Knife Skills
Holding the Knife
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

8. Session Three-Knife Skills
Sharpening Steels
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

9. Session Three-Knife Skills
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

10. Session Three-Knife Skills
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

11. Session Three-Knife Skills
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

12. Session Three-Knife Skills
Classic Cuts
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

13. Session Three-Knife Skills
Classic Cuts
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

14. Session Three-Knife Skills
Classic Cuts
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

15. Session Three-Knife Skills
Classic Cuts
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

16. Session Three-Knife Skills
Mise en Place
French term literally meaning “everything in it’s place”
Organize and plan your work!
Set up your work area safely and completely before you start to work
Gather items necessary to keep your work area safe and clean
Gather the appropriate portioning and storage materials
Use scales properly
Keep food at the best possible temperature
Stand in a natural position, facing the cutting board squarely
Arrange your work so it flows in a logical direction
Use gloves properly
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

17. Session Three-Knife Skills
On vegetables
What are they?
What are heirloom vegetables and why are they important?
How should fresh vegetables be cared for ?
How should they be prepared for cooking for the lab exercises?
Cutting-
Blanching-
Parboiling-
Shocking/refereshing-
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

18. Standard breading/battering procedure:
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

19. Session Three-Knife Skills
On deep-frying
What equipment is needed for deep-frying
How is food prepared for deep-frying?
What safety precautions should be taken?
How is the equipment cleaned after using it?
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

20. Preparation and Knife Skills
Knife Construction
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

21. Obsidian, Bone, and Ceramic
Predates metal work
Very dense/brittle
Unsanitary
Ceramics coming back
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

22. Session Three-Knife Skills
Carbon Steel
Pros
Cons
hard alloy
darkens with use
sharpens easily and well
easily stained and rusts
health codes restricting
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

23. Stainless Surgical Steel
Resist corrosion, however, most are only mediocre knives because they are very difficult to sharpen
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

24. Session Three-Knife Skills
High Carbon Stainless
A combination of the best of both worlds. It is relatively expensive. Molybdenum, chromium, and vanadium are added to high carbon steel and the resultant alloy is easily sharpened, keeps an edge and is stain resistant.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

25. Session Three-Knife Skills
Shape of the Blade
The shape of the blade: More expensive knives are hand-shaped as opposed to stamped out on a machine stamped knives have no bolster or collar. Consequently, they are not likely to feel as well-balanced in one’s hand
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

26. Session Three-Knife Skills
Tempering
The tempering of a knife: Heating and chilling between grinding, strengthens makes a knife blade more flexible as opposed to brittle. The sharpness and durability of the cutting edge is dependent on proper tempering.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

27. Session Three-Knife Skills
Beveling
Beveling of knife-edge: The angle of the bevel, and the manner in which the beveling is done depends on the thickness of the blade. A thin blade requires a flatter angle than a thick one. A sharp angle on a thin blade dulls quickly as does a long angel on a thick blade. Hollow grinding allow a stout blade to be sharpened more easily and effectively.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

28. Session Three-Knife Skills
Serration
Serrated or smooth? Since slicing involves a back-and-forth-sawing motion, serrated knives often seem more effective than smooth-edged ones. But the rough edge is likely to tear or shred delicate foods. Most professionals prefer smooth blades for this reason, using serrated only for cutting breads, and soft fruits or vegetables such as tomatoes.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

29. Session Three-Knife Skills
Handles
Sanitation is KING
Then Comfort
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

30. Session Three-Knife Skills
Wood Handles
Natural rosewood or walnut handles look and feel great, however, water can damage them, and they may deteriorate with age. If cracks develop, germs can hide in the wood fibers. Natural woods impregnated with plastic resins seem to have it all - durability as well as good looks and feel.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

31. Session Three-Knife Skills
Sani Handles
Plastic or composite “sani” handles are made to last. They can be washed in commercial dish machines, and are easy to keep sanitary. The down side is they do not feel as comfortable in the hand.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

32. Session Three-Knife Skills
Purchasing Tips
pick up the knife and feel how it fits the hand. Is it plastic or wood? Is the handle attached to the tang?
tang running through the handle, gives the knife balance needed for good cutting and handling.
do blade and handle work together? ample clearance under its handle so the knuckles do not touch the counter
hand cannot easily slip onto the sharp blade.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

33. Session Three-Knife Skills
The Ideal Knife
durable construction
takes an edge easily
maintains sharpness well
easy to keep it sanitary
safe and comfortable in hand
Generally, hand-forged knives will fill the bill for a lifetime.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

34. Session Three-Knife Skills
Types of Knives
Chef or French knife:
Probably the most popular all-around knife in the kitchen. It is particularly well designed for general cutting and chopping.
Paring knife:
This knife is small and easy to handle for peeling and coring fruits and vegetables.
Boning knife:
this knife is designed to bone out meat, poultry and fish. It is available with varying degrees of blade flexibility to allow for the most delicate fish bone and the harder, more resilient bones of large cattle.
Carving or slicing knife:
this is a finely edged knife designed for slicing and carving meat.
Utility knife:
This is an all-purpose knife- the one you reach for when you need something larger than a paring knife but smaller than a chef’s or French knife.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

35. Session Three-Knife Skills
Using knives safely
The primary #1 rule of knife safety is a simple one:
KEEP YOUR MIND ON WHAT
YOU ARE DOING!!
The right knife for the job
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

36. Session Three-Knife Skills
Using knives safely
A sharp knife is safer than a dull knife
When carrying a knife, announce yourself!!
Hold it point down parallel to and tight against your leg as you walk
The handle of a knife should always be kept dry and clean
Always cut away from yourself—unless that endangers others
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

37. Session Three-Knife Skills
Using knives safely
No hidden knives
Never attempt to catch a falling knife
Use secured a cutting board
Never cut on metal, glass or porcelain
Wash and dry immediately after use
Never wash knives in commercial dish machines
Store knives in a safe place. Don’t toss them into drawer
Make use of racks or guards when storing knives
Never miss use knives
Don’t use a knife to taste food
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

38. Session Three-Knife Skills
Keeping Knives Sharp
The knife, as a tool, is of little use unless it is sharp
Honing
Sharpening
Proper use
Proper storage
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

39. Session Three-Knife Skills
Cleaning of knives
Need careful cleaning to prevent cross contamination of foods being prepared
Deserve careful hand washing and drying
Never see the inside of a dishwasher
Dishwasher detergent is corrosive—dull knife surface and edge and damage its rivets
Water spray bounces the knives around and causes damage to the blades
Wood, or a wood composites—the chemicals, water and heat will eventually cause it to deteriorate and crack.
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

40. Manual or mechanical cutting
based on the time available
quantity needed
exactness of the cut desired
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

41. Session Three-Knife Skills
Food Processing
Pros
Cons
FAST
Expensive
Consistent
Add’l Training
Safe
Imprecise
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills

42. Session Three-Knife Skills
Lab Work Today
Demonstrate and Practice Knife Skills
Culinary Foundations
Session Three-Knife Skills