Knife Safety in the Kitchen

Written by Cilie Yack

Learn How to Use a Knife While Preparing Food in the Kitchen

Use these safety skills and helpful tips for making the Pear-fect Buddy Snack!

This week we are going to be cutting some pears to make the Pear-fect Buddy Snack. Before we can do that there are some things you ought to know about knife safety.

When I had my first lesson with Niall Lynch's Top Chef he told me a thing or two about knives. For one thing, they can land you in the hospital right quick if you don't know what you are doing.  For another thing, they sure do make the job easy when you know how to use them right!

Chef Noel said that he's even seen some chefs get sent to the hospital, and they cut food every day for a living. So his number one rule for kids is never, ever, ever, use a knife when there isn't an adult around to watch what you are doing.

When it comes to chef knives there are tons of them. Chefs use paring knives, carving knives, tomato knives, boning knives, and cleavers when they are cooking. A bit of Utensil TriviaDid you know that someone invented a utensil a few years back that is half fork and half knife? They call it a KNORK!

And the knives they use have all kinds of edges on them, too. I bet you probably already noticed that yourself.

You've probably noticed that the steak knives in your kitchen drawer have very sharp wavy edges.

There's a name for that.

It is called a serated knife. I think those are the most dangerous kinds. You can just touch one of those edges with the tip of your finger and if it doesn't bleed it will hurt a lot. Knives also have straight edges too.

You probably don't know that metal knives need to be sharpened pretty often or they get dull. Mums and dads have tools for that. Kids should never ever attempt to sharpen a knife themselves. There is a science to it. Mr. Lynch told me that a properly sharpened knife will not have any spots where the light reflects off of the edge. A kid is not going to know how to do that. And besides, it is really dangerous.

When we finally get our pears and start cutting, these are going to be the first cuts we make. We will make three cuts in all.

Of course when you are finished you can eat your slices if you are hungry!

Two little wedges on either side of the pear. This is where the ears are going to go!

So the most important thing about knives is that you only use them when an adult is around to supervise.

Mum thought it would be a good idea to just use plastic knifes in our Sous Club meetings.

And after watching all the chefs chopping and cutting in the big kitchen I think she's got a really good idea.

Plastic Knives can hurt you, so Here are a Few Good Knife Cutting Tips:

• Always hold what you are cutting with one hand and hold the knife in the other.
• The knife blade has to face down.
• Keep your eyes on what you are doing! If you have to look away, stop and put the knife down first.
• Keep your fingertips away from the blade by curling them under. (see the picture)
• Use your index finger (that's your pointy finger!) to hold the knife steady and to push the knife down while you are cutting. (see the picture)
• Slowly move the knife back and forth while you cut.

  Kids need to learn Knife carrying Safety Rules too:

  • Always carry your knife with the tip pointing down. I know that in our club it seems silly to be so careful with plastic knives, but it is a good idea to practice how to handle knives the right way from the beginning.

  So stand up. Grab the plastic knife off of the table by the handle. Now hold it properly at your side with the tip pointed down.

  Hm.

  Pretty good!

  • Now I am going to explain what you are supposed to do when you accidentally drop your knife. First thing I want you to do is look at your feet. If the knife slips out of your hands you might accidentally stab yourself in the foot. Of course that won't happen with a plastic knife, but what do you think a chef learns to do?

  Hm.

  Okay.

  Well let me tell you! A chef is taught to take a step back when he accidentally drops a knife. Let's try that with the plastic knife now.

  All right!

  Pretty good!

  Kids should Clean & Reuse Plastic Knives to be green and Save Money

  Now even though plastic knives have disposable written on the bag that doesn't mean that we need to through them away after using them one time. Let's talk about how to wash these dirty knives properly so they can be used again.

  Do we put them in the dishwasher?

  My mum says that's a bad job. The heat from the dishwasher could melt the plastic.

  Do we put them in boiled water?

  Well we did learn last week that boiled water can kill most germs. But it doesn't kill them all and we just dropped these on the dirty floor!

  So the best way to clean them is with hot soapy water. Use a very good dish soap and soak them for a few minutes. Then rinse them off and immediately dry them with a clean towel. Now you are ready to reuse your knives!

  Next we are going to do an experiment with fruit that teaches about a thing called oxidation. After you cut open a piece of fruit strange things can happen to it.... So let's check out our Lesson 2 Experiment to learn more about it!