Chapter 8 - d3jc3ahdjad7x7.cloudfront.net · Chapter 8 Knives and Hand Tools in ... •Recognize...

Chapter 8

Knives and

Hand Tools in

the Professional

Kitchen

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objective

• Explain the elements of knife construction

and how they relate to quality


Knives

• The knife is the chef’s most important tool

• The cutting task seems almost effortless

with a sharp, well-constructed knife

• An aspiring chef should invest in a good

quality chef knife


Choosing a Knife

• Factors to consider

– Type of metal used for the blade

– Length of tang

– Handle material and weight

– Bolster


Choosing a Knife

• Metals used for knife blades

– Carbon steel

• Benefit–easy to sharpen

• Drawbacks–discolors quickly; rusts if left wet; may

transfer metallic flavor to foods


Choosing a Knife

• Metals used for knife blades (continued)

– Stainless steel

• Benefits–does not pit, rust, or discolor; no affect

on flavor of foods

• Drawback–more difficult to sharpen and keep

sharp

– High-carbon stainless steel

• Benefits–easier to sharpen and maintain; does not

rust or discolor


Choosing a Knife

• Length of the tang

– Full tang: one continuous piece of metal that

extends to the end of the handle

– Rattail tang: thin piece of metal that extends

into the handle of the knife


Choosing a Knife

• Handle

– Handles can be made from hardwoods,

plastic, rubber, or composite materials

– The weight of the handle should be balanced

with the weight of the blade


Choosing a Knife

• Bolster

– More expensive knives are constructed with a

bolster that strengthens the blade at a stress

point where knife blades often crack or chip


Cutting Boards

• Cutting boards can be made from

synthetic composite or hardwoods

• Synthetic boards may be color-coded to

specify their use

• Cutting boards must be cleaned and

sanitized after each use to avoid cross-

contamination


Objective

• Recognize various knives and hand tools

used in the professional kitchen


Knives and Their Uses

• Chef Knife

– Used for chopping,

slicing, and most other

cutting tasks

– Lengths vary between

8 and 14 inches

• Slicers

– Use a light sawing

motion to cut cooked

meat, poultry, and

other foods into thin,

even slices



• Utility Knife

– 5 to 7 inch blades

– Blade is more flexible

but not wide enough

for chopping tasks

• Serrated Slicer

– Useful for cutting

breads and pastries



• Boning and Filet Knives

– Blade is approximately 6 inches long and

narrower than a chef or utility knife

– Boning knives are used for separating muscle

from bone on meat or poultry

– Filet knives are often used for filleting and

portioning fish



• Paring Knives

– Designed to cut away

skin or peel, also

useful for cutting

intricate garnishes and

other detail work

• Tourné Knife

– Used for cutting

vegetables into

tournés



• Scimitar

– Excellent for cutting

steaks from large cuts

of meat

– Sometimes called a

butcher’s knife

• Cleavers

– Used for chopping

– Heavier cleavers can

chop through bones



• Oyster Knife

– Blade is not sharp, but

the pointed tip is used

to pry apart the top

and bottom shells of

oysters

• Clam Knife

– Blade tapers to an edge,

but is not honed sharp

– Blade is wedged

between the top and

bottom shells of the clam

to pry it open



• Palette Knives and Spreaders

– Come in various lengths and widths

– Have flexible blades, but are not sharp

– Designed to spread coatings on foods and also used to turn food


Objective

• Apply techniques to sharpen and maintain

a good edge on a knife using a steel and

whetstone


Sharpening Knives

• Knowing how to keep a knife sharp is very

important

• The tools used to sharpen knives are the

steel and the whetstone


Using the Steel

• The steel is designed to remove very

small, rough metal irregularities on the

edge of the blade

• When using the steel,

– hold the blade at the proper angle to the

steel

– use only moderate force when stroking the

steel


Technique: Using a Steel

Method One

1. Hold the steel in front of you parallel to your body. Place the heel of the blade at the top end of the steel with the knife at a 20-degree angle to the steel.



Method One (continued)

2. Rotate the wrist of your knife hand downward and

gently draw the length of the blade across the

steel, ending with the tip.



Method One (continued)

3. Repeat the process several times on

each side of the blade until the edge has

a fine finish.



Method Two

1. Place the tip of the steel on the cutting

board and grasp the handle so the steel

is vertical, butt side up.



Method Two (continued)

2. Place the heel of the

blade at the top of the

steel keeping the edge of

the knife at a 20-degree

angle to the steel.




3. With even pressure draw the blade across the

steel to the tip maintaining the 20-degree angle.




4. Repeat the process several times on

each side of the blade until the edge has

a fine finish.


The Whetstone

• Whetstones can be made from a variety of

abrasive mineral materials that act to

grind and hone a knife to a sharp edge

• Most stones have a rough side, used first

to grind an edge on the blade, and a fine

side, used to hone it


Lubricants

• Lubricating a stone makes sharpening

easier and helps remove the filings of

metal created during sharpening

• Water or mineral oil is commonly used


Technique: Using a Whetstone

1. Place sharpening stone on a wet towel or

rubber mat to prevent it from slipping.

Begin with the coarsest side of the stone.



2. If using a lubricant,

saturate the

surface of the

stone with an even

layer of water or

mineral oil.



3. Hold knife at a 20-degree angle to the surface of the stone.

4. Maintain 20-degree angle as you begin with the heel of the blade in the upper left-hand corner of the stone.



5. Draw knife down and across the stone

until the tip of the knife is on the lower

right-hand corner of the stone. Maintain

even pressure on all parts of the blade.



6. Repeat process on other side of the blade. Begin with the heel in the upper-right corner of the stone and finish with the tip in the lower-left corner.

7. Repeat the process 5 to 10 times depending on the dullness of the blade. Apply equal pressure to all parts of the blade and an equal number of strokes to each side of the blade.



8. Turn stone to its finer side, lubricate it,

and repeat steps three through six.

9. To finish the edge, hone it on the steel.


Objective

• Recognize various knives and hand tools

used in the professional kitchen


Hand Tools

• Peelers

– Used to remove the skin of fruits and vegetables

– Stationary peeler has a slit blade that does not move

– Blade on a swivel peeler swivels or rocks


Hand Tools

• Whips and Whisks

– Used to incorporate air

into a mixture or blend

ingredients

– Wires may be flexible for

incorporating more air

into a thinner substance,

or rigid for mixing thicker

substances


Hand Tools

• Meat Fork

– Used to turn large

pieces of meat during

cooking and test for

doneness

• Tongs

– Act as an extension of

the hand for handling

food items


Hand Tools

• Parisienne Scoops

– Used to scoop a

variety of foods into

small balls

– Available in a variety

of sizes

• Spiders

– Used to strain items or lift

them out of liquid

– Mesh disc at the end of

the handle resembles a

spider’s web


Hand Tools

• Skimmer

– Designed to remove

impurities that form

scum on the surface

of simmering liquids

– Can also be used to

perform the same

tasks as a spider


Hand Tools

• Ladles

– Used for portioning

liquid products; come

in a wide range of

sizes

– Volume capacity is

usually imprinted on

the handle


Hand Tools

• Kitchen Spoons

– Sturdy stainless steel

spoons can be solid,

slotted, or perforated

– Slotted and perforated

spoons are used for

draining wet products


Hand Tools

• Offset Spatulas

– Used to lift, turn, and

carry food items

– Available in a variety of

sizes and thicknesses

– Some models are

perforated to allow for

draining a food product


Hand Tools

• Spatulas

– A flexible rubber or plastic

blade on a long handle

– Used to remove food

product from containers

– Heat-tempered spatulas

are also used for cooking

in nonstick pans to avoid

scratching their finish


Hand Tools

• Scrapers

– A plain plastic blade

without a handle

used by bakers and

pastry chefs

– Particularly useful for

scraping down large

mixing bowls


Hand Tools

• Zester

– Designed to remove

fine strips of the outer

rind of citrus fruits

• Channel Knife

– Cuts a decorative

groove in the surface

of fruits and

vegetables


Hand Tools

• Garnishing Knives

– V- or U-shaped

chisels used to

carve decorations

from fruits and

vegetables


Review

• Explain factors to consider when choosing

a knife

– Metal used for blade: carbon steel, stainless

steel, high-carbon stainless steel

– Tang size: full, rattail

– Handle materials: hardwoods, plastic, rubber,

or composite materials

– Bolster


Review

• Name and describe the two tools used to

sharpen knives

– Steel: a rod designed to remove very small,

rough metal irregularities on the edge of the

blade and to realign it

– Whetstone: used to sharpen the edge of a

blade that has become dull


Knives and Hand Tools

Identification

Palette knives Tongs



Identification

Parisienne scoop Utility knife



Identification

Boning knife Meat fork



Identification

Scraper Slicer



Identification

Tourné knife Skimmer



Identification

Whisk Oyster knife



Identification

Scimitar Serrated slicer



Identification

Spatula Paring knife



Identification

Filet knife Cleaver



Identification

Ladles Clam knife



Identification

Garnishing knives Chef knife



Identification

Channel knife Peelers



Identification

Offset spatula Zester



Identification

Spoons Spider

Chapter 8 - d3jc3ahdjad7x7.cloudfront.net · Chapter 8 Knives and Hand Tools in ... •Recognize...

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