I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Calphalon. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
If you are a Food Network nut like I am, you love shows like Chopped. Ever wonder why they always say “pack your knives and go?” It’s because knife skills are one of the basic things that even the most beginner cook should know. Your knives are one of the most essential tools that you should have in your kitchen. Having an amazing knife set is important, but knowing these 4 knife skills that every beginner cook should know is what makes those knives your best friend in the kitchen.
When I first started to teach myself how to cook, I thought all knives were created equal. It was the knife skills that made the difference, and while this can be true in certain instances, it is definitely not true all the time. If you have a really cheap set of knives, they won’t work for you no matter how awesome your knife skills are.
Don’t get me wrong, price tag isn’t what I mean by a “quality” knife set. Just because the price is big bucks doesn’t make the knife set awesome either. There are a few things that you should look at when buying a knife set. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Is the knife balanced?: This question is asking you if the knife feels front heavy or back heavy. A good knife should feel comfortable in your hand, and not feel like it’s too heavy at the handle or too heavy at the front of the knife like it’s going to fall out of your hand. That is the true sign of a well balanced knife.
Is it quality crafted?: I’ve used a few knife sets over the years, and the construction of the knife is so important. Does the handle look like it’s made of cheap materials that might fall apart after a year of use in the kitchen. If you are going to invest in a good knife set, then you want to make sure it lasts for all the years that you want to use it in the kitchen. Personally I prefer contoured hygienic polyresin. That’s a mouth full. The Calphalon self sharpening knife set has a great handle made from this material and it’s ergonomic so it means that it fits like a glove in your hand.
Is it all inclusive?: No, I am not talking about resorts in the Caribbean. I’m talking about the fact that the knife set has almost every knife that you need to do the job, but not so many half of them the knives you would never use. For me, a good knife set should include these knives:
• 8-in. Chef’s Knife
• 8-in. Bread Knife
• 4.5-in. Parer
• 8 Steak Knives
• Kitchen Shears
If you want to go a little further a great Santoku Knife and Utility Knife in the set is great. Calphalon must’ve been a mind reader because their new self sharpening knife block has all of these knives in there. Call me, one happy cooking mama.
Now that you know what you should look for in your set of knives. Here are the four knife skills that every beginner cook should know. Don’t feel bad if you have no clue where to start when it comes to knives. Here are some great videos and tips on how to do each of these four knife skills and you will be a knife master at no time. These knife skills are super helpful in making delicious recipes like one pot chicken pepperoni, loaded baked potato soup, sweet and spicy stuffed cowboy burgers, or shrimp fettuccine primavera.
4 Knife Skills that Every Beginner Cook Should Know
1. Dice: Diced was probably one of the very first ways that I learned to use my knives. Diced is a more chunky cut, but not as big as chopped which is cubes. When you are dicing you, don’t want the item that you are cutting (usually herbs or vegetables) into teeny tiny pieces (that’s called mincing). To dice you would use your knives to form squares that are about 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. To make it easier, check out this video on how to dice an onion.
2. Julienne: When I first heard the term julienne, I thought it was something that was way crazy hard and not something I could do as a beginner cook. What does julienne mean in cooking? It just means cutting into long thin strips. It’s a really useful knife skill when you are trying to add fun veggies to your dish, but don’t want be hunking chunks of them in your meal. (Psst. The video above shows you how to do that too!)
3. Mincing: Mincing is probably one of my favorite knife skills to use in the kitchen. That may or may not have to do with the fact that our family eats a LOT of garlic. I’m kind of weird, and I really love cutting up garlic. It smells so amazing, and I’ve never met a garlic dish that I haven’t fallen in love with. There is something meditative about chopping, dicing, and mincing up vegetables for my family’s meals. It’s a weird trait that I’ve passed down to my youngest daughter. She loves cooking as much as I do, and love mincing up garlic too!
4. Chopping: Chopping is so much fun. You really get behind your knife with some force. This is my favorite knife skill when I want to get bit chunky pieces of vegetables or fruits in my dishes. One of my favorite things to chop are potatoes. They add such great flavor to that loaded baked potato soup recipe I shared earlier in the post. The big chunks of potato make that soup so hearty that it’s great for lunch or dinner. One of our favorite family recipes during the winter months. That is for sure.
Now that wasn’t that hard now was it? Trust me, it can be really overwhelming when you are trying to learn how to cook. When I left the house to be a “grown up” I literally knew how to make grilled cheese and soup. Ok, maybe some tacos too, but that was about it. Taking baby steps and having some good basic tools in the kitchen can make all the difference.
I really love my Calphalon Self-Sharpening Cutlery Set. It has already been used a ton, and it is a great set for a beginner cook and an expert cook alike! You can learn more about this great self-sharpening cutlery set on the Calphalon website. Need more inspiration? Then check out a few of these delicious Quirky Inspired Recipes to practice your new knife skills on!
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pepperoni
Mark Leo says
Nice guide on how to use a cutting board and how to know kitchen knives.
Cheers