Knife Skills

Good knife skills are key to feeling confident and comfortable in the kitchen. Chef Bill Collins teaches you how to wield cooking knives properly, so you can slice, peel, bone, and dice with ease. Illustrated step-by-step instructions show you how to cut and carve seafood, poultry, meats, and produce of all kinds. In addition to profiling the best uses for a variety of knife types, Collins includes tips for using other sharp kitchen tools like graters, vegetable peelers, and mandolins. Get ready to chop away! A compact guide to the different types of kitchen knives and how to use and care for each one safely and effectively.

 
Bill Collins is the author of Making & Using Caramel, How to Make Chocolate Candies, Knife Skills, and Making & Using Vinegar. A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, he cooked at the old Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston and directed new product development at Harbor Sweets (Salem, Massachusetts) prior to establishing Chef Bill, Inc., in 2001. He has been a professional chef, a personal chef, a food industry consultant, and a cooking instructor, giving classes everywhere from community colleges to Whole Foods to Stonewall Kitchen. As Chef Bill, he has written newspaper columns on kitchen skills. He lives in Pelham, Massachusetts.  EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW



Good knife skills make working in a kitchen a pleasure. Personal chef and cooking instructor Bill Collins describes the knives you need (plus a few that are just fun to have) and how to shop and care for them. Every knife has its purpose, and Chef Bill explains how to use each one safely and effectively, from hulling strawberries with a paring knife to smoothly slicing scallions with a chef's knife. Recipes designated to help you practice various knife skills give you the opportunity to perfect every technique. Preface



Introduction



Chapter One: How to Choose and Use Your Knives
• Chef's Knife
• Paring Knife
• Utility Knife
• Offset Handle Serrated Deli Knife
• Bench Scraper
• Optional KnivesChapter Two: How to Buy a Knife
• Comfort and Balance
• Where to Buy
• Knife QualityChapter Three: Caring for Your Knives
• Washing and Storing
• Sharpening
• Why Cutting Boards MatterChapter Four: Nonknife, Nonmotorized Sharp Kitchen Tools



Chapter Five: Recipes and Techniques
• Carving a Turkey
• Other Poultry, Meat, and Fish
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Baked GoodsMetric Conversion Chart

Resources

Acknowledgments

Index