Kitchen Myths

Facts and fiction about food and cooking, by Peter Aitken

Tag Archives: knives

Sharp knives make cutting your fingers more likely

1 Comment Posted by kitchenmyths on August 18, 2013

A sharp knife cuts more easily, so this make sense – right? But, it is not true. With a sharp knife, cutting is easily done and nothing needs to be forced. And it’s the forcing that causes cuts, when you have to press down hard and the knife slips onto your finger. Ouch! With a really sharp knife, your cutting can be smooth and relaxed, with less danger of cuts. So, keep your knives sharp!

Equipment, Odds and Ends, Techniques knives

You must use a serrated knife to slice ripe tomatoes

14 Comments Posted by kitchenmyths on March 31, 2011

You certainly can use a serrated knife for ripe tomatoes, but there’s no need to. If you find yourself always turning to a serrated knife for this task it is probably because your straight-edged knives are not sharp enough. A well-sharpened regular knife will make paper-thin slices from a ripe tomato—in fact, some people use this as a test for a knife’s sharpness.