Basic Knife Skills

What do knife skills have to do with nutrition? More than you'd think! A new study has found that "Adults who don't flip on the TV during dinner and those who eat home-cooked meals are less likely to be obese." Why is cooking at home healthier? An article from HealthDay quoted, "Preparing your food at home gives you control over what goes on your plate." YOU are the one who decides what ingredients you use and how much!

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Do you forgo cooking at home because it's too time consuming? Brushing up on your knife skills and practicing can make a world of difference! You'll be chopping onions, slicing peppers, and dicing tomatoes in no time. ​​

Check out this awesome knife skills packet from Utah State University Cooperative Extension for more detailed information on knives, knife care, storage, and using your knives. Additionally, this is an excellent resource from NY Times Cooking with video tutorials for different knife cuts. 

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Tips on Holding a Knife

• Don't hold your knife with a death grip - relax your hands and wrists and let the blade do the cutting! 
• Position all 10 fingers so that it's virtually impossible to cut them.
• Your hand that holds the knife should grip both the handle AND the blade. This "Blade Grip" gives you more control. 
• Keep your knife at the same height or just below your elbows. This allows you to use your whole upper body to put pressure on the knife. 

Sharpening and Storage
Don't wait until your knife is dull to care for it. Keeping your knives sharp will save you time in the long run and will keep you safe! A dull knife is more dangerous, as it is more likely to slip. How often should you sharpen your knife? Home cooks typically only need to sharpen their knives once or twice per year! You can hone your knife as often as you like, but weekly should be plenty for most home cooks.

Sharpening
You can test your blade sharpness by drawing the edge along a piece of paper to see if it cuts! The The most economical way to keep your knives sharp is to purchase a sharpening stone for at-home use. This takes some practice and there are many tutorials available. If you have an electric sharpener, it is very easy to over-do-it and ruin your blade -- so use caution! You can alternatively get your knives sharpened professionally. Hunt around for a local knife shop or even some grocery stores! 

​Honing
Honing does NOT actually sharpen the knife, but it makes the blade of the knife straight and helps maintain sharpness by aligning the metal edge. To hone your knife, draw the blade along a honing rod a few times at about a 15-20 degree angle. Make sure to hone both sides, to make the edge even and prevent burrs or an off-set edge.  

Cutting Boards
Use cutting surfaces that are easy on your knives.

• Glass cutting boards are too hard
• Wood is the gentlest
• Plastic is next best

You can lay a kitchen towel beneath your cutting board to prevent it from slipping around.

​Storage
Store knives away from each other to prevent nicks - even microscopic ones! You can use a knife block, a magnetic strip, or even drawers, as long as you make sure the knives are protected from each other and other utensils. 

​Washing
The dishwasher is fine for knives with plastic handles and stainless steel blades. Make sure to place the knife in a spot where it won't get jostled or chipped. Wood handles, high-carbon-steel blades, and other sensitive materials should be washed by hand. 

Practice Makes Perfect! 
During a recent Sound Dietitians Basic Knife Skills Class, we practiced our slicing, dicing, and chopping with two yummy salad recipes. Enjoy! 

~Leah, Dietetic Intern

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Earthbound Farm Health Salad
​Makes 4 entrée servings or 8 side servings
Recipe from The Earthbound Cook

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chopped or torn romaine lettuce, or green of your choice, leaves rinsed and dried
• 1 small jicama, (8-10 ounces), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups) 
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained if canned
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into julienne (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 1 medium red tomato, cut into bite-size wedges
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup sunflower or other sprouts
• 1/4 cup raw or toasted sunflower seeds
• Tofu-Dill dressing (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Place lettuce in a large bowl or on a serving platter. Top with jicama, chickpeas, carrots, cucumber, tomato, radishes, and avocado. 
2. Sprinkle salad with sprouts and sunflower seeds. Serve with Tofu-Dill dressing or dressing of your choice.

Nutrition per Serving (entrée serving, no dressing): 186 Calories, 10g Fat, 6g Protein, 21g Carbohydrates, 11g Fiber, 81mg Sodium

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Tofu-Dill Dressing
Makes 2 cups
Recipe from The Earthbound Cook

Ingredients:

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh dill sprigs, thick stems removed
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) silken or soft tofu, cut in pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

1. Blend garlic, dill, lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard in a blender until finely chopped. Add 1/4 cup water and tofu. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. 
2. Season with salt. Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Shake before using. 

Nutrition per Serving (2 Tablespoons): 14 Calories, 1g Fat, 1g Protein, 0g Carbohydrates, 0g Fiber, 48mg Sodium

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Pineapple and Jicama Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Makes 6 servings
Recipe adapted from The Earthbound Cook

Ingredients:
Honey dressing-

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon hot water
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad-

• 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 12 ounces jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves (optional)
• 2 ripe avocados, preferable Hass, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1 cup pecan halves, toasted

Directions:

1. Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake until honey is dissolved.
2. Salad: Combine pineapple, jicama, and red onion in a medium bowl. Add 1/3 cup dressing and stir to coat. Refrigerate 1-4 hours, stirring several times. Add mint and stir to blend. Top with avocados and pecans. Drizzle with more dressing to taste. 

Nutrition per Serving: 330 Calories, 22g Fat, 3g Protein, 35g Carbohydrates, 8g Fiber, 395mg Sodium