Those who don’t have a catering background might be surprised by the answer.
Using knives is something that all adults must deal with and often. There is hardly a single day that passes when you don’t go to the kitchen to chop vegetables, make yourself a sandwich, or cook meals for your family. As such, it is about time that we all got to grips with knife safety. While we all know that the handle is the part you put your hand on, there are many other features of your favorite knife which impacts your kitchen experience. One of the most important of these is the sharpness of your knife.
Are Blunt Knives Safer?
While most of us would believe that a blunt knife is safer, especially for your children to use, we would be completely wrong. According to every professional chef in the country plus the Health Encyclopedia belonging to the University of Rochester, a dull blade requires increased pressure to make the same cut. This presents two problems.
1 problem is longevity. Imagine your job was to prep vegetables all day long. From a health and safety standpoint, you are putting extra pressure on your blunt knife to achieve the same results. As you can imagine, this will leave you with aching forearms and potentially more finger slices than a sharp knife.
Another problem is that a sharp knife grips and bites into the food. A blunt knife leads to vegetables splattered all around your kitchen as the food gets away from you. If that food lands on the floor, it is no longer safe for human consumption. Chefs with blunt knives produce more wastage, hospital trips, and health and safety breaches, than those with a sharp one.
Why are Sharp Knives Safer?
Cooks have greater control over their chopping when they use a sharper knife. When a knife cuts, it either slips through the food or it cuts. A dull blade is far more likely to slip than cut. Imagine cutting a piece of raw chicken with a dull blade. When the food itself is slippery, a blunt blade has no chance. A sharp blade gives the cook better control, less painful wrists, and does not end with chicken going in the bin due to it touching the floor. Every safe chop is a win when you have Kids in the House.
How do you Sharpen a Knife at Home?
The simplest and quickest way to sharpen a knife while you are at home is with a sharpening stone. A sharpening stone is what it sounds like. It is a stone pressed together using materials which will help sharpen your knife. Traditionally, this material might be in the shape of a rod. You may recall seeing chefs in professional kitchens using the rod. These are notoriously tricky to learn to use effectively. A small stone, on the other hand, fits neatly into your cutlery drawer and takes little time to master.
Run the stone along the edge of your blade while you hold the knife flat on the table. When you feel one side of the blade is smooth, turn it and perform the same on the other side. You should have a perfectly sharp, much safer knife in no time.
Are Your Knives Safe?
Given this potentially new information, isn’t it about time you checked how safe your kitchen knives are? Too blunt, and you could easily cut yourself. Trust us: nobody wants your blood in their dinner, no matter how much they love you.
