Top Tips For Kitchen Knife Safety

For those that tend to regularly cook in the kitchen, there has undoubtedly been a time when the knife slipped and caused an accident. It’s one of the most common injuries in the kitchen, and one that sushi chefs are well too familiar with.

When handling a knife, utmost care needs to always be implemented to avoid any accidents occurring. Here we will look at some of the best practices when it comes to knife safety.

1. Keep The Knife Sharp

It may seem counter-intuitive to keep a knife as sharp as possible when it comes to safety, but any seasoned chef will give testament to the fact that a blunt knife tends to be much more dangerous than a sharp one.

This is often because the chef will need to apply extra force when cutting with a blunt knife, increasing the chances of more damage being caused to a finger or hand in case there is a mishap.

Maintaining good knife sharpness makes it easier to cut through ingredients without having to apply extra force.

2. Keeping The Knife Clean

Cross-contamination is very possible in a kitchen environment when handling foods like raw chicken, where certain bacteria can be easily transferred to other food. That’s why it’s important to always keep knives as clean as possible both before and after usage.

Cleaning in hot water with dishwashing liquid is necessary to eliminate most forms of bacteria, but it’s also worth ensuring that the knife being used doesn’t have any notches where food particles can collect and potentially cause bacteria to start growing.

It’s easy enough to take the time to check the knives before use to make sure that there are no stray particles anywhere.

3. Use Proper Cutting Techniques

Professional chefs are taught from early on how to properly use a knife. Just taking one out and cutting straight away can quickly lead to injury, and there are various methods and forms that can be implemented to reduce the chance of anything going wrong.

One common technique of cutting with a knife is by keeping the blade up against the middle knuckle of the middle finger, essentially providing a guide for the slicing action.

While this occurring, it’s important to keep the other hand away from the sharp edge as much as possible in case there is a slip, which can make it impossible to play games or buy cryptocurrency online.

4. Always Pay Attention

It’s never a good idea to watch a television show or have an engaging conversation while preparing food. A chef needs to try and always keep their attention on what they’re cutting, as this significantly lowers the chance of them making a mistake when cutting up ingredients with a sharp knife.

Fortunately, most of our home kitchens are not nearly as lively as a commercial kitchen, so it’s fairly easy to create a quiet and peaceful environment when preparing food and keeping everyone safe while using sharp objects.