Face it, most of us need basic instruction when it comes to using kitchen knives

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Video

Cutting bell peppers can be an unruly task -- chef Michael Carmel, Culinary Arts department head at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, demonstrates how to quickly tame the beast. Watch »

Video

Using some of the same techniques as cutting a carrot, chef Michael Carmel, Culinary Arts department head at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, shows step-by-step how to dice or finely slice an onion. Watch »

Video

Chef Michael Carmel, Culinary Arts department head at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, demonstrates how to cut a carrot into sticks for dicing or a julienne. Watch »

'This is like Knife Skills 101," chef Michael Carmel says with an almost apologetic grin as he wraps up demonstrations of cutting techniques at The Culinary Institute of Charleston.

Guess what, chef? A lot of us probably need basic training when it comes to our kitchen knives.

Case in point: I was passing by a co-worker in the office the day before, he threw out a plea: Could I teach him how to chop with a knife? This newlywed with a shiny new gas grill suddenly was interested in cooking but realized his skills weren't up to par.

Besides, even experienced cooks get set in their ways and fall into bad habits.

One afternoon last week, Carmel, department head for culinary arts at the school, agreed to share his know-how and show the way to better slicing, dicing and chopping by mastering essential skills.

He also proved that a few key, good quality knives will do most, if not all, jobs nicely.

Wise shopping

The single most versatile knife in the kitchen is a chef's knife, also known as a French knife, Carmel says.

It has a broad blade and ranges from 6 inches up to 15 inches in length, with 8 or 10 inches being a common size.

A Japanese knife called santoku is gaining popularity as another kitchen workhorse. The blade is wide and more square than a chef's knife, and thinner as well.

"It does have a different balance and weight," says Carmel. "For fine work, it's very good."

On the small end of the scale, a paring knife is a must.

"It takes a little more dexterity," Carmel says, but it does some tasks more efficiently and with more precision than a big blade.

Lastly, Carmel recommends having a knife with a longer, serrated edge that can easily and cleanly slice bread or meat without sawing.

"These four are basically what you need. Anything else becomes gravy."

To keep knives in shape, get a sharpening steel, Carmel says. It's a long, rounded rod usually made of ultra-hard, high-carbon steel. Steels don't sharpen a knife but will put the edge back on by honing and removing burrs, says Carmel. Both sides of the blade should be drawn across the steel at a 15- to 18-degree angle.

Sharpening is best done by a good, professional knife sharpener.

"Old-timers use a whetstone, but it's a craft unto itself," he says.

Overall, Carmel says, "The better shape the knife is kept, the better use you'll get, like a gun." That means keeping it clean and sharpened.

Buying a knife is like buying a car, Carmel says: The handling has to feel good.

"If it's cumbersome or bulky, I'm not going to buy it. It doesn't matter what you pay if it doesn't feel good."

But don't cheap out and sacrifice integrity, either. "Higher quality will keep giving back," Carmel says.

He also is leery of knives endorsed by celebrities.

"They get a lot of money for putting their name on a knife. To this day, the Germans and Japanese probably make the best-quality knives. ... A good set of knives will last you the rest of your life."

Construction of the knife matters, he says. He believes the "tang," the metal that extends backward from the blade into the handle, should be full to the end. He thinks it gives the knife better balance than a partial tang.

Carmel also favors forged over stamped knives but says it depends on their weight and intended use. Forged knives begin as a steel blank that is super-heated, dropped into a mold and hammered into shape by man or machine. The blade is then hardened, tempered, sharpened and finished, and the handle is attached. Stamped are cut out of cold-rolled sheet metal.

Coming to grips

Can one grip do it all? Almost, says Carmel.

Hold the knife with your last three fingers wrapped under the handle. Using your thumb and index finger, "pinch" the top of the blade beyond the bolster (the raised area or collar between the blade and the handle). This type of grasp gives the most control and consistency.

"The only time I don't use it is with a paring knife," Carmel says.

Many people, however, will hold a knife in their hand and extend their index finger along the top of the blade, as if pointing. That method tends to make you cut unevenly, Carmel says.

With a paring knife, the grip changes to a wrap around the handle and spine of the blade.

There are three main ways of using a knife, Carmel says:

--A toe-to-heel slicing motion, slicing forward and down through the food.

--A straight up and down chopping motion.

--A toe motion only, for slicing food very thin, such as mushrooms.

For quickness and safety, master the hand position called "the claw." It's challenging, requiring practice and repetition, but it can bring you up to professional speed without nicking your fingers. The "claw" is your guide hand, the one that secures the food being cut.

It works this way: Place your fingertips of the hand not holding the knife on the food. Bend your fingers at the first joint, tucking the tips of the fingers under a little while making a flat plane between the first and second finger joints. This plane becomes a sort of "wall" that the knife rides up and down and keeps fingertips out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, pull your thumb behind your fingertips. Use it and the little finger to draw the hand backward along the food being cut.

"It takes time to master," Carmel acknowledges. "You have to develop a set of motor skills. Not everybody can do it. It became so automatic I don't even think about it."

Cole Poolaw, a second-year student at the school who also works at Lana restaurant downtown, says the movement is a tricky one at first.

"The knife being so close to your fingers is probably the most difficult thing. ... You have to cut a lot of stuff to get good at it."

Herbal example

The "claw" is employed when cutting large-leaf herbs into thin strips, a method known chiffonade — French for "made of rags." It makes quick work of an otherwise tedious job.

Carmel shows how it's done:

Stack and roll the leaves of say, basil, into a cylinder shape, like a cigar. Place your guide hand in a claw on the basil and slice across the cylinder, toe to heel, into strips. Draw your "claw" hand back as you go. Carmel says it's imperative the knife is sharp; a dull blade will discolor the leaves.

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at food@postandcourier.com or 937-4886.