Kitchen Safety: Safe Handling of Cutlery

No kitchen is complete without a set of quality knives. They make preparing food a pleasure, and successful cooks choose and maintain their knives with great care. But while knives are one of the most essential and well-used kitchen tools, they also can be one of the most dangerous if not used properly.

Obviously, knives are sharp objects, which always require careful handling. Here are some tips to keep from being hurt when working with kitchen cutlery:

• Purchase a good, well-constructed knife, not one that is flimsy and prone to bend or snap. If a blade is coming lose from its handle, discard it if it cannot be repaired.
• Keep your knives sharp. A sharper knife cuts through food more easily than a dull one. When you use a dull knife, the extra force required makes the knife more likely to slip and cause an injury. Knives can be sharpened using a sharpening steel, a flat sharpening stone, or a commercial sharpener. Serrated knives should be sharpened professionally.
• Always use a cutting board, never a slippery counter, metal or glass surface. For additional protection from slippage, put a damp kitchen towel under the cutting board. Never cut something you are holding in your hand.
• Cut slowly and carefully, with the blade point facing away from your body and the knife's edge at a 20-degree angle. Keep your fingers curled away from the blade and a strong grip on the item you are cutting.
• Use each knife only for its intended purpose: a paring knives for paring, a slicing knife for slicing, etc. Don't use a knife as a can opener, screwdriver, or scissors.
• If you drop a knife, stand back and let it fall; don't attempt to catch it. Also, be sure to always wear shoes in the kitchen. A knife dropped on a bare foot can create a nasty puncture wound.
• When you are not using a knife, place it on the counter edge down.
• Don't leave sharp knives loose in a drawer where someone could reach in and grab a sharp edge. Also, knives in a drawer will bang around and quickly lose their good edge. Store them in a knife block or rack.
• Don't put knives in the dishwasher, where they will get dull when banging into other objects. Wash knives by hand, one at a time. Don't throw them in dishwater and try to fish them out.