Knife Skills

It was early Wednesday morning when I got a lesson in knife skills. It was a combination of talking with a co-worker, using a knife that I wasn't familiar with, and not practicing good cutting technique that resulted in me slicing of the tip of my left thumb. It wasn't painful and I wasn't scared; I just felt silly. I had been cutting zucchini with a 12" chefs knife that was much longer, taller, and sharper than I am used to using, not to mention I was cutting somewhat carelessly. After about 10 minutes the cut stopped gushing blood and I was able to bandage it up and wear a glove. I returned to slicing and Mike showed me again the proper way to tuck in fingers and thumbs while cutting to prevent such mishaps. Of course it wasn't as though I had never been taught that, it was just that I was being careless. So I didn't learn anything new that day, instead I realized the importance of why we learn and practice correct knife techniques on Day one in the culinary program!