KNIVES
KNIFE MATERIALS
The
metal that a knife blade is made of is an important consideration, as the metal
must be able to take and hold a very fine edge.
1. Carbon steel was for many years the
traditional favourite because it can be honed to an extremely sharp edge. Its
disadvantages are that it corrodes and discolours easily, especially when used
with acid foods and onions. Also, it discolours some foods(such as hard-cooked
eggs) and may leave a metallic taste. Because of these disadvantages, it has
given way to high-carbon stainless steel (described in item 3 below),which is
now the preferred material for the best knives.
2. Traditional stainless-steel alloys will
not rust or corrode, but they are much harder to sharpen than carbon steel. Stainless
steel is used mostly for low-cost, light weight knives.
3. High-carbon stainless steel is a relatively new alloy that combines the best aspects of carbon
steel and stainless steel. It takes an edge almost as well as carbon steel, and
it will not rust, corrode, or discolour. Knives made of this material are
highly prized and relatively expensive.
KNIFE HANDLES
The tang is the portion of the metal
blade that is inside the handle. The highest-quality, most durable knives have
a full tang, which means that the tang runs the full length of
the handle.
KNIFE AND ITS
PARTS
The
importance of knives to a chef cannot be overstated. It is the most important
piece of equipment in the kitchen. Knives come in various shapes and sizes and
each is meant for a specific use though some knives can be used as
multi-purpose knives. Let us now familiarize ourselves with different parts of
a knife.
Blade:
The blade is usually made up of a metal compound called high carbon
stainless steel. It combines the property of carbon of being sharpened easily
and non-corrosive properties of steel.
The different parts of a blade are:
·
Tip:
The tip of the knife is the pointed edge where the knife blade ends. The tip
generally is used for scoring patterns and working with meats or carving.
- Spine:
The spine of the knife is the topmost, thick edge of the knife, which
gives strength to the knife.
- Bolsters:
In some knives there is a collar known as a bolster, at the point where
the blade meets the handle. It reinforces the structure of a knife.
- Cutting
edge: The cutting edge is the most important part of the knife. It should
always be kept honed and sharpened.
Handle:
The handle of a knife should be easy to
grip, non-reactive to most cleaning agents. The different materials used to
make handles are wood, plastic, plastic fibre or even metal.
·
Tang: The tang is the
continuation of the blade and extends into a knife’s handle.
·
Rivets: These are metal
fasteners that hold the handle and the tang together.
POINTS
TO BE REMEMBERED BEFORE COOKING VEGETABLES
- Do not refrigerate the potatoes as low
temperature break down the colour of potatoes.
- Sometimes potatoes turn green due to exposure to
the sun light which is toxic by nature, so they must be stored in a cool
dark place. This effect is known as SOLANINE.
- After peeling potatoes, should be dropped in
water prior to cooking to prevent the discolouration. This occurs because
of an enzyme called POLYPHENOLOXIDASE which oxidises phenolic compounds to
brown coloured polymer.
- Green leafy vegetables should be washed
thoroughly in running water at least thrice to remove the dirts and
cooking process should be conducted in an open pan as green vegetables
have a volatile acid in them which affect chlorophyle in presence of heat
to make them discoloured.
- The red vegetables like red cabbage, beet root
should be boiled in a close chamber before fabricating to ensure that they
are retaining their original colour
- The sweet corn or baby corn should be boiled with
one table spoon of sugar to enhance their white colour.
- Cultivated mushroom (fresh mushroom) should be
washed in cold water without rubbing it, otherwise it will be losing its
natural delicacy. If they are very sandy just rinse them in chilled water
and dry them up with a cleaned cloth.
- Use stainless steel knife for chopping the
mushrooms to prevent discolouration.
- Always sprinkle some lime juice before chopping
the mushroom to prevent discolouration.
- Most of the pulses must be boiled rapidly for 10
minutes to remove their toxic effect in the skin. Drain well followed by a
slow cooking process will always give the best results.
- Take three parts of water with one part of pulses
for boiling.
- Salt and other seasonings should be added once the
pulses are absolutely tender.
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