Cooking 101: Cutting Technique

One of the scariest things about teaching kids to cook is fear of injury. My solution to this is not prohibiting them from using knives or other sharp tool, but rather to teach them initially the proper way to handle them. Most of the time, kitchen injuries come from lack of skill, but fear also plays a role. When you're afraid of say, knives, you will be very hesitant and jittery using one. That jumpiness or lack of control that comes with confidence often leads to injury.

This is not to say that at age 8 my kids wield every knife in every cooking situation. Obviously age and maturity play a big role. But from the start, I talk about, demonstrate and have them practice proper knife skills. You can find youtube videos showing culinary knife skills, but here's a link to give you an idea of what I mean by 'knife skills': http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knifeskills/tp/knifeskills.htm

Almost weekly I have to remind them that to watch and know where their fingers are at all times before making any cut.  Is it fool-proof?  No, but then life is never accident free - which is why I always keep antiseptic solution and bandages in the kitchen.  When that first cut comes - look at it as a chance to teach them some good kitchen first aid.  And truly, that will be one of the most important life skills they'll be guaranteed to use.  

Along with proper knife handling, we talk about what cutting boards we use for which foods (more later in teaching food safety), names of different knives and when they should be used (i.e. paring knife vs. serrated), and when to use kitchen shears instead of a knife. As they cook each week, I try to let them decide which knife to use or whether to use kitchen shears, then ask them why they made that choice. Does the whole of domestic happiness rest on knowing and using the proper cutting instrument? No, but I figure that if I can teach them, I should. You never know – maybe someday when they're interviewing for that job to help get them through college, knowing the difference between a chef's knife and a paring knife just might tip the scales in their favor and land them that sous chef job! *wink*