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Knife safety

How do you work safely with knives. We discuss knife safety.

Knives can be dangerous. Accidents and injuries so easily occur either to yourself or to others, if you are not using a knife safely, especially in a kitchen where there are a lot of people working close to one another and when the kitchen is very busy. Careless lack of attention to where knives are left can also lead to accidents.

Follow these simple rules and you will ensure that you and others are safe.

  • Make sure that your hands are clean and dry. Wet hands often result in a knife slipping and cutting you.
  • Ensure you are fully aware and concentrating when using sharp knives.
  • When using your knife, use a rolling forward motion, or chopping or cutting motions.

This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.

  • Hold the knife firmly and, if sharp, it should do its intended job without you having to apply too much pressure.
  • Ensure the handle is clean and dry before use as a slippery knife is very dangerous.
  • Do not have more than one knife on your board at a time.
  • When you are not using the knife place it on the side of the board with the sharp edge facing towards to board.
  • Do not carry the chopping board with a loose knife on top of it as the knife could slide off and injure you or someone else.
  • Do not allow knives to overhang the work surface as they can be bumped off.
  • If a knife falls, step back from it and do not try to catch it before it falls.
  • When passing a knife to another person, pass it by the handle while you hold the blunt (top) edge of the blade.
  • Ensure knives are sharp – this will avoid cutting yourself. Blunt knives cause more cuts and injuries because you need to apply pressure causing the knife to slip resulting in a cut or injury.
  • Choose the correct knife for its intended use.

Practice makes perfect.

This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.

A tip from Chef Andy

Remember to use the correct chopping board for the correct food category items. Place a non-slip mat under the board to prevent it from sliding and so that you are in complete control of the knife!

Discussion

Are there any other safety tips that you have to share with us us? If so please share them.

© International Culinary Studio
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Professional Knife Skills

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