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Safety and Sanitation

Knives are one of the most helpful and hazardous products found in a kitchen. In this lesson, as well as the next edition of curricula, we will review knife skills and talk about some of the common kitchen techniques that utilize knives. We will also discuss the use of knives in preparing the spices and vegetables you can harvest from your garden.

As a starting point, it might be helpful to review some of the part of a knife. Use the picture we have shown below, but it also might be beneficial to have a knife to review with the consumers as well.

The critical components of a knife are the edge of the knife, the point and the handle. The edge is the sharp part that cuts the food; the handle controls the knife. The sharp part (edge) of the knife is always by the notch in the knife. The consumers hand should be placed around the handle so that the fingers fit in the grooves that are usually found on the handle. You may want to point out and use a hand over hand method to demonstrate the various parts of the knife.

Hold the knife by gripping the handle with one hand. It doesnt matter if you are right handed or left-handed. The other (or free) hand should not be on the knife. It should either be out of the way, or it might be used to hold food you are cutting.

Some people hold the food that is being cut with their free hand the hand other than the one on the knife. If you hold food with your free hand, be sure to hold the food with your fingertips. And make sure that your fingertips are curled under the knuckles. Never have your fingertips exposed so the knife could cut them. If you do not want to hold the food with your fingertips, you can often use an instrument such as a fork to secure the item you are cutting. Or another smart way to avoid cutting your fingers or hands is to wear steel mesh gloves.

When cutting, always try to keep the point of the knife on the cutting board. The edge of the knife should only be raised a little bit higher than the food that is being cut. Also, if you are holding the food with your fingertips, the knifes edge should never be higher than your knuckles. This is so you do not cut your knuckles.

There are other important knife safety skills. Never try to catch a knife in mid-air if you drop it. Always be very careful when passing a sharp knife. The best way is to lay it on the table and have the other person pick it up. If you walk with a knife, carry it with the point facing the floor.

Always wash a knife after cutting any food product, especially raw beef, poultry and pork. This can help reduce your getting sick by food poisoning. By washing the knife, you lessen the chance that harmful food bacteria will be transferred from one food to other food that is not contaminated. This is called cross-contamination of food. You also have to wash the knife (with soapy water and sanitizing solution) between every food product that you cut. For example, if you are going to cut chicken and green beans, you must wash the knife three times: once before cutting the chicken, second after cutting the chicken and before cutting the green beans, and third, after cutting the green beans.

Wash the knife in soapy water and a bleach or sanitizing solution. About a capful of bleach to a basin of water should kill any germs on the knife.

Never put a knife in a sink or dishpan full of soapy water. This is because the person who is cleaning may not know the knife is in the soapy water, and get cut by grabbing the edge of the knife. Always try to wash a knife by itself. And try to dry it right away and place the knife back where it belongs in a safe place.

There are different types of knives for different purposes. Larger knives are used for cutting meats, while smaller knives usually cut vegetables and other food products. There are also bread knives sometimes they are called serrated knives. It is important to use the right knife for cutting particular foods.

Always try to keep your knives sharp. If a knife gets dull, it is harder to cut food. Because it is harder to cut with a dull knife, hand injuries and other accidents can often occur.

Always try to cut food on a cutting board. We prefer one that has rubber feet, so the cutting board does not slip on the counter top. If your cutting board does not have rubber feet, put a damp dishtowel on the counter and place the cutting board on the damp towel.

Also we think the best cutting boards are the ones that can go in the dishwasher. Although wood is often used for cutting boards, they usually cannot go in the dishwasher. Our favorite cutting board is made out of Corian (a special type of plastic), can go in the dishwasher and has rubber feet so it does not slip. Williams Sonoma sells a product that is made by a sheltered workshop in California.

Always wash a cutting board after every use. This prevents cross contamination of food products. Wood cutting boards usually have to be washed by hand; when washing wooden cutting boards, be sure to use soapy and warm water. Try to use a sanitizing (diluted bleach) rinse as well. Be careful with older wooden cutting boards; sometimes they might have deep groves (where they have been cut repeatedly). Harmful bacteria can often grow in those grooves.

Remember, if consumers do not feel comfortable in using knives, consider using adaptive or other equipment. See if using a food processor or a chopper might be a welcome replacement.

Next time, more lessons on cutting, dicing, etc.

QUESTIONS

Why must you wash a knife after cutting chicken/poultry? How should you wash it?

If you are holding food with your fingers, describe the best position for your fingers so the knife does not cut them?

Why is it dangerous to cut food with a dull knife?

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