As a passionate at home family chef, nothing gripes me more when on holidays or at another’s house than blunt knives. If you have any interest in cooking, or work in hospitality, then a sharp knife is absolutely essential. Not only do you feel somewhat like a Samurai (please don’t go swinging knives around), but a sharp knife also provides the following benefits:
Safety
You may have heard this one before, but let me reiterate – A sharp knife is actually safer than a blunt one. I can speak personally for this one, as countless times have I sliced my finger when using a blunt knife. Why? Well simply it is much easier to slip rather than penetrate the skin of vegetables and such. Not only that, but you are applying more pressure to make the cut with a blunt knife. Ow!
Fatigue
It may sound strange, but if you have ever been in the kitchen preparing food for any amount of time, you will start to feel cramping in your hand. The little muscles in our hand need to compensate more when using a blunt knife, rather than a sharp one that glides effortlessly through the food.
Precision
Whether you are slicing, dicing or something else, a sharp knife will give you a better chance at straight, even cuts. Provide exact and intentional portions with a well-kept knife.
Aesthetic
Not talking about the knives themselves, although good knives look awesome (is that weird?), but the cuts made with sharp knives will appear much more seamless and smooth. If meal presentation is a concern, then so should sharp knives be.
Efficiency
An obvious one, a sharp knife makes quick work of anything you cut. Rather than using it like a hand saw, you can work up a consistent gliding rhythm with a sharp knife (be careful) that can chop through a full cucumber in seconds! If you are trying to push out 100+ meals a night, a sharp knife and an effective knife sharpening system will give you maximum prep time.
With all this in mind, be sure to invest in quality knives to begin with, but also maintain your knives with regular sharpening. Even the best knives need to be maintained, which is made all the better with a good knife sharpening system. Your kitchen wares should be top priority in preparing quality food.
For all your hospitality supplies, catering equipment and kitchen wares on the Central Coast, choose Hospitality Supplies Express.