Knife Safety and Knife Cuts

(we've talked about these)

this is serious.

• A knife is a dangerous tool, you must handle it properly

• Mishandling knives in school will not be tolerated.

• We will not play with knives.

• Knives will be counted on distribution, as well as return

• Once given a knife, how do we communicate with the kitchen while we walk to our stations?

• Knife! Sharp! Behind!

• Walk directly to your station and set the knife down

• Do not wander to other areas in the lab while carrying your knife.

• When carrying a knife, you should walk with the tip pointed down ward, and the knife blade turned so it is parallel to your body.

• If you bump into something this way, the knife will be flat in-between you and what/who ever you've bumped, rather than cutting someone.

We work in groups. If you need to pass your knife to a group member, the best (and only) way you should do this, is placing the knife on the counter, so that your groupmate may pick it up properly.

lets get into it.

• Grip the knife by the handle

• On a chef's knife, the thumb and pointer finger are on the blade to hold it stable

• When getting into position, your blade should be pointing DOWN at all times.

• Your Guide hand is the hand that is NOT holding the knife

• It guides your knife across whatever you're cutting

• Your guide hand hold the food steady, while you cut it with the knife.

• This is the CLAW

• Fingers are curled back with your knuckle against the blade

• thumb tucked behind the food

• This prevents your from cutting your fingers.

In this picture, we see a person scraping the cut apple off the cutting board into the pie dish. THEY ARE USING THE WRONG SIDE OF THE KNIFE

You should scrape with the SPINE of the knife

• ALWAYS use a cutting board under your knife.

• NEVER cut metal, or on a metal surface

• ALWAYS cut away from yourself.

• NEVER pull the blade toward yourself.

• If a knife falls, take a step back and let it hit the floor. DON'T TRY TO CATCH IT.

• A dull knife is the enemy.

• Sharp knives are safer than dull knives

• A sharp knive is more likely to slice cleanly and stay in control

• A dull knife can Slip rather than slice.

Dull knives will cut, but leave jagged slices that take longer to heal.

lets safely clean up after ourselves.

• do not try to carry a stack of things in one hand and a knife in the other

• DO NOT try to bring your whole cutting board, holding the knife in place with your thumb.

• Bring the knife alone to the sink. Wash it. Bring it back.

• What do we call out as we walk our knives to the sink?

• NEVER leave a knife in the sink.

• A knife in the sink, under water, under other dishes is ASKING someone to cut themselves

• Bring your knife to the sink, Wash it, Return it to your station.

• do not leave your knife in a sink or unattended at the sink.