One of the best qualities of Cutco is how sharp it is! But of course that means that if you don’t handle your Cutco knives properly, they can become dangerous items in your kitchen rather than excellent cooking utensils. Here are three basic tips to keep your knives (and your hands!) safe in the kitchen.
1. Keep the Knife’s Tip on the Cutting Board
When mincing, chopping, and dicing (like with our signature Chef knife), it’s best and most effective to keep the tip of your knife on the cutting board and pump the handle up and down. Think of it like using a paper cutter.
Since this might be a new technique for you, make sure to start off slowly until you feel more comfortable and can increase the speed of your movements. Another tip (to make this technique safer) is to curl the fingers of your opposite hand so that you’re holding the food with your fingertips while you’re chopping. You’ll be much less likely to slice a fingertip with this technique! Your knife skills will progress the more that you cook, so over time you’ll be able to pick up speed and make prep work a breeze.
2. Use a Sharp Knife
As counterintuitive as it may seem, the safest knife is a sharp knife. This is perfect for you because your Cutco knives are as sharp as they come! The reason that sharp knives are safer is because when you’re using a dull knife, you are required to put more pressure and force onto the blade to successfully cut through food. This can often lead to slipping or cutting yourself instead! Obviously, a sharp knife won’t discriminate against skin, so still make sure you are comfortable cutting with your sharp knives. But remember: most accidents happen with dull knives, not sharp knives.
3. Cut On a Flat Surface & Secure the Cutting Board
Cutting on a flat and sturdy surface is one of the easiest tips to safe food-cutting. Many cutting boards, Cutco’s included, have rubber feet on the bottom to help grip the countertop. However, if yours seem to slide around a bit, try putting a damp towel underneath the board before use. This will prevent it from moving and hopefully prevent you from cutting a finger!
Those are the tips that you should always live by when cutting with our Cutco (or the knives you have at home). However, accidents do happen. If you do cut yourself, make sure to rinse the cut with cold water immediately and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Raise your hand above your head while you firmly press the cut with a cloth or paper towel until the bleeding stops. Finally, apply an antibiotic cream to the cut and wrap it with a clean bandage. Of course, if you have severely cut yourself and need to be taken to the hospital, call 911 right away.
