Knife skills may sound fancy, but they are
actually very basic and are essential even
for the beginner home cook.
A paring knife is an essential knife that
can be used instead of a peeler to peel fruits
and vegetables, to remove the core or hull,
and for smaller cutting jobs.
Make sure you are holding your paring knife
correctly. For peeling, hold the knife close
to the blade and wrap your fingers around
the handle. This will give you better control.
To peel an apple, first remove the stem. Starting
at the stem end, hold the knife at a slight
angle and slide the blade just under the skin.
Turn the apple slowly as you pull the knife
forward under the skin, blade towards you.
Try to avoid peeling too much of the apple
flesh away. Keep going until you’ve circled
the apple and removed as much skin as possible.
Paring knives can also be used for coring
and hulling foods like strawberries.
Hulling removes the top or stem cap of a strawberry.
It makes the strawberry look better for serving
and also removes less of the fruit than slicing
off the top.
For hulling, hold the knife in your dominant
hand so that the flat side of the blade rests
on the side of your middle finger and your
thumb rests on top.
To hull a strawberry, gently push the tip
of the blade into the berry at the stem cap,
angling the knife towards the center. Keeping
the blade angled, turn the strawberry, not
the knife, so that the knife circles the top
of the berry. Imagine trying to make a cone
out of the top of the berry. The stem cap
and core of the strawberry should come out
easily.
Also use your paring knife for cutting small
fruits and vegetables, separating the sections
of citrus fruits, seeding peppers, and deveining
shrimp.
These essential paring knife skills can help
you cook smart and eat smart. Use them to
make simple, healthy meals with fresh produce
that look good and taste great.
