Each Cape Cod™ Ceramic Dream Tool™ features an ergonomically correct handle constructed of the super strong copolymer ABS and TRP top coat. TRP, an engineering elastomer is the “softer” top layer of the handle. The TRP coating provides the pleasant feel of soft rubber.

3.5-Inch Paring Knife

5-Inch Chef Utility Knife

6-Inch Santoku Knife

7-Inch Chefs Knife

8-Piece Gourmet Knife Set

Make food preparation all the more enjoyable. Outstanding edge retention and style at the same time! Blade length: 5 3/4″. Overall length: 10 3/4″. Weight: 1.9 oz.

Damascus Black VIII Utility Knife

Damascus Olive VIII Utility Knife

First, cut off the band of skin that is holding the drumsticks onto the bird with a carving knife or paring knife if your carving knife is too big (the bones should already pull apart easily).  Firmly grab the end of the drumstick and then slick through the skin holding the drumstick in place while you gently pull it away from the bird.  You should easily be able to take the drumstick off and place it aside on the serving tray or plate.

Second, use your serving fork to hold the bird in place by inserting it into the top of the turkey.  Then, make a long cut, horizontally across the wing joints down through the frame of the turkey.  The wing will more than likely come apart from the bird while you make this cut, just place it aside on the serving tray as well.

Third, cut down through the turkey with a carving knife, with an even stroke that starts about halfway up the side of the turkey breast on either side.  As soon as you get to the wing joint, close to where you just were, the piece that you just cut should fall off to the side.

Fourth, you want to keep making these types of slices across the breast of the turkey, moving upward until you reach the top of the bird.  You should be able to get several larger slices of turkey breast by using this method, and some smaller ones as well.  Place them aside on the serving tray or plate and continue working your way up the turkey.

Fifth, you want to start back at the first step above, just on the opposite side of the turkey that you are on now.  You’ll start over with the drumstick, move to the wing, and then on to slicing the turkey breast.

Once you have finished both sides, you should have several large pieces of turkey breast, the drumsticks and wings on your serving plate.  Then, you can move on to other smaller areas of the turkey that hold the dark meat or other pieces of light meat that you might have missed in your first cuts.

Slicing up a turkey for Thanksgiving or any holiday is very easy if you form these easy turkey carving tips.  You don’t have to worry about learning how to carve a turkey from some book or think it’s harder than it really is.  Carving a turkey is very simple and a great way to enjoy the company of your family and friends during the holidays.  If you still are worried or unsure about carving the turkey, you can always as one of your guests to carve it for you.  Either way, you will end up with a great holiday meal.

Feel free to use our print-off instructions:

Click this image to view/print the Butchers Turkey Carving Instructions.

Here’s a helpful and quick video:

1. Get out all of the foods that you will be cutting with the paring knife.  This means that you want to have everything planned out and ready to go so you can move on from one to the next after each wash of the knife.
2. Prewash any fresh foods before cutting them to remove any dirt, dust, debris and other items that you don’t want in your dish.
3. Make sure that you have a good quality cutting board and that it’s clean and ready to go.
4. Depending on the food that you are cutting, lay it out on your cutting board so that it’s easy to see, easy to cut, and isn’t in a position where you cannot cut it without having something in the way.
5. Take the paring knife in the hand you use the most – either right or left – and hold the food with your other hand to prevent it from slipping.  If you are cutting small fruits or foods, be careful not to cut your fingers along with the food.
6. Start to cut the food, just like you would with any other knife, being careful to cut slowly to you don’t damage the food.
7. The easiest way to use a paring knife correctly is to cut the food by pushing down carefully but firmly in a “slicing” motion so that you cut through the food completely.
8. After you have cut your first food, wash the paring knife completely before you use it to cut anything else.  Even if you’re just cutting vegetables or fruits, it’s always a good idea to wash your knife and hands after everything that you cut.
9. When you are finished with your paring knife, make sure that you wash it completely and allow to dry.  Make sure that it’s kept out of the reach of any small children in your house, such as in a high cabinet, locked drawer, or in a knife holder that is out of reach.

Using a paring knife from your kitchen knife set isn’t hard.  But, when you get in a hurry and start to chop fast, you will find that you might mess up tender foods and cause a mess when you didn’t mean to.  If you simply follow these easy steps, you will be able to use any type of paring knife correctly and ensure that you, your family, and your foods are safe.

1. Steak knives – everyone needs at least a set of 6 steak knives in their home kitchen.  You never know when you’ll have company over for a big meal, and butter knives just won’t do the job.  Steak knives are essential to a kitchen knift set, and are so versatile that you can use them for almost anything.

2. Paring knives – these are the shorter blade knives, usually about 4″ or so.  These are used for paring potatoes, fruits, other veggies, and for cutting and dicing.

3. Carving knives – while you may not need many of these, you should have at least one.  This way, you always have a large knife ready when you do need to carve something larger, such as a turkey.

4. Filet knives – these are thin blades that vary in length but offer the perfect way to slice thin layers off of anything with precision.  These can be used for fruits, veggies, meats, and more and are extremely versatile.

5. Bread knives – you will always find a use for one of the longer bread knives out there in your kitchen knife sets.  The most popular length is the 8″ bread knife, and you will find that it is way more useful for more than just bread.

6. Chef knives – these are the larger knives that are really a multi-use knife.  They can carve, they can slice, they can cut larger pieces of meats and other foods.  And, they are a must have in anyone’s kitchen knife set.

7. Peeler – now, you can easily find these really cheap at your local discount store, but you need a good quality peeler in your kitchen knife set.  A good quality peeler will stand up over time and to the hardest veggies and fruits.

8. Boning knives – these are basically a steak knife that has a thinner blade.  They are great for deboning fish and for so many other uses when you don’t quite need a heavy steak knife.

9. Melon baller – while maybe not technically a knife, these are a great specialty knife item to have in your arsenal as they are for more than just melons.  You’ll find tons of great recipes that call for meat balls and other items that you can cut your time in half just by using a melon baller.

10. Sharpening steel – you need one of these in your kitchen knife sets so you can easily sharpen any of your knives when they become dull.  Without one of these handy, you might find yourself tearing up that juicy tomato instead of slicing it for your meal.

11. Wood block – these are classic kitchen knife set holders and offer a great way to store your knives safely and still have them in reach when you need them.

Also, you want to make sure that you have a good quality wooden cutting board to use when using any of your knives from your kitchen knives sets.  When you cut foods on your cabinet or plates, you run the risk of damaging your kitchen knives – not to mention, contaminating the food.  By using a good quality wooden cutting board, you won’t have to worry about any damage to your kitchen knives.

The next time that you are out shopping for kitchen knives or for a gift set, make sure that you keep this checklist for the basic kitchen knife set in mind so you are sure to get exactly what is needed – and nothing that isn’t.  Here on www.ebladestore.com you will find a wide variety of beautiful kitchen knives and sets that will help you create the best kitchen knife set for your needs.

First we need to talk about knives. Using the right knife for the job will make it amazingly easy to complete the task at hand easily and with the style of a true professional. Everyone has their own preferences in regard to what works best for them, so make it a point to try out all the different cooking knives to see which works best for you. For the very basics, have a paring knife, or a chef’s knife (Also known as a Cook’s knife), and a tomato, vegetable, or other serrated edge knife on hand. Grab some vegetables and let’s get started!

Brunoise – This is a method similar to dicing a vegetable that will give a uniform size and shape, usually on the very small side. Prepare your vegetable by washing it and trimming it into straight right angles. It should resemble a flat piece of paper, or a square depending on what type of vegetable it is. Now you want lengthwise in very thin strips. A chef’s knife is best for this as the angle really helps keep the knife stable and you can use a “rocking” motion with the blade to maintain steady small strips. Once you have the strips, put them in a straight line with each other and use your knife to slice across horizontally for confetti-like pieces of vegetable.

Chiffonade – To chiffonade is to finely cut strips, or ribbons, or leafy vegetables or herbs. This is a commonly used technique for making cole slaw. To chiffonade lettuce or cabbage use a lettuce knife, or chef’s knife and cut a washed head into quarters and remove the hard center core. Then thinly slice the quarters across the grain. For quit chiffonade tips, roll up and thinly slice large greens such as spinach or chard. For smaller leaves such as fresh herbs, stack them first and then roll and slice across the grain.

Chop – When you aren’t worried about the shape or uniformity of your vegetables, chopping is a quick skill. Trim and wash your vegetables and peel if needed. Many prefer to use a cleaver when chopping, but a chef’s knife works well too. Grasp the handle with three fingers and put your forefinger and thumb on the opposite sides of the blade and set the tip of the knife on the cutting surface. Use a rocking motion slice down through the vegetables using the full length of the knife. Use your other hand to push the vegetable towards the knife. This makes it more efficient than moving the knife, just make sure and keep your hands out of the way!

Dice – To dice a vegetable, is to cut it into a cube that usually ranges from 1/4 to 3/4 of a square inch. This makes the vegetables really nice for soups, stews, and salads. Trim your vegetable into a square making sure the sides are straight and at right angles. Hold your knife vertically and slice the vegetables lengthwise. Now stack the vertical cut pieces together and slice them crosswise which will cut them into perfect pieces of “dice”.

Julienne – This is a technique for cutting vegetables into fine sticks for use in salads or as garnishments. Trim the vegetable into a cubed or flat sqare with the desired end length of the strip in mind. Hold your knife vertically and slice thin panels. Take the panels and neatly stack them and cut them lengthwise to create uniform matchsticks. A larger method of this, used for fruit and vegetable trays or salads is called a baton.

Peel – Many vegetables and fruits need to have their outer layer peeled before preparing to serve. There are specially made knives for this called a peeling knife, or you can use a paring knife. With a peeling knife, hold the fruit/vegetable and place the sharp side of the blade onto the item and stroke it across and away from you. Repeat this move until entire peel is removed. When peeling with a paring or other knife, hold the item you are going to peel and place the blade so that the sharp edge is just touching the surface so that when you pull the blade down, it will remove the peel instead of cutting into the item. For onions and shallots, make a small cut into the first layer of the vegetable and remove that along with the rest of the peel.

Mince – To mince a fruit or vegetable is to cut or chop it into very small pieces. A chef’s knife is good to use for this. Cut the piece you are mincing in half from the root to the tip. Start with one half and slice vertically from the root to the end down, making as many slices as you can. Do not cut through the root though as the root is acting as an anchor to help hold your cutting together. When you have finished all the parallel slices, hold the blade horizontally against the item and cut through several more times. This will create a grid that you can then slice into very small pieces.

Slice – When creating slices of food made of bread or pastry, a thin serrated knife is the best. Bread knives are made specifically to cut through the softest or crustiest pieces of bread without crushing the softness or creating too many crumbs. For slicing other food, a cook’s or chef’s knife works great. It’s usually helpful to keep the knife stable by placing the tip of the knife on the cutting surface and then feeding the food into the cutting area with your other hand.

Now that you’ve learned all the different cutting styles, find some recipes that call for different types of cutting and see how much easier it is to create a masterpiece to serve to your friends or family!

Use the Right Knife
When it comes to all the different cutting techniques, having the proper blade for the job makes it much easier and more enjoyable.  Typically, every kitchen should have a paring knife, utility knife, and a chef’s knife.  A cleaver is optional.  You’ll find as you practice these different cutting techniques that you will gain a preference for which knife is right for you for the job.  For example, a serrated utility knife will cut some fruits and vegetables much easier than a plain edge blade, but would be too rough for finer embellishing techniques.  Whatever kitchen knives you use, make sure you keep them sharp for safety!

1.  Keep kitchen knives for kitchen use!  It’s easy to grab a knife to use as a hammer, to pry things open, or use as a hammering instrument.  Many times these projects will bend the tip of your knife or damage them in some other way.  Set aside one or two knives that you can use for these purposes to make sure your other knives stay in the best condition.

2.  Although many knives are considered dishwasher safe, a dishwasher’s harsher chemicals and food debris flying around will all cause knives to lose there sharp edge much quicker than a gentle hand washing.  Its better for the longevity of the blade if you hand wash them in warm soapy water using regular dish washing detergent.  Dry them and store them right away after washing them.

3.  If you have wood handled knives, they need extra consideration.  Make sure you don’t soak wood handles in water as this will cause them to swell.  Wash them and dry them right away, and occasionally put a light coating of lemon oil or wood polish on them to keep the wood from drying out and becoming brittle.

4.  Store your knives in a wood butcher block, or at least separately from other utensils.  Keeping the blades free from getting bumped or banged around by other kitchen utensils will keep them sharper and from getting scratched up.

5.  Sharpen knives every two to three years, or more often for heavy use.  You don’t want to over-sharpen as small parts of metal are removed from your blade every time you sharpen.  You do want to keep them sharp though, as a matter of safety and ease of use.  There are many types of sharpeners and many techniques that can be used.  We will cover sharpening information in future articles.

These five tips should help your knives remain useful tools for you to use for many years to come!  If you have any tips and tricks you personally use, leave a comment and we’ll send you a discount for your next purchase of kitchen knives at eBladeStore.com.