Monday, May 7, 2012

Gluten Free Cooking Tips #1 -- Buy a Good Knife



In celebration of May being National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, I hope you will join me the next two weeks as I share some of my favorite gluten free cooking tips with you every day Monday - Friday. This is part of a series hosted by Linda of The Gluten Free Homemaker. At the end of this post and every post for the next ten weekdays, you'll find links to the other bloggers included in this series. Make sure to also read the details of the giveway, you have the chance to win a prize on every blog participating in this two week series! 

Cooking Tip #1 
Buy a high quality knife -- learn how to use it and take care of it! 


Having a high quality chef’s knife to prepare fresh food is essential to healthy, gluten free cooking. A high quality knife will be an investment, but if properly cared for can last a lifetime.

I have a small assortment of quality knives that I use. I have one small Wustof paring knife, 2 large J. A. Henckels chef’s knives, and 4 Cutco knives. Many chefs and home cooks alike will argue over which company makes the best knives, but I think you simply have to find the knife that works best for you.

My husband prefers to use the Henckel chef’s knife when he is helping to prepare meals. The knife has a large handle, is heavy, and fits well in his hand. I prefer the Cutco knives that we have (A small santuko knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife). They fit my hands better ergonomically and are lighter than the Henckels knives.

If you have the opportunity, actually go to a specialty kitchen store like Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Williams Sonoma so that you can physically handle the knife and get the feel of it in your hand. You will know by holding the knife in position which brand will work best for you. You can learn basic cutting, chopping, and dicing skills by simply googling “culinary knife skills” or “kitchen knife techniques.” You will find dozens of youtube videos and blog tutorials on how to properly use your high quality knives.

My favorite 5" Petite Santuko Knife from Cutco

Here are a few links that I have found helpful in learning more about knife skills and taking proper care of your knives:

 ● The Anatomy of a Chef’s Knife
 ● How To Use a Chef’s Knife
 ● How to Chop an Onion
 ● Basic Knife Skills
 ● How to Care for your Kitchen Knives

Reader’s Tip of the Day: “A good 7" or 8" chef's knife, plus a knife skills class if needed. Best investment for cooking.” -- Sally J. Parrott, author of Aprovechar


Please visit each topic in "10 Days of Gluten Free"
From: May 7th - May 18th


10 Days Gluten Free GIVEAWAY!
Included with this awesome series is a giveaway on each blog once the two weeks are over! I will be giving away a brand new copy of Carol Fenster's cookbook, "100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes." This is one of my FAVORITE gluten free cookbooks with an awesome collection of Carol's absolute best recipes.

The Giveaway Nitty Gritty: 
  • This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents 18 and older. 
  • You are allowed one entry per "10 Days of Gluten Free" blog post for a total of 10 entries on this blog. 
  • Enter by leaving a comment (WITH an email address to contact you) on this post (and other 10 Days of GF posts). 
  • The giveaway begins May 7, 2012 and ends at 11:59 pm eastern time on May 18, 2012. 
  • No purchase is necessary. 
  • Odds of winning are based on the number of entries. 
  • The winner will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email. 
  • The winner will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen
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