Playing with Knives

As my interest and experimental experiences with cooking and baking grow, I find there are gaps in my skills requiring attention. The use of knives is one of those areas in which I am not proficient.

Source: Kitchenique

Interested in improving my technique using very sharp and pointed objects, I signed up for a class in basic knife skills at Kitchenique http://www.kitchenique.com/, a gourmet kitchen store and cooking school in Destin.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

The chef and owner, Vicki, made my experience so much fun as did all her staff. We were instructed in the importance of cleanliness and all things associated with the care and use of knives, especially safety. Then the cutting began.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

We cut and chopped and otherwise mutilated all sorts of vegetables.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

It will take much more practice before my victims (otherwise known as vegetables) are cut in smaller and more uniform pieces.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

If it grows, our class was probably busy chopping it.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Vegetables were not our only victims; we also practiced on chicken and ham. Some of the vegetables ended up in the soup pot for our lunch along with our choice of chicken or ham (or even both).

Vicki donates all the vegetables cut in class and not used in our lunch soup to various church soup kitchens. Vicki and her staff kindly loaded my car with boxes and boxes of freshly-cut vegetables which I promptly delivered to my church for our soup kitchen ministry in feeding homeless folks.

My experience at Kitchenique was thoroughly enjoyable and will improve my cooking techniques. I am definitely going to try another class with Vicki soon.