We are nearing the end of one of my favourite months, Nutrition Month! This year the theme fit perfectly with my philosophy around nutrition, “Simply Cook and Enjoy.”  I hope that you are all taking full advantage and are getting your hands dirty in the kitchen!  If you are new to cooking, you might think that you need a kitchen stocked with fancy kitchen tools in order to pull off delicious meals. But guess what? NOT true my friends! A kitchen stocked with a few essential basics is going to be way more useful to you than a variety of tools you don’t know how to use. If anything, extra utensils just leads to extra clutter and makes it more difficult to find what you’re looking for! So for part one of this series, let’s start with the basic knives you need  in every kitchen to create delicious, simple, real-food recipes with your friends and family!

Kitchen Essentials: Knives

Good quality knives are essential to be more efficient in the kitchen. More importantly, they also keep you safe. It may seem intimidating to hold a chef’s knife for the first time, but having to use a lot of force when using a dull knife, is actually much more dangerous than using a very sharp chef’s knife! Check out this great video for the basics of knife skills to get you started and build your confidence.

Chef’s Knife: Your chef’s knife will be your go-to for most of your prepping tasks such as chopping and dicing. It is amazing how efficiently you can work with good quality tools!

Paring Knife: This small knife will be helpful and much safer when a chef’s knife feels too large. Use it for small tasks like peeling and coring an apple or hulling a strawberry.

Serrated Knife: You may just think of a serrated knife as a bread knife. However,  it is also great for foods that have a tougher exterior and softer interior such as citrus and tomatoes.

Cutting Board: Start off with a sturdy cutting board that doesn’t slide around. Or try placing a damp dishtowel under it to keep it in place. Ideally you should have two boards: one for meat and one for everything else to limit cross-contamination with raw meat.

Sharpening Steel: Did you know you’re supposed to sharpen your knives EVERY time you use them? A steel is an easy way to keep your knives sharp, which actually makes them safer to use! Check out this video for a quick tutorial on how to keep a knife sharp using a steel – it’s easier than it looks once you get the hang of it!

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie