Don't EVER Try This!

[pdswife]

pds, I don't see peelers ar left or right-handed. They seem to be symmetrical and therefore the same for either hand.

What am I missing?

Well... it could just be me.. but, I and my son both left handed have a really hard time peeling anything. I've always blamed it on the peeler

 

[ch3f]

try a one of these peelers, its all I will ever use and they are ~$3.50.

 

[Floridagirl]

oh my....that pic is unbelieveable!!!!

 

[ch3f]

I should have included a link to those peelers:

http://www.jbprince.com/ (their catalog is like crack)
http://ww2.williams-sonoma.com (good overpriced stuff)
http://www.surlatable.com (good overpriced stuff)

Have fun

 

[SierraCook]

try a one of these peelers, its all I will ever use and they are ~$3.50.

I have a peeler similar to this. They are so easy to use whether you are right or left handed. The little circle on the right side of the peeler is great for removing the eyes from potatoes.

 

[Tater Tot]

Reminds me of how my father cooked...he put a pice of him in everything we ate!! :P

The tot

 

[urmaniac13]

I guess I should have mentioned the book. It's "What's Cooking Italian" by Penny Stephens - pub 1998 by Thunder Bay Press - the picture is on page 38.

Of course - I got a laugh when I hit the recipe for Tortellini on page 122 and she is showing how to make ravioli.

Thuder Bay Press should go out of business for publishing such a horrendous book and spreading some misconception about "what's cooking italian"!! Well... maybe they are fans of splatter films....

 

[Bangbang]

Is this better?

 

[GB]

Bangbang to the rescue

 

[tancowgirl2000]

Good Job Bang!

 

[Bangbang]

Bang takes a bow.

 

[pdswife]

Is this better?

Much much much better!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

All I can say is WOW!. I was taught to use sharp things properly since my early years. But that was for whitling techniques, using a hatchet, axe, splitting mall, etc. I just never felt comfortable cutting toward my hand, or any other body parts. So when I became serious about cooking, I purchased a cutting board and watched what others did. I kind of self taught myself. Through the years, I've picked up tips from watching professionals, and professional show-offs, you know, those TV chefs who can bone a chicken in 30 seconds.

I'm pretty quick, and rarely cut myself, but it has happened, mostly the inside edge of my right thumb when it got too close to the blade while slicing something like celery or carrots. Fortunatley, I've only drawn blood a couple times, and never lost skin, just sliced into it. I have very fast reflexes and strong thumbnails that have protected me from the occasional act of stupidity.

The four most used items in my kitchen are the cast-iron pans, the Croma Chef's knife, the cutting board, and the sink.

Like HTC and others, my mother, my grandmother, my mother-in-law, and my wife prefer to slice carrots, celery, and similar veggies against their thumb. I find that cumbersome, dangerous, and slow. I can't bring myself to do it. In the few times where I have had to, I rotate the veggie against the blade, cutting half way through on every side, until the piece falls into the pot or bowl.

I don't understand how people can cut comfortably toward their thumb. I must just be a coward when it comes to intentionally inflicting pain on myself.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the Nroth

 

[urmaniac13]

yes, the thumb sticking out near the operating knife is always in the danger of becoming sore (well... to put it very mildly), the tech I usually use for safety precaution, whenever this position is possible is, to make a loose fist with the supporting hand which is securing the object being cut (usually left, but in my case right as I am a lefty) and turn it sideways to have the back of 4fingers face towards the knife in almost vertical position this way you will have very little chance to have the edge of the blade come in contact with the hand unless you are really trying to hack something mightily!!

 

[In the Kitchen]

Michael

I wouldn't show this to my kid sister. It sure won't be a bargain if she tries to use it as a guide. Good thing you started reading it first. You would have regretted giving it to her, maybe for life. I would rather take time to show her rather than have her do it this way. Wonder who this person is who wrote the book? Never know how things get started.

 

[RPCookin]

Like HTC and others, my mother, my grandmother, my mother-in-law, and my wife prefer to slice carrots, celery, and similar veggies against their thumb. I find that cumbersome, dangerous, and slow. I can't bring myself to do it. In the few times where I have had to, I rotate the veggie against the blade, cutting half way through on every side, until the piece falls into the pot or bowl.

I don't understand how people can cut comfortably toward their thumb. I must just be a coward when it comes to intentionally inflicting pain on myself.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the Nroth

Actually, it works pretty well with a dull knife. With a good knife it is nearly impossible to tell where the carrot stops and the flesh begins until you see the blood. In my Mom's kitchen I used to do it a lot (she doesn't know what a sharp knife looks like )... in my kitchen I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Claire]

I do occasionally cut towards myself, but not in that way. I've heard what I do called the "Italian Grandmother" way of cutting. That looks like a recipe for just the disaster you described. When I cut towards myself, it is a smaller vegetable and much smaller knife, and the knife is actually "aimed" (for lack of a better word) to the pad of my opposing thumb. Which, I might add, is so tough you'd really have to try to cut it (too many years of cooking?). Don't get me wrong, I DO cut myself on occasion, but usually because I forgot to ask hubby to sharpen the knives (a not-sharp-enough knife will slip off a surface) and I'm usually cutting correctly rather than the way Mom and Grams did it!