A peek into the art of knifing

Who doesn't want to become the next MasterChef—even if it means to flaunt their skills in their own kitchen at home? For epicures and curious minds alike, a workshop on knife skills at Goregaon last weekend was the perfect opportunity to improve but also try to master the art of knifing.

Knifing is an art too!Chef Kaizad Khodayari,who has spent an illustrious decade working in some of the top-notch restaurants of Mumbai such as the Taj, St. Regis, Sahara Star and others, conducted a workshop, in association with Blue Bulb, on how to sharpen (pun intended) knife skills in the kitchen. So, on the morning of April 9, six enthusiasts reached the well set-up venue, which had chopping boards, aprons, bowls and an array of knives laid out, for the lessons to follow. When asked what made them participate in this workshop, Chandni, one of the participants, shared, “We’ve been cooking all our lives but we never knew how to hold a knife properly, so that’s why I’m here.” Having said that, it was obvious that each participant wanted to emulate the way popular chefs—thanks to popular cooking shows on television—work their knives with the speed and artistry that seems almost magical.

Mastering the basicsChef Kaizad, who has been conducting such workshops for a year now, started with explaining the various kinds of knives and their purposes while busting common myths such as ‘wooden chopping boards are the best’. He also explained in detail about the types of stones that are used to sharpen knives and began with teaching the participants how to do sharpen the ones given to them. He then proceeded to onions—the nemesis of every person who cooks food. Apart from (and because of) the annoying fact that onions makes one cry due to their sulphur content, one always aims to chop it finely and as fast as possible. So, concepts like how to hold an onion in place, how to hold the knife and to how to chop it, were covered in a thorough step-by-step procedure. In a similar fashion, the chef approached tomatoes, capsicum, cabbage, carrots and melons, all the while keeping a close eye on each pair of hands as they grappled with newly-acquired information and implemented it in real time.The chef also regaled the audience with anecdotes of how things are done in five-star kitchens, while providing tips on the best brands of knives available locally as well as internationally.