I’ve been reading the book Knife Skills in the Kitchen, recommended by Plumpy, and it’s very cool. Knives are one of those things I use every darn day and could be much better with, but they’re easy to overlook unless you have some expensive or especially sharp ones.
One thing I didn’t learn from the book, though, is this fancy way to cut a pear.
Hold the pear in your palm longways, and make a shallow V-shaped cut at about 45 degrees on each side. The slice you remove will have a tear drop shape and a 90 degree angle on the cut side.
Using your previous cuts as guides, make your next cuts along the same angle and meet a little deeper in the pear. Be careful to meet at the same point, not overlapping the cuts. Also make the slice deep enough to hold together when you remove it.
Depending on the thickness of your slices, you should be able to get 4-5 diamond cut slices out of one side.
Flip it over and start on the other side to make more. The middle section of the pear you can cut normally.
Knife Skills has additional pear tricks, including how to make the top look like a snowy mountain, so stay tuned. Next time I get my Organics to You box I’ll try new pear tricks.
Update: Oh, I remembered where I learned this trick. The fabulous blog Resurrection Fern. She’s a MD in a small town and somehow has the time to take long walks in the woods (beautifully documented and enough to make you want to move), crochet rocks, and knit cozies for snails. Yep. Love her.
Tags: ideas about food
For the record, the book I recommended was Knife Skills Illustrated. I’ve never heard of the book you’re reading.
Michael: Jerk.
Now we must trade for review.