Although I'm not completely sure about this, but I believe that the first cooking implement created by man was the knife. Several millennia ago, man used knives to hunt and gather their food, and when he learned how to make fire, the knife was a major tool in food preparation as well. Several centuries later, the knife is still one of the most common and most used tools everywhere you can find a kitchen. The ubiquitous knife is used everywhere, from homes to restaurants to cruise ships.

But although we can all agree about the importance of this versatile tool, it's sad to see that a lot of people don't know how to handle and take care of their knives correctly. A friend once jokingly told me that perhaps it's because knives don't have manuals when we buy them.

One of the things that really annoy me is watching people handle knives incorrectly. But then, no one showed us how to use knives properly whe we were little. Our parents just told us that knives were dangerous and to keep away from them. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but I believe that people who use them regularly should at least take the effort to learn how to handle them correctly.

First, learn how to hold the knife properly. There are three basic ways to hold a knife, depending on the knife and what is being cut. For cutting against a board, a knife should usually be held with the blade between thumb and forefinger. The handle should be held with the other fingers. When you want to cut hanging meat, for example, hold the knife in a dagger-like fashion to get proper leverage. And when turning or peeling with a small knife, it should be held with one or two fingers gripping the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

Learn also how to care for your knives. A wooden board should be used for chopping and cutting. Plastic boards are not as gentle on the edge of the knife as wooden boards. Get a board with the end-grain as a cutting surface, rather than side grain. The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, so your knife's edge will last a longer time.

When storing knives after use, it's better to use paperboards or plastic sleeves. Clean the knife first after use, then dry before storing it away. Do not wash knives in a dishwasher, or just throw it in the wash basin. Remember that you have to protect the edge from other hard objects. It's more dangerous to use a dull knife than a sharp one, so always keep your knives as sharp as possible. To truly sharpen it, an abrasive surface that is harder than the knife must be used, such as a diamond honer. Of course, you can always use a whetstone, but it takes a lot of experience to be able to sharpen a knife to razor-like sharpness with it.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the knives and supplies you need.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the kershaw knives and supplies you need.