I need to peel apples and potatoes and various foods. However, Tommy cannot peel anything with a knife unless he just whacks at it with a knife facing away from him.
We had a long discussion about this. I take a knife, hold it in my right hand and the apple in my left palm and pull the knife toward me when I peel. He insisted he had never done this. Why? Because his mother taught him to never slice toward himself. When? When he was five and cutting carrots in the kitchen. standing by the table with his mother overseeing him. Yes, he told me he was five when he learned how to use a knife and has never advanced.
I do have a device to peel carrots. He cannot get it to work. It takes him hours to peel enough potatoes for a small meal. And, then he has a million tiny pieces flicked off with the carrot peeler.
He insists I am doing it wrong, that he never saw his parents or anyone but me draw a knife toward themselves when peeling. I even slice carrots toward me. Okay, very seldom do I lay a carrot down to cut coins. Really? Does anyone else draw a knife toward themselves when peeling? He thinks what I do is dangerous.
Now, I do use a cutting board or plate to slice somethings or to chunk carrots, apples or potatoes, but not always. However, I watched my mother cutting potatoes to fry by drawing the knife toward her to make the potatoes into French fry type cuts. One day, I asked my mother why she did not put potatoes on a surface to cut them into fries. She said it was easier in her hands.
I agree that with an extremely sharp knife it is much easier or just as easy to pull the knife toward me and against my thumb. I have never cut myself!
Just to make sure I was not the odd man out in peeling, I looked it up and found videos of people drawing a knife toward them when peeling an apple. I am not going to use an instrument other than a knife to peel an apple or potato. Now, if I had an apple peeling device that clamps onto the table, I would use it.
Make no mistake, I cut better with a knife sharpened to a dangerous edge. Dull knives are the ones that cut me when I try to use them. Daddy would sharpen knives until they were dangerous. However, none of us kids ever cut ourselves more than once. And, I used these knives when I was a small child in elementary school, much older than five-years-old.
Okay, how do you handle a knife?
I'm not as good with a paring knife as I am with my really old peeler. It was my Mom's. I imagine it must be at least 60 years old or more. I am always so afraid I will throw it out with the peelings. He should practice peeling vegetables. It is a handy thing to be able to do, though some people just prefer to leave the skins on their fruits and vegetables.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was first married, I had a heck of a time chopping onions, into a finer chop. I never paid any attention to how my Mom did it. Finally, I saw it demonstrated on a TV cooking show, and that is how I have done it ever since.
Years and years later, after my son had joined the Air Force, I had a call from him in Germany asking me how to chop an onion fine. I told him what I had learned from that TV cooking show. My son is a good cook and knows how to cook food that he likes from a lot of different countries where he has been. I don't think my daughter chops onions. Her husband does a lot of the cooking, and he is a good cook.I think a lot of younger guys are cooking these days.
Susie,
DeleteSince he hates potato skins, he would like that. But, I would have to start well ahead of time to get potatoes peeled and it drives me nuts how he just whacks off a piece of peeling.
I am not supposed to eat skins of fruit or vegetables, so I suppose it is good I love bananas so and do not have to miss them. I do prefer the skins on fruits and vegetables.
Mama never did a fine chop, well, 1/2 inch was smallest.
It is good your son has learned to cook so well. Men should learn to cook.
I always peel away from myself. When he was a kid my cousin was peeling toward himself, the knife slipped and he lot his eye. Object lessons speak loudly.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteHow horrible! I suppose successes speak loudly, too--I was taught to do it safely. He probably had a dull knife. They do slip and injure people.
I peel like Tommy- I got the same lessons from my mom- peel away from you with a knife so you don't cut yourself. I have a vegetable peeler that I use for carrots and potatoes though- it works very well. I replaced an old one with an OXO from Walmart 3 or 4 years ago. You might need a new one that works better for him.
ReplyDeleteNan,
DeleteI do have a brand new peeler that is very sharp. I cannot imagine for the life of me how a person peels away from herself.
I peel towards myself also and was amazed to see my ex "flicking" the peeler away from himself. Then I realized he had seen his mom doing it that way and she was left handed. Mystery solved.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
DeleteThat is how he uses knife and peeler. Now, I do use the peeler away from me, but only use it on carrots and the motion is a long sweep away from me--no flicking.
Agree with you - I always cut toward myself!!! Yes, I have had a couple of wrecks but still have all 10 digits after all these decades of cutting & peeling!
ReplyDeleteNursejoan,
DeleteThank you! I seem to have all ten digits on my hands, too. I watched my 94 yo neighbor use a butcher knife and cutting towards herself to cut the tops off milk jugs. Now, that scared me. Let's keep cutting.
I've pared more than enough fruit and vegetables in my life and I always pull the knife towards me. I didnt know that it was even possible to pare "away" from you?!
ReplyDeleteCOL,
DeleteSame here. I tried it one day and it is impossible. That is why he uses a knife and flicks away tiny bits of apple peeling and potato skins all over the room. Thanks.
I do those long carrots away from me but other things toward me. Seems harder to peel smaller items like apples away from you.
ReplyDeleteAnn,
DeleteCarrots are the only thing for which I use a "carrot peeler." And, it is the only thing I peel away. Thanks.
I use a peeler for carrots, and those motions are away. Hubby uses the peeler for cucumbers, which I honestly had never thought of, but it makes peeling it so much easier. Motion for that one is also away.
ReplyDeleteI cannot use a peeler for potatoes. I am like you and use a very sharp knife and pull toward myself. Though we don't eat potatoes any longer, so I only have to do this once or twice a year when I'm cooking for others. Maybe three times a year, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
Alice,
DeleteThanks. Just like me and a million others. He still swears I am the only person who pulls a knife toward me.