Happy New Year!

Oops, not this type of knife skills! (Please do not attempt at home)

That’s better. A show about knife skills used in Japanese cuisine

Martin Yan demonstrating his knife skills

Often times, details can make a good dish super. This includes having great knife skills.

When I in middle school, I would wake up Saturday morning not to watch Smurfs and other cartoons but to flip to Channel 9, KQED. My eyes widen as I saw Martin Yan “Yan Can Cook” chop his ingredients with precision and speed. On a side note, last year I had Chinese New Year dinner with him at Koi Palace. This guy works hard as ever.

Yesterday, I spoke with Ty from My Ceramic Knives. His site is dedicated to ceramic knives, the ones that do not need sharpening. I was first exposed to ceramic knives from Chef Ming Tsai.

As a former food writer for Asian Week last year dining at so many restaurant, I have a better idea about knife skills. Putting it simply, size matters.

Think about the hamburger and sautéed mushrooms. Chunky sized mushrooms would not only fall off the burger but also take too much of a texture role. Now, if you use thinly sliced mushrooms, the flavor profile changes to more of a silky texture. Also, the mushroom produces a strong earthy taste so large chunks would mask the meat. Knife skills take years to masters.