Knife Skills —

a kitchen guide to using the right knife the right way

This site will give you the confidence to choose and use the knives and other nonelectric sharp tools in your kitchen. It’s also a reference site that you can use as you improve your skills and acquire the tools that will make you a better cook!

Offset handle serrated Deli knife

The offset handle serrated deli knife is the least known of all these knives. It’s also the most versatile. The benefits of this knife come from both the blade and the handle. Serrated knives have more pronounced teeth on their blades than most other knives. The large teeth allow the knife to literally get a grip on the food before cutting it while other knives start sliding immediately. This allows you to cut foods with odd-textured crusts and skins that often seem to fight back with regular knives. Ideal tasks include slicing crusty breads, cutting the outer skin off melons and other large fruit, slicing tomatoes, and cutting sandwiches and bagels.

As the blade cuts right through these irregular surfaces, the offset handle allows your knuckles to avoid hitting either the cutting board or the counter. I never used an offset handle serrated knife until after I graduated from cooking school. I’m not sure I’d even seen one. I had used regular handle serrated knives before on bread and tomatoes. I still have two or three of them stashed away in a cabinet. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re not comfortable with a knife, then you won’t use it.

That idea hadn’t dawned on me until I realized that I wasn’t using my serrated knives at all.

So how can an oddly shaped handle change a knife from being discarded to being so valuable? It’s my knuckles. And your knuckles too. As with a badly held chef’s knife, the regular handle serrated knife, with its narrow handle and blade, doesn’t allow room for your knuckles to clear the cutting board while slicing tomatoes and bread.

The offset handle serrated deli knife isn’t perfect. Because its teeth are so large, it’s very difficult to sharpen this knife. Most home sharpening tools cannot sharpen a serrated blade, and many sharpening professionals can’t do it either. Although it doesn’t need to be sharpened as often as other knives, you shouldn’t overspend when buying this knife. When it gets too dull after a few years, or more, of use, then buy a new one. It’s a small price to pay for such a versatile knife.

Slicing a tomato
Slicing a tomato with a deli knife
How to Choose and Use Your Knives

How to Choose and Use Your Knives

How to Buy a Knife

How to Buy a Knife

Caring for Your Knives

Caring for Your Knives

Nonknife, Nonmotorized Sharp Kitchen Tools

Nonknife, Nonmotorized Sharp Kitchen Tools


A knife does not fear thorns, a woman fears man. Mongo proverb

A knife does not fear thorns, a woman fears man.

Mongo proverb


Teaching a monkey to eat with a fork and knife will never make it a man. Congolese proverb

Teaching a monkey to eat with a fork and knife will never make it a man.

Congolese proverb


The tongue of a bad friend cuts more than a knife. African proverb

The tongue of a bad friend cuts more than a knife.

African proverb

Margaret Witter Fuller

Genius will live and thrive without training, but it does not the less reward the watering pot and pruning knife.

Emily Dickinson

Surgeons must be very careful. When they take the knife!, underneath their fine incisions, stirs the Culprit — Life!

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The information in this site is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
The author disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.
All recommendations are made without guarantee.