Although I'm not completely sure about this, but I believe that the first cooking implement created by man was the knife. Ever since the beginning of the Stone Age, 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. Today, the knife remains as one of the most important tools you could have. Everywhere you go, from homes to cafes and restaurants, you will find all sorts of knives being used for almost every food preparation and cooking task.

But although we can all agree about the importance of this versatile tool, the fact remains that still 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 use knives incorrectly. The problem is that nobody taught us how to do it properly when we were just kids. All we knew at that time was that knives were dangerous and better kept away from us kids. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but it's not a reason why people shouldn't learn to use them properly.

You have to learn how to correctly hold a knife. There are three basic ways to hold a knife, but it depends on the kind of knife and what is it going to be used for. When cutting against the board, the knife should generally be held with the blade between thumb and forefinger. Grip the handle with your other three fingers. When you want to cut hanging meat, for example, the knife should be held like a dagger to get the right amount of leverage. When using a small knife to turn or peel, one or two fingers should grip the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

Learn also how to care for your knives. Use a wooden board for chopping and cutting. Plastic boards require more cleaning, and they are not quite as gentle on the edge of a knife as wooden boards. It's also better to use one where the cutting surface is end grain, rather than side grain. Why? The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, and side-grains will chip off eventually.

Always store a knife in a way that protects the blade, such as a plastic sleeve or a paperboard. Clean a knife after using it, then dry and store. Do not wash knives in a dishwasher, no matter how convenient it may seem. Always protect the knife's edge against other hard surfaces. To properly sharpen a knife, the best way is to use a knife sharpener with an abrasive, diamond surface. Using a whetstone needs lots of experience to achieve a fine, razor's edge.

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