Although I'm not completely sure about this, but I believe that the knife was the first cooking tool ever created by man. Ages ago, knives were used by man to gather and hunt for 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 very few people know how to properly handle and care for a knife. A friend once jokingly told me that perhaps it's because knives don't come with an instruction manual.

One of the things that really annoy me is watching people handle knives wrongly. The problem is that nobody taught us how to do it properly when we were just kids. Our parents just told us that knives were dangerous and to keep away from them. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but it's no reason why people shouldn't learn to use them properly.

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 thumb and forefinger gripping the blade. Grip the handle with your other three fingers. When cutting hanging meat, for example, hold the knife in a dagger-like fashion for proper leverage. When using a small knife to turn or peel, it should be held with one or two fingers gripping the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

There are also several ways to properly care for your knives. Use a wooden board 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, 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 the knife first after use, then dry before storing it away. Never wash knives in a dishwasher, no matter how convenient it may seem. Always protect the knife's edge against other hard surfaces. 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 automatic 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 case knives and supplies you need.