i love my benchmade griptilian and realized a pocket knife is a great accessory to have in kitchen to open food packaging...today i was trying to open a cloth bag of rice and couldnt find scissors or small knife... a pocket knife would have been useful
is it considered weird or scary to carry pocket knife in the kitchen?
i would like to keep it alongwith sharpie as essentials
1) If you dont have some kind of a chain or tether for the knife attatched to a belt loop, it'll fall out of your pocket and get lost within a week. Cooks pants only have two styles of pockets:Ones big enough to hide a pregneant elephant in, and ones so shallow that even keys will fall out. Both are lousy to keep even keys in, let alone a knife.
2) If you do decide to bring one to work, never, ever, ever ever let the health inspector see you using it, because the first thing they will ask you is how often and in particular you sanitize it, and then promptly write up a report on you. Doesn't matter if you're opening a bag of rice, or cutting open a case of something, its still food.
1) If you dont have some kind of a chain or tether for the knife attatched to a belt loop, it'll fall out of your pocket and get lost within a week. Cooks pants only have two styles of pockets:Ones big enough to hide a pregneant elephant in, and ones so shallow that even keys will fall out. Both are lousy to keep even keys in, let alone a knife.
2) If you do decide to bring one to work, never, ever, ever ever let the health inspector see you using it, because the first thing they will ask you is how often and in particular you sanitize it, and then promptly write up a report on you. Doesn't matter if you're opening a bag of rice, or cutting open a case of something, its still food.
Pocket clips are pretty useless, you bend, the clip dislodges from the pocket material and the knife is free.
Its not just the blade that needs cleaning, its the cavity the blade folds into. This is usually filled with pocket fluff, debris, and whatever else. Its the same thing with those stupid knife rolls, the cavities get dirty and contaminate a otherwise clean blade. Believe me, you dont want a health inspector telling you this.
i was in the pastry section and i am in a huge kitchen...all knives were taken by food prep team.
just a tasting spoon and a sharpie..i was wondering if its worth keeping a swiss army knife or pocket knife on u in kitchen as a chef or its totally unnecessary?
To be perfectly honest, I do have a pocket knife most days. This is a hangover from my time in the Swiss army whete we had to have a variety of items-including a pocket knife - on our person at all times, or discipline would be meted out ("Sack befehl" or "pocket orders)
That being said, the two rules are--like I mentioned above, always have the knife on a chain or lanyard and attatched to a belt loop, clips are useless. Two, and most important, only use the knife for breaking down boxes or fixing screws, DO NOT use it for opening any kind of food container, or preparing any kind of food, other than what you eat personally.
I carry a kershaw leek, which has a pocket clip and assisted opening. For boxes and stuff, of course. The pocket clip worked fine until it fell of, the I just got a new one.
i was in the pastry section and i am in a huge kitchen...all knives were taken by food prep team.
just a tasting spoon and a sharpie..i was wondering if its worth keeping a swiss army knife or pocket knife on u in kitchen as a chef or its totally unnecessary?
You have learned the first lesson re kitchen tools (and side towels).... first come first serve.
Always keep a half dozen pairs of cheap scissors in your knife roll...as they fall apart you will have a replacement.
mimi
I know you said you wash that pocket knife and I have no reason to doubt.
Someday when you have the $ take that knife to an independent lab and let them culture the areas in and around the handle.
You may be surprised what soap and water (even anti bacterial) misses.
In fact some soap dispensers... the refillable type.. those that are screwed to the wall at the hand sink... will have more colonies than the Texas border.
I have carried a pocket knife since high school (or before) and have had my current knife (a twin blade Old Timer) since the 70s. It goes with me everywhere except on aircraft. I have keep a Leatherman on my belt except on the rare occasion that I wear a suit. The Leatherman comes in handy for minor repairs, especially when I can't locate the maintenance guys.
Since I wear Levis in the kitchen, pockets are not an issue. Like others it's mainly to open packages, etc., and never on food. I tell my cooks, "I haven't cleaned a fish in over 20 years!" (It's not very reassuring, it it?)
i love my benchmade griptilian and realized a pocket knife is a great accessory to have in kitchen to open food packaging...today i was trying to open a cloth bag of rice and couldnt find scissors or small knife... a pocket knife would have been useful
is it considered weird or scary to carry pocket knife in the kitchen?
i would like to keep it alongwith sharpie as essentials
What really matters, chipshop man, is what the health inspector says if s/he ever observes someone preparing food, or even opening food packaging with a pocket knife. If it doesn't result in a royal dressing down sh*t fit, it will result in fines or demerit points, or both.
I was imagining it being used to open boxes, cut twine and the like. I would much rather open a box with a pocket knife than one of my knives. If you feel the need to use a pocket knife on food or even opening a packet of bacon with a pocket knife you really would need to invest in some decent knives.
If I have pants on there's a 100% chance of a knife being in the pocket! I'm not much for pocket clips, my knife is small enough to put on my keychain (the one with work & house keys, not my car keys). Generally it's a Spyderco Dragonfly, currently either HAP40 or Super Blue. I use it a lot for opening or breaking down boxes, never for food. And no, I wouldn't dream of letting it out of my pocket while the health inspector is there.
FWIW my pants are mostly Chefwear with pretty deep pockets. In decades of wearing them and carrying a knife I have never lost a knife from it falling out of my pocket.
What really matters, chipshop man, is what the health inspector says if s/he ever observes someone preparing food, or even opening food packaging with a pocket knife. If it doesn't result in a royal dressing down sh*t fit, it will result in fines or demerit points, or both.
I'm actually done with this website being more of an owner than a chef now. I'm starting a new concept in nyc and I really don't have the time to waste on this or wondering if food pump will ever take his head out of his own arse. Good luck to all and apologies to the moderator
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