This Dangerous Mistake You're Making With Your Kitchen Knife

Whether you are new to the kitchen or not, making mistakes with your kitchen knives can have serious consequences. Unlike cooking shows on television, there isn't a qualified professional to run to your assistance if you call "medic." So, when you're using your kitchen knives, it is imperative to use caution to avoid making any dangerous mistakes that could send you to the hospital.

Some things might seem pretty obvious when using knives, but accidents still happen. One of the biggest mistakes people make with kitchen knives is cutting something while holding it in their hands rather than using a cutting board. The knife can easily slip and slice your fingers or palm if you do this. Another mistake to avoid is storing your knives loose in the drawer where someone can slice a finger while rummaging around to find another utensil (via Insider).

Also, always remember to use a hand guard if using a mandoline to slice anything. The blade is incredibly sharp and can quickly take a finger with your vegetables.

One of the biggest and most dangerous, and probably the most common mistakes people make with their kitchen knives is allowing them to get too dull. When a knife becomes too dull to use properly, it causes you to apply more pressure while cutting. By using more pressure, you are increasing the likelihood of the knife slipping out from your grip, and well, you can imagine the rest (via Eat This Not That). "It's actually safer to use a sharp knife because you don't have to exert extra force to get it through the food and it makes cleaner, more precise cuts," says Hannah Crowley, executive editor of tastings and testings at America's Test Kitchen. "Any time you notice your blade feeling dull—it's harder to push through the food, it squishes it instead of cutting in, or it doesn't go where you want it to — it's time to sharpen."

If you want to test to see if your knives need to be sharpened, you can try the paper test. If your knives can cleanly cut through a regular piece of copy paper, then they are sharp and safe to use. Dull knives will tear the paper, and very dull knives won't leave a scratch. So, make sure your knives are sharp enough, and you'll find slicing and dicing in the kitchen to be a lot easier and safer.