The Art of Carving is the science of carving. One must understand anatomy, have a steady hand, a sure eye, and extreme patience—to say nothing of a good sense of showmanship—to be a good carver. Of course, tools and equipment are important attributes, but they must be guided by sensitivity, awareness, and complete control.
Let us consider first of all carving equipment. Our functional age has brought a wealth of carving material, magnificently wrought, balanced, and plain, to a high degree of perfection. I have experimented and demonstrated with a great variety of today's cutlery and find it, for the most part, easy to handle, simple to keep in condition, and most efficient. It has been my experience, however, that these contemporary precision instruments need as careful attention as a surgeon's tools. Too often, however, they are treated with complete carelessness and are often abused.
It is, alas, in eight out of ten instances, the women who are responsible rather than the men. A man may supply himself with a fine set of knives for all purposes, but it usually remains for the distaff side of the house to divert their function. I have seen delicate, hollow-ground knives which have been used to cut through bones or for chopping and which soon resembled a cross saw. I have shuddered to see the delicate and finely honed edge of a carving knife made blunt and broken by being used for an all-purpose knife or by being thrust into a patent sharpener. A hollow-ground or hand-made magnesium steel knife needs as careful attention as a straight-edged razor. Most modern knives are built for long, careful service and require sharpening only once or twice during the course of a year. There are rigid rules for sharpening all contemporary cutlery which should be followed to the letter. Rules for the proper care of cutlery almost invariably come along with the modern knives. Do not think that because you have always sharpened your old all-purpose kitchen knives on an old crock or on a patented sharpener, you can use a delicate, highly styled instrument the same way. Reserve these knives for the functions for which they were made and use heavy-duty knives for all other purposes.
I am a great believer in having a set of knives to be used for different types of carving. At this season of the year when the leaves have turned and there is a frosty breeze on the back of your neck, your thoughts naturally turn to the hunting season and to the game that is the reward for the days in the field. A game dinner with a bottle of good wine is one of the most satisfying and delightful experiences in the gastronomic calendar. How often has just such a dinner been ruined completely by having badly hacked hunks of a perfectly cooked bird served at table. Game, above all else, needs precision instruments, careful attention, and excellent craftsmanship.
There are certain small birds in the game lists, all of which follow in a certain pattern as far as their carving and serving are concerned. These are the full-breasted birds which have small wings and legs but which are too large to be served as a single portion. Then again, there are the larger game birds such as the heavier variety of duck, wild goose, and wild turkey. These, if they are tender and well cooked, should be sliced perfectly and disjointed carefully at table.
Such performances of carving skill require specialized equipment. Carving shears are one very necessary adjunct. This highly specialized piece of cutlery not only aids in performing a thoroughly neat job, but also saves the delicate edges of your finest knives. They are equipped with one smooth blade and one saw-toothed blade, with a special section between the blades near the handle for cutting through small bones. Carving shears are worked with the aid of a heavy spring and are exceedingly simple to use. In addition to shears, one must have a heavy fork or holder with which one may grip and hold a bird securely. Most “carving sets” provide you with a fork which may be beautiful but most times is as useless as a wooden gun. Try to find a heavy fork or try out any of the roast or poultry holders which you find on the market these days until you find one that suits your grip and is properly weighted for your personal use. For small birds, a thin-bladed knife or a small-sized “French” knife is the ideal tool. For larger birds, you will need a knife with a longer blade for general slicing. I think if I were given my choice of all knives available, I should choose a series of various sizes of “French” knives with their triangular, well-balanced blades. However, you may find that a very thin, flexible blade suits your own particular style of carving better than any other.
Carving wild duck always seems to be a difficult problem for most men and women. If it is a small bird, you may use the carving shears to cut the duck in halves or quarters for service. This is an exceedingly simple operation. Adjust the carving shears at the line of the breastbone and cut straight across the breast to the neck through the flesh and the bone. Turn the duck and cut down through the backbone until the duck is severed. If you wish to cut each half in two, grip well with your fork—or hold the leg with your hand if you wish—and cut from the middle of the backbone to the middle of the breastbone. In this way you may serve one person with the wing quarter, another with the leg and thigh quarter, and provide each person with a certain amount of the breast meat.
For another duck serving, grip the duck well with your fork or holder and with your carving shears or with a small, sharp knife remove the two legs and thighs. If you use a sharp knife, cut between the leg and the carcass until you come to the joint. Cut through the joint with the carving shears or sever it with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut the bone with the knife but merely to sever the joint. Hold the duck firmly with the fork or holder and make an incision at the center of the breastbone, cutting through the flesh the entire length of the bird. Then, progressing from the outside of the bird toward the center bone, cut thin slices of the breast from each side. After you have removed all the slices of breast meat, remove the two wings with the carving shears or by cutting through to the joint and disjointing with a sharp knife. You may cut the carcass into pieces with the shears if you wish; many people enjoy the backbone, feeling that it has more true flavor than any other part of the bird. The wings and legs are not disjointed but served to those who relish that particular part of the bird.
Small ducks may be cut, as we said before, with carving shears. If not, and you wish to serve more than one person, remove the legs and thighs with shears or a sharp knife and, with the aid of a small knife, cut through the breast at the center of the bird and under the meat along the frame of the duck until you have removed the breast in two pieces, leaving only the carcass and the wing bones. Then remove the wings and cut the carcass into as many pieces as you wish.
Wild goose is treated in very much the same fashion. You remove the legs and thighs and cut long, full slices from the breast. Finally, remove the wings and cut the carcass into the size of pieces you desire for serving. There is often a certain amount of discussion as to whether one slices the breast of goose from the center breastbone to the side, or whether one starts from the outside of the carcass and cuts toward the center bone, cutting flat, parallel slices. This is, I feel, a matter of personal preference, although one usually achieves more evenly matched and attractive slices by applying the second method. The construction of the goose makes it one of the most difficult of all birds to carve, and should your wild goose be a tough one, it is no mean task to accomplish perfect results.
Pheasant, on the other hand, is comparatively easy to manage. A good pheasant has a full breast which, if treated properly in cooking, will be juicy and firm-meated. With a small, sharp knife cut thin slices from the breast, cutting from the neck to the tail in long, careful strokes. You may then remove the legs and thighs at the joint and the wings at the joint and serve those if people desire them. However, the breast is the only portion of pheasant enjoyed by a great many people, so be especially solicitous in inquiring as to their particular likes and dislikes.
Game shears, of course, may be used to sever the legs and thighs and wings and to cut through the carcass.
The most generally accepted way of serving partridge or grouse is to cut it along the breast-bone, severing it completely, and serving each person half a partridge. This process is greatly simplified by the use of shears, although it may be achieved with a knife if you are an expert carver. Be very careful, however, not to use a delicately ground blade for cutting through the bone or you will ruin your fine cutlery. Use a heavier all-purpose knife for this, one that may be ground or sharpened at will.
Another way of carving a partridge is to cut away the wings and legs at the joints, then divide the bird into two pieces, the entire breast in one piece and the back in the second piece. You may sever the breast and the back if you wish.
A third method is to cut along the center breastbone and under the meat of the breast, thus removing the breast in two whole pieces. After this, remove the legs and thighs and wings. Many people, again, enjoy picking the backbone of a partridge, knowing that it has a most delightful and succulent flavor.
Grouse may be served halved with the aid of carving shears or sharp knives, or it may be cut into three serving pieces by cutting from the tail and to the head in three pieces, one of which includes the leg and thigh, the second including the wing, and the third being the bone and the meat on either side of it. I feel that grouse should be served either whole or halved.
Quail and other small birds of that type are practically always served whole, although if you wish to cut them, you will follow the rules for any small bird by cutting in equal halves with the aid of shears or with sharp knives as described in the carving of partridge. With quail we should mention woodcocks, snipes, pigeons, robins, and many other varieties of tiny birds which are usually served one to a person.
Wild turkey is, of course, treated in the same fashion as one would treat a domestic turkey and involves no special problem.
To carve a rabbit or hare is a fairly simple procedure. In this particular case, as in the case of some small birds, use the hands for a grip. This is preferred to a fork or holder because of the size of the animal. A good carver will often use his hand for a grip, contrary to many of the rules of etiquette laid down by those whose first idea is elegance rather than function. A rabbit or hare should be laid on its side; then, with the aid of the hand and fingers, sever a front leg at the joint and sever the back leg at the joint. Turn the rabbit or hare and repeat this process on the other side. After this, cut through the rib cage or lower part of the breast and discard it. You are then left with the back and what is known as the saddle. This should be cut through into two pieces. Thus you have six serving pieces from a rabbit.
My final plea about game carving is that you care for your tools and implements as if they were, as they are, precision instruments. Do not let tradition override you and prejudice you against shears, for not only will they ease your job but they will protect your fine cutlery. Keep your fine equipment as a thing apart, and use it for that purpose only. This may sound like a luxury, but in the long run it is exceedingly practical.
Good carving!