In selecting knives your first consideration must be to get good steel that will sharpen well and hold its edge. This is more important than any other thing about a knife. Once you have invested in good knives, take good care of them. Have them sharpened fairly regularly by a professional knife sharpener—how often depends upon how much you use the knives. In addition to this, you must keep after them constantly with your own sharpening steel. No chef or butcher could manage without this round. poker-like tool. Always the blade is passed over it before starting to Cut. The expression is “to whet your knife,” and in French it is aiguiser le contain. Remember you can never have a knife too sharp: The sharper the blade the better the job, and there's less chance of lulling yourself because you won't have to force the knife and perhaps have it slip and cut you. You should be able to cut exactly where you want to, and stop exactly where you want to also.
When storing knives, clean them thoroughly, of course, and then dry them well. If they are not used often, it is wise to rub the blades with a little salad oil. Keep them in a dry place, propped in a drawer with the blades down for safely, or hanging on a special board.
Before giving the instructions for carving the various birds, a word or two should be said about boards and platters. There is a saying that a good carver never scratches the platter. But this is pretty difficult when cutting through a rack of lamb or carving a small bird. Of course the best surface is a flat board with no edge to get in the way; if you do your carving in the kitchen, I'd always advise a board. Transfer the slices or pieces of meat to a hot platter and garnish the platter with greens or vegetables. When carving at the table you will probably always use a platter. For meats that are to be sliced in a horizontal direction, like roast beef, use either china or silver. The platter must be large enough so the bird or meat can be moved around as you work, and it should have nothing on it in the way of garnishing that will gel in your way.
Birds that are traditionally served in November will be taken up in this article. (Meats will follow in December.) You will find your carving will be easier and better if you study their anatomy. A really skillful carver can locate the joints instantly and never needs to fumble or hack around to find where the bone come together in order to slip in the knife to cut the connecting cartilage.
Turkey or Capon
Turn the bird onto its left side so that it rests on the left leg, which forms a natural support and makes it easier for you to work. Using a carving knife, remove the right leg with its second joint and lay on the side of the | platter or on another plate. Remove the wing, but just the end of it, however. The section nearest the breast is left on to be sliced with the breast. Using the point of the knife, make an opening where the second joint was removed that is large enough to put in a spoon to get out the stuffing. Now change to your flexible tranchelard and start slicing the breast, cutting parallel to the skin in large, thin slices. With the carving knife cut off what remains of the wing; cut meal from the leg into 2 to A pieces and from the second joint into A to 6 pieces, depending upon the size of the bird. Turn the bird over and repeat on the other side. Serve some white and some dark meat and stuffing to each person. Cut only as much as you need, as the meat not served is less dry if left on the bones until it is needed.
Roast Chicken
Using a small knife, remove the wish-bone by inserting the knife point at the center of the breast and, following the edges of the bones, cut toward the two ends, then poll it out. (This is usually done in the kitchen.) To carve use the medium-sized knife. First turn the bird on its left side and remove the right leg along with the second joint. Next cut off the wing, cutting along with the wing about one-half of the breast lying next to it. Then cut the remainder of the breast from the breast-bone. Place the cur pieces on the platter or another plate. Now turn the chicken over to rest on the side that has been cut away and repeat the same procedure on the left side. Cut through the joints between the legs and second joints to separate them. There will be: 4 pieces of dark meat (2 legs and 2 second joints), 4 pieces of white meat (2 wings with part of the breast on each one), and 2 pieces of breast. Serve each person a piece of dark meat and a piece of while unless someone prefers just one kind. The breast of a very large roaster may be tut into 2 or 3 slices. parallel to the skin.
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