“Kitchen Ready” photo by Jessica Plante-Campbell. All Rights Reserved.

Ok followers! I am officially no longer completely inept on the internet as I have taken my first steps to stardom. The first video I produced was on the proper way to hold a knife and the food you are cutting. In the video I demonstrate on onions and peppers showing my viewers how to place their fingers with their knuckles against the blade which eliminates the danger of the blade slipping off the food and cutting through a finger. I have watched people cut food over the years and cringe as they leave the tips of their fingers out, so my hope in making this video is to bring a little more awareness to how to hold a knife and the item you are trying to cut. The key is how your knuckles need to be pressed against the blade, which act as a guide for the size cut you desire and a safe guard for your fingertips. I start with a sharp knife, something so many people underestimate the importance of. Then I show videos on how to position your hand when holding food. I understand many people feel awkward when trying this technique the first few times but I hope you will give it a chance because with a little bit of practice it will become second nature. If you try this at home and find your knife not doing what it’s supposed to do, chances are your knife is dull. You can buy a decent chef knife at Walmart, you don’t need a ridiculously expensive knife. The important thing is having a way to sharpen it. I run my finger across (NOT down) the blade to check the sharpness, which will be something I have to produce another video for at a later date, but the key is to feel and hear the edge. I can’t wait to hear your feedback on my video. Be gentle though, I’m a novice in video making. Let me know what you would like to see me elaborate on, or how I can make it better for you. I would also love to hear ideas on what you would like to see next!

I mention this Diamond Steel in my video because it is inexpensive and easy to buy through Amazon. Notice, I didn’t say to buy a steel. Many people have honing steels, which are only good for realigning the edge not sharpening it, so please don’t make the mistake of buying a regular honing steel. It has to be for sharpening, which means it has to be diamond coated steel.

The video was completely done from my kitchen with my husband as my helper, holding the camera and moving around to get just the right angle so my hand position could be easily seen.

During an interview Christine Wolf surmised one of her participant’s thoughts as  “how the dynamic nature of video watching someone via a video is easier than reading a printed page”. People are able to garner more information by visual aids then by reading alone, which is why “how to” videos on YouTube are so popular. She also goes on to mention “This reflection also highlights the role videos can play in expanding vocabularies: beyond the DIY task itself, videos can also offer contextual information about tools and supplies.” I highlight this by showing the importance of a good knife and a diamond steel. One of the things that I didn’t mention, but definitely should have, is that using a wood cutting board is the best tool, over plastic or glass. I’m highly against using glass cutting boards as 1) they dull your blade quickly and 2) the knife is more liable to slip across it. Also glass boards slip on counter tops. A good way to stop that from happening is by using a damp kitchen towel or damp paper towels underneath it to create a solid contact between the counter and your board. Plastic boards are a little better if they have grips on the corners and if they are a softer grade plastic so the knife doesn’t get damaged against the hard surface. There’s so many things I can teach you and so little time to do it in.

The interesting ways YouTube uses algorithms in their search engine is so users get suggestions to other sites they may like. Wolf’s interview with Cristos Goodrow shows how YouTube finds suggestions for videos. He explains that the suggestions are based off of what other users have watched next, so the server suggests the those videos to you, thinking that if they liked it so will you. That algorithm could be very helpful to me as people are always looking up tips on “how to” in the kitchen. This would give my page a broader fan base with a higher likelihood of getting more views.

Wolf, Christine T. “DIY Videos on YouTube: Identity and possibility in the age of algorithms.” First Monday.