Home › Preserving › French Knives

French Knives

A small French knife (one with the trademark of the hand upon it) is the best knife yet found for paring fruit; the blade is thin, and being of good steel will take and keep an edge.

The blade should be scoured often during use; especially is this true when preparing oranges and grapefruit for marmalade. Scoured often with Sapolio, then washed and wiped dry, the slicing will be done with ease. The food chopper, often recommended as a time saver in preparing fruit for marmalade, should never be used for the purpose. Silver knives are too thick and clumsy when a thin paring is to be removed, and they are not sufficiently sharp to cut easily through the peel of citrus fruit. A larger knife is needed for cutting grapefruit into halves and quarters than for slicing the same.

Let the fruit rest on a board while it is being cut.