Many of you probably don’t know how to use a hash knife, let alone what it is. Also known as the cowboy hash knife, it is the ultimate cooking tool for cowboys. Unique in design, you might enjoy using it as I have. On that note, let me help you with some tips on the proper use of a hash knife.
These days, you probably hear about this particular kitchen tool after watching Kent Rollins and his famous hash knife. Showing how skillful he is in handling this huge, efficient knife, many of you probably broke down and got your own. I can tell you that it is undoubtedly a knife you will love to the point of being tempted to get another.
But if you are unsure how to use it, below are some instructions to follow:
What You Will Need;
- Hash knife
- Fresh produce
You only need one thing for this tutorial/guide/how-to – a hash knife. But of course, you also need foods like vegetables and such to try on this kitchen tool. Hash knives are incredibly functional, with the ability to make dicing and cutting so efficient. It makes an excellent cutting tool when cubing potatoes, dicing onions, cutting peppers, etc.
Hash knives are pretty impressive, including some of the things tied to it, like the Hashknife Brand. The design that the Vanderverts brand their cattle was inspired by this knife, which cattle camp cooks used in cutting vegetables and beef into cubes. These cubed foods were used to make hash, which is likely how the blade got its name.
A hash knife is an all-time kitchen tool with a history as far back as the 1800s. What is great about this knife is it is all-in-one. That is – you can use it as a dicer, slicer, or chopper. It has a different style of blade, unlike the Alaskan Ulu. The blade is of a 180-degree curve, which has tails on the ends.
Even the handle of the knife is of a unique design. It includes a straight shaft that connects the handle to the middle of the blade. Thanks to this, you can rock the knife back and forth to cut, cube, or dice easily. Even more so, the handle allows you to grip it all the way through, genuinely making the use of this blade efficient.
Thanks to this design, you do not really have to worry about how to use a hash knife properly. It is easy and straightforward. But if you still feel worried and awkward, this article gives you some tips and instructions. Below are a few things that can make its use a lot easier for you.
How to Use a Hash Knife – Step by Step Instructions
Here is how to use a hash knife
1. Start with Preparation
First, take out your hash knife and the vegetables you want to cut, chop, slice, or dice. You can pretty much use this blade on anything. However, it is not the best knife for bread and tomatoes, among other foods. You can use it in foods that you usually cut, chop, or slice with your kitchen knife.
2. Slicing Vegetables
Cutting or slicing vegetables with a hash knife is simple. All you need to do is to roll the blade back and forth. Just rolling the knife forward as you cut is also an excellent way to use it, but rocking it back and forth makes a fluid motion. This movement is easy and makes an even cutting.
Here is a video by Kent Rollins that can teach you more about using a hash knife.
3. Chopping Vegetables
For cutting vegetables with a hash knife, follow the same technique when chopping using other knives. Place the tail of the blade on the cutting board, keeping it on constant contact. Then, raise it upwards before slicing into the food with an up and down motion. Continue cutting through the food using the full length of the hash knife.
4. Dice Vegetables
Dicing with a hash knife is also pretty much the same as slicing. Grip the hash knife then roll it back and forth onto the vegetable to cut the vegetables lengthwise into slices. Take those slices and put them on top of each other before cutting them into sticks. Now to dice, you just need to cut the sticks crosswise with the same width as the sticks before.
It is not difficult to use a hash knife, and there is no particular way to use it. That’s why it is not a knife you need but rather want, out of convenience. You see, using it is easy thanks to its distinct shape that lets you simply roll it when cutting or slicing. Thanks to the handle as well, it is not strenuous to use that it causes pain on the wrist.
Besides learning how to use a hash knife, it might interest you to know how to sharpen it. Just like with using it, sharpening a hash knife is easy as well. That is because you sharpen its blade the same as a regular knife. You can use the same sharpening tools as well, whether a whetstone, a sharpening rod, or a butcher’s sharpener.
Here is how to do that with a butcher steel sharpener:
- Hold the sharpener at a 45-degree angle away from your body. Ensure that you are comfortable holding the knife.
- Grab the knife at the handle.
- Hold it at around the same angle as the sharpener. When sharpening, run the hash knife from the top then beneath.
- Begin at the base then pull down to the tip on each stroke, making sure you stay even.
That is how simple sharpening a hash knife or any other knife that is. Do this, and you can make sure your kitchen blade can do what you need it for. Don’t forget to polish it as well, which will make sure it lasts at least a couple of decades.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy this how-to guide? It looks like a hash knife is a bit troublesome to use, but that is not true. It will feel awkward at first, but just like with other blades, it only takes getting used to the knife. I am hoping with this guide, you now know how to use a hash knife and will enjoy using it in your kitchen.
