The Lost Art of Carving (Part 1)

Get the Right Equipment

Once a ritual rite of passage, the decline of the Sunday roast has made the art of carving at the table just a dim but pleasant and re-assuring memory for many people.

The loss of this simple skill is now so acute that Baby Boomers and Gen X are signing up for master classes just to the learn skills which can put formal family meals back on the agenda.

But carving isn't really some arcane science which needs specialist help and out-sourcing. The purpose of carving, after all, is simply to obtain the greatest number of large, moist slices of meat from a joint of meat or poultry.

While you can spend hundreds of dollars on the best equipment, all you really need is a large fork, sharp knife and a carving board - all of which you already own or can be purchased for a modest price.

Basic Materials

Carving Knife:
Purchase a stainless steel (preferably "high carbon" ss) carving knife between 20 cm 38 cm (8 and 15 inches) in length.

You'll notice that a carving knife is thinner than a kitchen or chopping knife (particularly at the spine), enabling it to carve thinner, more precise slices. They are generally shorter and wider than slicing knives.

Despite some of the better brands selling for around $250 each, you should be able to pick one up for less than $100 (check the sales!). With reasonable care (which includes separate hand-washing and storing them in a block not in contact with other kitchen utensils) your knife will last for many years!

Some popular brands are: Furi, Wurtoff, Mundial and Wiltshire.

Carving Fork:

The carving fork's purpose is two-fold: to hold your roast steady while carving and to retain all your fingers!

Look for one with a long handle and two long, sharp "tangs" or prongs. Normally a carving fork will be the same length or a bit shorter than your carving knife.

While carving forks with a protective guard at the bolster (where the tangs meet the handle) are less common these days there are very many designs around and if you are worried about a bit of home surgery, it's worth looking for this specific feature.

Again, look for quality stainless steel with a comfortable grip. Carving forks are usually included in knife block sets which can be another economical was to pick up good carving equipment at a reasonable price.

Carving Board:

As you would know from reading earlier posts I strongly recommend wooden carving boards over plastic, marble or glass for the inherent anti-bacterial properties and because wood is also kinder to your knives.

A high quality, medium density carving board like camphor laurel is an investment that will give years of service.

In fact, Australian camphor laurel has so many great properties for carving and chopping boards that we carry a large range of boards on our retail site.

I highly recommend the Federation Carving board which is a huge board (40cm x 50cm) and has deep juice channels to collect the juices which can then be poured over the carved meat prior to serving or used to make a sumptuous gravy.

Coming In Part 2

So, having invested in a some reasonable quality carving equipment, next part of this series will look at the basics of carving different meats and share a few kitchen secrets to make your carving experience all the richer.