Meat carving

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A meat carver is a person who carves individual portions from roasts and poultry to obtain a maximum or satisfactory number of portions of meat portions, using carving knives and meat-slicing machines. Meat carvers disjoint roasts and poultry, slice uniform portions of meat and either arrange individual portions on the plate or place sliced meat in either a steamtable container or any type of oven to keep them warm. They sometimes ladle gravy over food and garnish the plates. They may also be responsible for removing shells from seafood or bones fish, using forks. They may weigh sliced meat to ensure that portions are uniform and serve food from steamtable, in capacity as a server.

Meat carving is also considered a skill for the private dinner table. In "The Laws of Etiquette, by a Gentleman," the author comments on the convention:

[Meat] Carving therefore becomes an indispensable branch of a gentleman's education. You should no more think of going to a dinner without a knowledge of this art, than you should think of going without your shoes. The gentleman of the house selects the various dishes in the order in which they should be cut, and invites some particular one to perform the office. It is excessively awkward to be obliged to decline, yet it is a thing too often occurring in this country. When you carve, you should never rise from your seat.

[edit] Techniques

Technique for cutting chicken:

1st. Place with the breast facing upward and cut the string attaching the legs.

2nd. Turn it over and take the string off. Different places tend to wrap the string differently

3rd. Turn it over again, slice the skin of both the legs lightly.

4th. Cut through the middle. To do this you do the following: put the knife pointing toward the head of the chicken. Lightly cut the breast so the knife is inserted about a third into the chicken. Lower the end of the knife that is pointing towards the head so that it touches the cutting surface. Position yourself so that you can give maximum force in one thrust to the handle of the chicken. Thrust with all your weight down into the chicken to cut threw the breast bone and the spine in one hit. Cut the rest of the attached spine.

5th. Remove the legs and the breast by graving them and pulling them apart lightly. They should come apart if you cut the skin and took the spine out completely.