Home & Kitchen with Caraway

Stay Sharp: Easy Tips For Improving Your Knife Skills

This is Caraway Month, and all month long, we'll be dishing out the secrets of our favorite food creators. Stay tuned for weekly deals, surprises, and inspiration to take your home cooking to the next level.

We spoke with Sofia Branco Kraft a cook, recipe developer and food stylist from Los Angeles to discuss her experience with our Prep Set and how she stays sharp in the kitchen.

Psst...spend $695+ this week and receive a free Knife Set on us!

Tell us a bit about your background and your love affair with food.

I grew up in the kitchen, always reaching for the wooden spoon to help stir something. My family is Portuguese and food has always been an essential part of every day, whether it be for a celebration or a simple family dinner, the process of gathering ingredients, cooking and eating has always felt ceremonial.

Spending summers with my family in Portugal, instilled the importance of fresh and quality ingredients as well as creating experiences around a meal. This has stuck with me throughout my cooking and still feels like a vital component. I always want to get my hands on quality ingredients and keep it simple to let those ingredients shine. I also think that because cooking and food feels so nostalgic to me, I try and incorporate that nostalgia for others through flavors, visual and conversations at a meal.

Name three tools in your kitchen you can’t live without.

The three tools I can’t live without in my kitchen are a microplane, a good Sauté Pan , and most importantly a sharp knife (these days I am reaching for my Caraway Chef’s Knife and Serrated Knife ).

What is it about Caraway’s Knife Set that sets it apart from other products you’ve used?

The handles themselves are very comfortable for consistent use and the weight of the handle and blade feels very balanced. They also feel very approachable. Sometimes chef’s knives can feel intimidating but the whole set is very well rounded and should meet anyone's needs in the kitchen, wherever they’re at.

What tips do you have for someone looking to level up their knife skills? Are there resources to go to?

I have learned so much from observing chefs in their element. A great place to eat an amazing meal and observe a chef work their magic is at a sushi restaurant. Watching a sushi chef is like watching a performance, and behind any delicious sushi meal is an amazing chef with incredible knife wielding skills. You don’t even necessarily have to go in-person. I often find myself in a rabbit hole watching clips from old school cooking shows, trying to absorb the methods of others as much as possible.

Like with most things, to develop confidence and skill in any avenue, it takes practice practice practice. As long as you know the safety basics, the best way to learn is trial and error because the more you practice, the higher your confidence gets. Once your hands get into the motion, then it can become second nature.

Crying while chopping onions… any way to get around that?

I once heard that if you put a slice of bread in your mouth while you chop onions, it will help with the tears… but honestly any excuse to eat some delicious bread I am game for. I personally love the flavor of onions that are on the sweeter side and it just so happens that they don’t cause as many tears while chopping.

How do you stay sharp in the kitchen? What’s fueling your creativity right now when it comes to food?

For me, staying sharp and inspired in the kitchen starts with sourcing my ingredients. My creativity is fueled by inspiration. The energy I get from talking to farmers at the market, being outside in the sunshine, and smelling all the produce puts a skip in my step, and makes me excited to create something delicious and nourishing.

I also do have a collection of cookbooks that I reference. I have never really been one for recipes (unless a sweet, sometimes being specific about amounts is very key especially with desserts), but I am such a visual person that taking time with a cup of tea and pouring over the images of food from books can be very inspiring and present.

Ready to sharpen your skills? Receive a free Knife Set when you spend $625+ now through Sunday, 6/16 at 11:59PM ET. and don't forget to check back Monday to see what we'll be serving up next during Caraway Month.