420 Nutrition & Wellness for Life Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. A chef’s knife is an all-purpose, versatile kitchen knife, measuring from 6 to 12 inches long. It is used for most types of chopping, dicing, slicing, and mincing, as well as for heavy-duty work with thicker cuts of vegetables and meats. A utility knife is a small, lightweight knife that is slightly larger than a paring knife. It measure from 4 to 7 inches long, and is used for miscellaneous light cutting. A paring knife is a small knife with a straight, sharp blade usually between 3 and 5 inches long. It is used for peeling and coring foods, and mincing or cutting small items. A serrated knife has a 5- to 10-inch blade with a sawtooth edge. It is used for slic- ing through foods that are firm on the outside and soft on the inside, like breads and soft fruits or vegetables. FOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT Conservation in the Kitchen Most people don’t think about the amount of resources that are used for food preparation. It is important to establish practices to conserve resources for future generations. The entire household should participate in conservation of resources on a daily basis. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests individuals reduce, reuse, and recycle waste to conserve resources. Households can reduce the amount of trash thrown away by • reusing containers, • composting food scraps, • recycling waste when possible and buying products made with recycled materials, • purchasing products with as little packaging as possible, and • using cloth napkins rather than disposable paper napkins. Households can reduce energy and water use by • turning off lights when not in use, • running dishwasher only when full, • allowing dishes to air-dry and skipping dishwasher’s dry cycle, • using the appropriate-size burner for the pot or pan, • cleaning and maintaining refrigerators and freezers, • using as little water as possible when cooking, • scraping dishes (not rinsing) before placing in dishwasher, • keeping drinking water in the refrigerator rather than running faucet water until it is cool, and • defrosting foods in refrigerator overnight rather than in running water. Think Critically 1. Discuss the challenges and benefits of composting food waste at home after visiting the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website. 2. What actions are required to get your school on board with the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle? 3. You found leftover meal items in the refrigerator. The items are half of a turkey loaf, a bag of frozen peas, salad greens, a loaf of bread, and a bag of carrots. Consider a way to repurpose these items to create a new meal. ducu59us/Shutterstock.com