Oyster Knife – Every Kitchen Needs This

Oyster knife is a perfect tool utensil for the home kitchen cook.  How could you have oysters without an oyster knife? I wouldn’t want you to injure yourself, so starting with the right gadget makes logical sense.

Most people that love oysters and eat them on a pretty regular basis will have an oyster knife. For those of you that think this is a waste of money on kitchen tools and that you could possibly use a butter knife, you are wrong! This item would not have stayed so darn popular if it could change places with a butter knife!

Use your butter knife for butter and your oyster knife for oysters. This is actually a pretty easy process, this is more of a precautionary article rather than a how-to! First off, you need to get yourself an oyster knife. These can be found almost anywhere that sells gadgets for the kitchen.

Once you have purchased some oyster knives, the next trick is to use them. This might take you some practice if you are new to oyster shucking. But soon you will be seeing perfectly-opened oysters on your oyster plate.

Do you know how to open an oyster with an oyster knife?

Make sure, again, you do not use a butter knife or any ole sharp knife. Especially not a sharp knife! Oysters oftentimes open in weird directions and ways, so the last thing you want to do is get cut!

Second off, you must wear gloves. Not only for a sanitary reason and so you will not go the rest of the day smelling like oysters, but it also adds a layer of protection – not only against the oyster, but the knife as well. If you have ever held a live oyster before you know that the ends and outside of the shell can be really sharp!

One type of glove that a lot of people choose is a “dish” or… “fish” glove rather than a medical glove because these are extra thick and will ensure your safety! If you simply do not desire to use gloves, do yourself a favor and at least use a towel or you will be hurtin’.

Third off, you need to take your time with this, especially if you are a newbie. A shucker that has been doing this for years can shuck hundreds in a minute. But, for someone like you, you should really take it easy. This is not a contest (or maybe it is!), so just take your time, breath and relax, and shuck away.

If you are a newbie and you are using an oyster knife, make sure you buy smaller oysters. Not only are these sweeter in taste, but they are also easier to open! And lastly, if you open an oyster and it has a gross or “dead” smell, throw it out!

Oysters should always have a refreshing somewhat salty smell to them, they should never smell like decayed or old meat so when in doubt, throw it out! Now when you decide to actually start the shucking process, you need to find the “hinge” on the oyster and cut the knife up under it until you reach far back to the adductor muscle.

This muscle is what is keeping the shell closed and it is TOUGH! Do not use brute force when doing this or you could very well break the knife! Just shimmy it in there and slice across the muscle, once you do this the shell will open up quite nicely.

Then, scrape the meat off the shell and that is it! Pretty darn simple and pretty darn delicious! You will find that fresh oysters in season are a different kind of enjoyment than canned or jar oysters.  An oyster platter of oysters on ice is spectacular.

Now that you have your oyster knife you are free to go crazy cooking, making all kinds oyster recipes… easy and fun. A good starter dish to begin with might be oyster stew with oyster crackers, or perhaps baked oysters. From there you could venture into Oysters Rockefeller or grilled oysters. Oyster stuffing takes some time- not because of the oysters so much as because of the other things that the oyster dressing recipe might require (chopping everything). Fried oysters are my favorite of favorites (did I mention they’re my favorite?!), and for that you might need a new home fryer or kitchen thermometer to do the job right.  Peel shrimp and oysters are also an incredible dish (uh oh, that’s one of my favorites too! LOL!)  Believe me, I could go on and on when it comes to oysters (try them with clams, scallops, or other seafood!!),

Oh man, I’m getting hungry. Help- I need oysters!! It’s time to do some cooking. It makes sense to own your own oyster knife.

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