Fruit and vegetable carving for beginners: everything about this amazing form of creativity. What is the name of fruit and vegetable carving - an edible beauty Carving tools for beginners

It is necessary to have not only skill and good taste, but also special knives for carving. In this article, you will learn how to choose the right knives for carving, what types of knives are there and what they can be used for.

Carving knives - everything you need to know about them

For carving, not only knives can be used, but also special tools and devices. For now, we will focus on knives only. In the meantime, watch a short video that will inspire you to work.

Classification of carving knives

Conventionally, all carving knives can be divided into several groups according to the type of blade:

The types of carving knives listed above are the main ones. The first three are the most in demand. Of course, in addition to them, there are many other tools and devices (for cutting spirals and serpentine, for cutting straws, etc.), which will be devoted to the following articles on the blog. It is also worth noting that such devices are used not only in cooking, but also in other similar areas of decoration and engraving. With such a large arsenal of knives on hand, it's not difficult.

Carving Knife Blades

The metal from which carving knives are made must also be special. Some knives are designed exclusively for stabbing movements; they will not cut with them. The blade of such tools must be very thin (compared to traditional kitchen knives), as the thicker blade will offer more resistance when penetrating the fruit. A thin blade will not only go in more easily, but the cut will also be more accurate. Of course, a thin blade is less durable, so the steel of most carving knives must be very hard. Unfortunately, solid steel has its drawbacks - it is brittle, so it is highly not recommended to drop a carving tool, like a hairdressing one.

Flexible steel knives that can bend slightly, such as long sickle knives, are sometimes useful. They are an exception to the general rule. It's not just good material that makes a tool durable and reliable, but remember that proper handling is essential.

Carving knife handles

Carving knives are very different from ordinary kitchen knives. These differences lie not only in the specially shaped blades, but also in the handle. The carving knife should lie comfortably in your hand so that you are comfortable working with it for a long time. An uncomfortable grip will cause unnecessary tension and fatigue. Therefore, you need to try to find a handle that is convenient for you. The most popular handles are roughened polyamide. On the one hand, they are quite lightweight, durable and hygienic, and on the other, they fit well in the hand and do not slip. The handles should be well sanded and free from burrs or nicks.

You also need to pay attention to the weight and balance of the knife. The convenience of using a knife depends to a large extent on where the center of gravity is located in relation to other parts of the knife and the master's hand. Since the blades of carving knives are usually short and relatively thin, the center of gravity is shifted back towards the handle. They try to make knives for carving as light as possible so that the excess weight does not affect the accuracy of the movements, even during very long work. Many professional carving knives weigh only 50-70 grams.

Sharpening blades on carving knives

For knives to work effectively, they need the right sharpening. Each blade must be sharpened at a certain angle and evenly. For some carving knives, which have a curved blade shape, this is very difficult to do. Many people have heard of laser sharpening, but few understand what this means. Sharpening is not carried out directly by the laser, it can only temper the blade or adjust the sharpening angle. An even and even sharpened edge will provide good performance and will prevent the knife from dulling quickly. Find out how

The set of basic tools for working in the carving technique is not large: 5 carbide knives, a Thai knife, a noisette “ball” knife with a diameter of 2 cm and a sharpener for sharpening. They are aimed at both professionals and those who want to master the art of carving.

These are grooved knives for decorative cutting. With triangular carbine knives - acute-angled and Y-shaped - it is easy and simple to cut pointed flower petals and patterns. Oval knives of different sizes are indispensable for cutting petals and rounded patterns.

Musat
A sharpening stone for delicate dressing of the cutting edge of the tool.

Thai knife
Special knife for cutting and applying complex patterns. Using this knife alone, Thai craftsmen create real works of art from vegetables and fruits.

Noisette knife (notch knife)
The ball noisette knife is used to cut out balls or hemispheres, which is especially important when making flower stamens. Convenient to use double-sided noisette knife with recesses 2.2 and 3 cm in diameter.

Additional tools
In addition to the basic ones, there are a number of additional tools that will become your faithful helpers when performing any work with vegetables and fruits, save time and greatly expand your creative possibilities. Try to purchase additional tools of the same quality as the main ones.
Thus, you can be sure that they will not let you down in the process of work and will not ruin the product.

Piller knife (vegetable peeler)
A tool for cleaning vegetables and fruits. The floating blade peels off a thin layer of skin. Also, the tool is equipped with a point for removing "eyes" from potatoes.

Small bent knife (sickle-shaped)
Used for making rounded shapes. When cutting, the knife slides along the contour of the vegetables, cutting off a layer of pulp of the desired thickness and width. Ideal for cutting arcs, curved lines, petals and intricate patterns on large fruits - melon, watermelon, pumpkin.

Calibration knife
Designed for curly cutting of raw and boiled vegetables. It is used for cutting out ornaments - corrugated plates, spirals.

Noisety knife "oval" and "cloud"
Used for making three-dimensional figures.

Flute knife
Designed for removing thin strips from vegetables and fruits and applying decorative flute grooves on them.

Engraving knife (triangular)
It is widely used in carving for cutting ornaments and patterns of varying complexity. Allows you to set different widths and depths of decorative grooves.

Serpentinorez
The tool works on the principle of a sharpener: it removes continuous thin shavings from a vegetable, from which you can make a decoration in the form of a serpentine or a flower bud.

Straw knife
With this tool, you can quickly cut from any hard vegetable - carrots, zucchini, cucumber, daikon - into thin strips.

Curlers
Device for cutting garlands of cylindrical vegetables - cucumber, zucchini, daikon, carrots.

Spiral
A tool for cutting a spiral from hard vegetables - daikon, carrots, beets, as well as for preparing potatoes for stuffing.

Word "Carving" entered our speech thanks to the English word " carving ", which literally translates as "cutting". Further, in the culinary art, the artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits began to be called carving. We will not delve into the history of the origin of Carving, we will better understand its very foundations, watch many master classes, learn the secrets of professionals and be inspired by the masterpieces of the Masters. If you knew quite a bit about Carving from vegetables and fruits, then after reading this detailed article "Cross" you will know almost everything about it!

Fruits and Vegetables for Carving

Vegetables and fruits that are most suitable for curly cutting:

carrot;
potato;
cucumber;
radish;
radish;
ginger;
melon;
watermelon;
pumpkin;
zucchini;
Apple;
quince;
pear;
kiwi;
mango;
avocado;
banana;
orange and other citrus fruits.

For cutting, it is better to choose fruits and vegetables with a flat and smooth surface, because they are easier to work with. The minimum amount of pulp and seeds will also make the cutting process easier.

It is better to choose fruits that are as hard as possible or even unripe. Do not use overripe fruits, otherwise the finished product will not hold its shape well. Thick-skinned citrus fruits are preferred.

Cucumbers and carrots are more suitable straight, tomatoes - plum, radishes and beets - spherical.

Choose the brightest vegetables and fruits so that the patterns on the peel look more effective against the contrasting background of the pulp.

Core remover apples or pears and creating grooves in patterns:

Die cut- molds with a pointed edge, thanks to which it is convenient to squeeze out the contour of the image on the surface of vegetables or fruits (just attach it to the fruit and press). Cut-out shapes can decorate a dish or become part of a complex composition.

Curly cookie cutters perfect for cutting on vegetables and fruits:

Knife "Fat" to remove the thinnest layer from cheese and other soft products can also be used in Carving to create:

An analogue of this knife can be multifunctional spiral tool Slicers with stainless steel knife:

Photo from www.gearbest.com

Toothpicks indispensable for fastening vegetable and fruit preparations.

Kebab skewers find even greater application:

Skewers make spiral slicing easier

Perfect for mini barbecues

You will also need skewers to make curls from lemon zest.

Alternative to special tools

Do not be discouraged if at the moment you do not have at hand all of the above tools for Carving. Resourceful people have already come up with a great alternative to them!

spicy scalpel;
tools for ;
worn down over time kitchen knives;
can lids(bent in half, they will replace oval knives, bent to the end - triangular);

tea spoon and an ice cream scoop is a great replacement for a noisette spoon;
for cleaning vegetables will allow you to cut long strips that can be twisted in the form of roses.

Egg cutters and apple slicers may also come in handy:

How to choose the right tools

Knife blades must be free of burrs and notches.
The best blades are made of high-strength stainless steel - they will not deform and oxidize during operation.
Quality tools have an ergonomic handle for comfort and safety when cutting.
Handles made of modern materials such as polyamide are durable and meet all hygienic requirements. They are resistant to juice, grease, detergents, do not absorb moisture and foreign odors.
Be careful with the metal handles, they are durable but slip in the hand.
Wooden handles absorb odors and moisture, and cracks form in them rather quickly.

Carving Basics for Beginners

One should start to master the art of Carving with the simplest figures.

Fruit carving

Carving on apples

If it seems to you that you need to cut exclusively masterpieces and not otherwise than on whole fruits, then you are wrong! Even a small piece of apple, decorated with the simplest checkerboard pattern, already looks quite interesting!

How the simplest patterns are made (including the "checkerboard") is shown in the video obento4kids:

Spending a little more time, you will give a completely different sound to the usual dishes!

Photo from the site kinarino.jp

Want to surprise your guests? Cut the apple into the finest slices!

The method of curly carving a swan from an apple, known to many, is shown by Ekaterina Vozhova:

And you, using the same method, make a basket or:

Carving on bananas is quite difficult to carry out, because the peel is soft and the flesh darkens quickly. However, bananas are used as a base for carving.

Autor - Stephan Brusche

Bananas are more convenient to use in table setting. You can make dolphins - improvised vases of bananas, as in the channel's video ItalyPaul:

And here the peacock is from a banana, and its tail is a fruit and berry cut:

Carving on oranges and other citrus fruits

Citrus carving is quite popular, especially underneath.

How to make pomanders- natural flavors shows Elena Perova:

Channel Fruity Freshy Juicy shows how to make a rose from an orange, and leaves from an apple:

The orange cat will provide a great mood at any time of the year!

For original ways of slicing lemon, see this video:

It's a little more difficult to make an edible lemon basket:

And for dessert - Carving on a lemon peel!

Variations on a theme:

Carving on vegetables

Pepper carving

Both hot and bell peppers are mainly suitable for:

Channel FRUITCARVING.PL will teach you how to cut Anthurium from bell peppers:

Cutting carrots is very, very interesting! See for yourself, you can make at least corn, at least:

Of the simpler options - flowers and leaves:

Potato carving

Potatoes can be used to make not only a beautiful decoration for the table, but also delicious!

It was previously mentioned that the finished work can be steamed, deep-fried and baked in the oven.

For example, if instead of ordinary sticks of potatoes you fry or bake potato roses, you will get such a beautiful dish:

Photo from the site lublyou.com

How to cut potato roses

For each rose use 1 medium or 1/2 large potato.

Peel the skin thinly, cut one end of the potato in five slices so that the bottom looks like a pentagon and the top remains round.
Use a thin and sharp knife and start cutting off the thin petal, gradually approaching the base, but not reaching it. Make 5 of these petals (one on each side of the pentagon).
Remove some of the potato pulp all around the circle under the first row of petals, forming the base to cut the second row.
Cut out the second row of petals alternating with the first row. Again remove the pulp all over the potato under a new row.
Repeat until you reach the middle.
Store your finished potato roses in a bowl of cold water to keep them from drying out.
Before baking, quickly dry the roses with a paper towel, place in an oiled pan, sprinkle with salt, add rosemary or your favorite condiment and bake until soft and golden.

Potato Carving is also notable for what it allows you to do on paper or fabric.

However, pumpkins can be completely harmless, even if they are lanterns ...

The above examples of cutting out vegetables and fruits are quite enough to beautifully serve the most ordinary dish, the main thing is to try to do it yourself. For more inspiration, check out examples of exquisitely set tables and Carving-inspired dishes.

Bouquets of vegetables and fruits

In addition to decorating the table, Carving from vegetables and fruits can be used in the preparation.

Fruits are cut and put on kebab skewers

Vegetable flowers are collected in exquisite bouquets

Luxurious decoration of the festive table!

Photo from the site http://www.templeofthai.com

You can collect bouquets directly from flowers, vegetables and fruits. Most often, they use whole fruits, but to give the bouquet a certain "zest" some fruits are cut in half or partially peeled off:

Photo from the site vkusdi.ru

You can apply Carving elements when making bouquets, for example, by collecting a rose from dried apricots, as well as very carefully peeling a pomegranate or even cutting out simple patterns on it:

Bouquets of vegetables are also very interesting if, in addition to greens and selected vegetables, some of them, for example, a bitter radish, are Carving:

Photo from the site vk.com/o_horosho

And be sure to look analysis of errors when making bouquets of vegetables and fruits from the canal Flower chef:

Interior decor

Vases for fresh flowers

Please note that the citrus fruit circles are placed in a separate container of water (larger), and the bouquet itself is placed in a narrower vase or transparent glass

It will be difficult for a child to make even the simplest patterns and cuts, so use awl and paper templates... The picture is superimposed on a fruit or vegetable, holes are made around the entire contour with an awl (this can be done by the child himself under the supervision of an adult), which are then cut out with a sharp knife (and this is better done by an adult).

... "Cross" has collected for you the simplest options for crafts using Carving elements. They are so cute that you definitely want to repeat them!

Penguin and Pear Parrots

Snail (www.handmadecharlotte.com) and Cucumber Killer Whale

If your child is not very fond of fresh vegetables and fruits, apply imagination and Carving!

It's safest to give your kids a curly cutter rather than sharp knives!

Banana is a perishable product, so it is not suitable for crafts, but you can surprise and please your baby for breakfast or afternoon tea!

Masterpieces of Carving Masters

Finally, so that you finally and irrevocably fall in love with Carving, we will tell you about two Masters of their craft.

Marilyn Sunderland, USA, an artist by training, practiced traditional painting until she found her true calling in Carving. Namely, in artistic carving on pumpkins.

Marilyn dries each pumpkin for about 6 months before she starts carving.

Her works are very popular with private collectors, and they are also bought by exhibition and art galleries.

Daniel started carving at the age of 7. The first material for creativity was ordinary soap, later he tried his hand at Carving and he did a great job!

Daniel Baresi is now an internationally recognized master of Carving.

As Daniel himself says, he forgets about everything in the world when he starts cutting. His works are so beautiful because of what he creates with his heart.

Categories

Curly cutting and carving of vegetables and fruits "Delicious flower fantasy".

Simple cutting of vegetables and fruits step by step with a photo

Guest Ksenia Aleksandrovna, physical education teacher, MOU "School No. 53", Oktyabrsky settlement, Lyuberetskiy district, Moscow region.
Goal and tasks:
- development of creativity, imagination;
- to form an aesthetic taste;
- to educate accuracy in the performance of work, caution;
- learn to cut vegetables using the "carving" technique
Purpose:
This master class is intended for high school children, teachers, parents and creative people. Such a design of dishes is suitable for any holiday, banquet and, simply, to improve the perception of food and good mood.

For decoration we need:
Tomato, cucumber, lemon, orange, pear, apple, kiwi, onion, cutting board, 2 knives (large and small with cloves), 2 flat plates, towel.

Progress.

Carving(from English carving - "cutting out") - the art of artistic cutting for vegetables and fruits, as well as for wood, ice and stones.
Tips for a beginner "carvinger" Not every fruit, vegetable is suitable for carving. So, for example, the radish should be large and bright, the carrot should be smooth and smooth, the orange should be very fresh. It is better to take apples with smooth skin, cucumbers - even and with dark skin, pumpkins with rough skin have a more dense and easy-to-use pulp. Decorations should be combined with the dish in color and taste. It is better to decorate meat dishes with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, seafood - lemons. Fruits will serve as an excellent decoration for a dessert, as well as an independent delicacy. When choosing combinations of products, give preference to contrasting colors - the compositions will be more enchanting. Red, green, yellow are favorites. Fruits and vegetables for carving must be clean and dry. Everything must have a golden mean. You should not over-decorate dishes - measure is important in everything.

1) The first vegetable to start with is a tomato. We cut it in half and cut off the unnecessary part.

2) Then, with a sharp knife, thinly cut one of the halves of the tomato.

If it is small, then you can combine the two sliced halves into one. As in the photo.

3) After that we "stretch" the tomato as thin as possible and begin to twist it into flowers.

4) To gently transfer the finished flower to the dish, you need to grab it with both hands, pressing it from all sides.

Ready! You can put a leaf of lettuce on the bottom of the plate.

5) Our flower is missing something. You can add parsley or make cucumber bells. To do this, put the cucumber in the palm of your hand. With a sharp small knife, directing it towards ourselves, cut the cucumber in the shape of a petal, immersing the knife blade to the middle. Then, turning it, cut two more petals.

6) You should get a bell with three petals. To separate the flower from the cucumber, you need to turn it slightly and it will disappear by itself.

Then you can continue in the same order until the cucumber runs out.

You can add strips of pepper or olive oil to the center of the bells.

7) You can also cut thin cucumber strips and fold them in half without breaking them to complement our dish.

8) Gradually we move on to the bow. What can be made from onions? We can make a water lily out of it. To do this, peel the onion, soak it in cold water so that we do not cry. Then you need to cut it evenly with teeth, immersing the knife only to the middle. Upon completion, it easily falls into two halves.

All parts of the onion must be removed and collected, already forming a flower.

9) Our decoration for the dish is ready and you can add chopped vegetables or cold cuts.

If you want to treat guests with sandwiches, you can use the middle for a tomato flower.

10) The vegetable decoration is ready. Now you can start decorating the fruit plate. To do this, we need to cut a half of an orange as described above.

11) Do the same with lemon.

By the way, the lemon flower goes very well with fish products.

12) Next, cut the kiwi, as in the photo. You can decorate a plate or spread it like this on the fruit.

13) Now my favorite. Apple and pear wings. We need the halves of the fruit.

Visually divide the apple in half. I cut out a strip for you, for clarity. On one of the halves we find the middle and immerse the knife slightly deepening. To make it easier to imagine, we kind of cut off the peel. You need to get half a petal.

Then, on the other hand, we do the same, but we cut exactly to the corners made. It is necessary to ensure that the excess is not cut off. It turned out to be a piece of paper.

Departing from the cut out 2-3mm, cut out the next leaf.

Cut it out until we reach our "border" of the apple.

Now we connect all the parts and push them apart so that we get a wing.

14) These wings look like petals, so they can be used in cooking when decorating any dishes. And so that the apple does not darken, it must be sprinkled with lemon or dipped in acidified water. For those who do not tolerate monotony and dullness in the design of dishes, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with this article.

First of all, everyone should be aware that any art requires diligent practice. Only then can positive results be expected. Naturally, before proceeding with practical actions, it is necessary to study the theoretical foundations. Having received theoretical training in the form of photo and video materials, you need to acquire the necessary ones, after which you can safely proceed to the most interesting process.

Basic techniques of culinary carving for dummies

The main thing that beginners need to understand and remember is that most of the success depends on the choice of quality tools. It is worth starting with the simplest devices and the simplest crafts. Gradually, as you gain skill and dexterity, you can move on to more. We suggest watching a few videos that will serve as an excellent theoretical lesson and a source of inspiration.

Simple die cuts for carving

Perhaps, die cuts are the most basic carving tools. It will not be difficult for a beginner to make beautiful figures and patterns from vegetables and fruits using these devices.

Spiral cutting

Thanks to the tools designed for spiral cutting, every carving master, regardless of the level of professionalism, will be able to create stunning edible garlands, spirals, curls.

Thin shavings from serpentine cutter

With the help of a serpentine cutter, which rather resembles a pencil sharpener, you can remove whole thin chips from vegetables and fruits, from which you can make original ones. Even a child can handle this tool.

Channeling

What does fluted mean? In other words, covered with flutes, and flutes are called peculiar incisions and grooves on the surface of the product (cucumber, carrot, lemon). With the help of the flute technique, you can come up with original decorations in the form of flowers for dishes.

Curly gauge slicing

A special sizing knife is used here, which gives curly cuts to vegetables and fruits. Suitable for cutting even the hardest vegetables.

Hemispheres with noisets

Nouzettes will help you cut even balls and hemispheres from any vegetables and fruits. With this tool, you can easily extract the pulp of the fruit.

Breathe life into boring and monotonous food decoration! Give a holiday to yourself and your loved ones!

15-10-2014, 21:29

To make a chrysanthemum, you need a small onion. At your discretion, you can use a white or red onion. A flower from a small onion turns out to be more beautiful. Also, the thickness of the onion walls affects the quality of the flower. The petals from a thin-walled bulb are more graceful.

25-12-2014, 21:27

The success of the work depends on the correct selection of vegetables. Vegetables should be the freshest, natural, regular shape, without irregularities and damage. We offer you to get acquainted with the tips for the selection of vegetables for carving.

25-12-2014, 21:27

Before you start cutting patterns on vegetables and fruits, remember that some of them lose their presentable appearance when exposed to air. To prevent this, try to remember a few simple rules.

25-12-2014, 21:27

We suggest you master carving in practice. There are three ways to your attention: how to cut a swan from apples. We are starting to get acquainted with useful material!

25-12-2014, 21:27

Since you already know how to make beautiful flowers from onions, we add to your piggy bank of practical creations another neat flower that can be made from a fresh tomato. Watching and training!

25-12-2014, 21:27

Our tips will help you diversify your presentation. Try to cook an adorable turtle and a fun eggplant penguin!

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