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Real Knife, Real Safe: Le Petit Chef Teaches Kids Smart Cooking Techniques

Influence Central received a complimentary sample of Le Petit Chef to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed here are our own.

le-petit-chef We Moms love getting our kids hooked on cooking. It proves a great way to forge independence, develop important real-life skills, and foster creativity. But the sight of our kids with one of the most important cooking tools in hand – the Chef’s knife – can do most of us in.

That’s why I loved seeing the new Le Petit Chef from OPINEL while visiting the International Housewares Show in New York last month. It represents a real French Chef’s knife, but in a petite size, with safeguards for kids such as a non-pointed tip, a ring to keep hands placed correctly, and a small shield that keeps little fingers out of the way while chopping.

My colleague, Stephanie, tested the knife with her 13-year-old daughter and her friends last weekend – here’s their review:

My daughter recently expressed interest in learning how to cook a few dishes, so I thought she and her friends might want to try out the Le Petit Chef the next time they decided to fix themselves a snack. My husband and I love to cook so we have a regulation chef’s knife in a block on our counter, and one of the first things I noticed was how similar the knives looked, with the Le Petit Chef version simply appearing more compact and safe.

It had a real heft to it and with its sturdy features, didn’t appear to be a “kids knife.” I loved the safety shield and the ring to keep fingers out of harm’s way and hands in place. Honestly, I felt I should use the shield because my husband worries every time he sees me chopping garlic since he says I position my non-chopping hand too close to the knife and I should curl my knuckles onto the cutting board while chopping to keep them safe. So I’m thrilled the girls can learn these skills while young!

All three tried slicing green apples with the knife and thought it seemed like a good size. Some said they were not allowed to use their family’s chef’s knives, so using a real knife but in a safer size seemed to work for them. They did struggle a bit with keeping their fingers in the ring, simply because they’ve never used a knife in that fashion.

They also used the shield pretty effectively to keep their fingers out of the path of the knife. Le Petit Chef also allowed them to channel their inner cookware designer, as they began brainstorming a way for the shield to have a bit of a point to it so they could place it on top of fruits and vegetables while chopping to hold them steady.

Better yet, I’ve used the knife, too! While forgoing the ring, I’ve found that the knife proves a great size for quick chopping jobs. As it’s a sturdy knife with a real stainless blade, it works well for those times when you don’t want to drag out a standard chef’s knife, but a small paring knife won’t cut it.

All in all, Le Petit Chef did what it set out to do – it keeps kids safe, teaches them good culinary skills – and most importantly, inspires a new generation of chefs.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.

Stacy DeBroff