Carving a roast seems to be a dying art. These days we seem to be in too much of a hurry to tuck into our dinner. Relearning the art of carving will make your roasts more appetising and you will waste less meat.

TIPS:

• Proper carving will make the meats seem more tender.
• Don’t use serrated knives as these will tear the meat.
• A proper carving tray will hold the meat steady and stop the juices running over the table!!
• Spiked carving trays negate the need for holding the roast with a fork. Unless it’s a fork with an appendage to prevent the knife running up and slicing your fingers!!

Choosing the right style of knife
You always need to carve with your sharpest knife. A blunt knife will hack and tear your roast, which is not what you want! The best type of knife for carving is a long narrow bladed type. This causes the least drag as you slice through the meat giving a cleaner more consistent result. It is better to avoid serrated knives for this job as they tend to tear at the fibres of the meats.

Get a proper carving board (with spikes and mote)
Proper equipment is essential to carve meat properly. An inadequate carving surface and a dull knife can ruin the most beautifully cooked meat. A good carving board should have either a "well" to catch juices or it should be built on a slight slant with a lip so the juices will collect at the back of the board and not run off onto the table. The spikes are for holding the meat steady. If you are using a carving board that doesn’t have rubber feet, you can use a damp cloth under it to hold it steady.

Cut meat across the grain
Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the meat across the grain in a sawing motion. Carving the meat across the grain shortens the length of the meat fibres, making the meat “taste” more tender.