Have you ever seen a video or watched in person as someone dices an onion in seconds or chops a cucumber faster than you can even process? Or maybe you’re more into the ultra precise nature of sushi slicing. Whatever skills you may envy, they are far more obtainable than you might think. From slicing and dicing effortlessly to the perfect chiffonade, this blog will teach you how to master knife skills in the kitchen.
Why Knife Skills Matter
Enhances Cooking Efficiency
“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” This mantra is the reason to continue to master your knife skills. The better your knife skills are, the faster you can cook. Mastering knife skills will save you time and allow you to make increasingly complex dishes in as little time as possible. Meaning I can make a more complex dish on a busy week night rather than a 3 ingredient, barely palatable, thrown together “meal.” Call me crazy, but eating the same boring chicken and rice 7x times a week lowers my quality of life. So the way I see it, better knife skills increases my quality of life.
Makes Tasks Easier
While knife skills won’t make your demi-glaze reduce quicker, it will save you heaps of time during your prep. The main area that you will save time is in processing produce. “Processing produce” is just a fancy culinary way of saying cutting your vegetables and fruits. This can be a deterrent for many novices that could turn them off from cooking entirely. Once you learn these essential knife skills, that 30 minutes of slicing vegetables to make a mirepoix will turn into a quick 5 minutes and it will add layers of flavor to your dishes.
Improves Safety in the Kitchen
“A sharp knife is a safe knife”. While this may seem counter intuitive to some, it holds true. Let’s break it down. Your skin is softer than a lot of fruits and vegetables. So that dull knife is going to slide off that onion and dig strait into your thumb (don’t ask me how I know that). You want a sharp knife so that the blade goes where you want it to and cuts what you want it to cut. If you need help keeping your knife sharp or sharpening your knives, check out our blog on how to sharpen a knife.
Proper knife technique will eliminate the danger of using razor sharp blades. Knives are only unsafe when used improperly. The techniques explained in this blog can help reduce the risk of mistakes and accidents in the kitchen.
Elevates Your Culinary Creations
Now for my favorite reason to practice knife skills, to increase the quality of the dishes I create. Precise cuts improve the appearance and texture of dishes. It is not only deeply satisfying seeing flawlessly cut produce in my dishes, but it does in fact make them taste better too.
Uniform Cuts Help with Even Cooking
Ever wonder why recipes call out a dice, mine, paste or rough chop? This has to do with the multiple factors from mouth feel, flavor contribution, structural integrity and much more. The only thing you need to know is that they are intentional and should be followed. When produce or meats are cut to the correct size, the proper amount of browning to softening ratio occurs. This makes the entire dish have a beautiful melody of complex flavors while keeping each bite consistent and balanced.
Essential Knife Types and Their Uses
Now you may be overwhelmed by the shear number of options in knife choices you have. I get it, there are a million different knives and they all have a certain use or purpose. But we aren’t here to talk about the differences between hollow grinds, bevel angles or chisel grinds. Here is a break down of the most common knives you will probably have in your standard knife block and when to use them.
Chef’s Knife
The chef’s knife is the most common knife you will find. Anywhere from 5-9”, including a sharp tip, curved blade and a comfortable handle, this blade will be your go-to for the majority of your cooking. This knife excels in cutting vegetables, most fruits, meats and cheeses.
Key features to look for when choosing a chef’s knife
Choosing the correct chef knife is not rocket science. Feel the blade, make sure the handle is comfortable and the balance is on your hand for the best control. Understand that a longer blade allows for more options when cutting large thing (roasts, briskets, watermelons, etc.) but are more difficult to control. If you are new to knife work, start with a shorter blade and graduate to a longer blade later, your fingers will thank you. Make sure the blade is tall enough such that your fingers of your dominant hand do not hit the cutting board when in use. Of course the steel that the blade is made of will make a huge difference in the quality of the blade, however, as a beginner you won’t notice this too much and most economy knife brands will be made of a generic stainless steel. This is fine to start with. If you want more info, check out our blog on how to sharpen a knife where we talk about the different steel types. Past all that, it’s just a preference in brand or look of the blade.
Paring Knife
Shorter bladed and not usually sharpened to a razor like most other blades, a paring knife is used for very small cutting operations like coring strawberries, removing dirty pits on potatoes or peeling citrus. While not the flashiest of your knives you will own, the paring knife has some specialized uses that you will desire.
Techniques for peeling and intricate cuts
While there are many ways to use a paring knife, there are some worth mentioning in detail here. Since paring knives are not as sharp as other knives, you can use them in ways that would normally be considered a little less safe. You’ve probably seen people cutting toward their hand with a paring knife. While this can still be dangerous, this is a unique method of using a paring knife. The best way to use a paring knife it to choke up on the blade until your thumb in almost to the tip and the rest of your fingers on the side of the blade. This allows you to plunge the tip into a strawberry, spinning the strawberry a full turn allows you to remove the stem of the strawberry without loosing any of the precious flesh. (Yes the part you eat is call the flesh, I’m not weird.)
Serrated Knife
While you may think serrated knives are only used for cutting bread, there are other uses that you may want to utilize. I will give a disclaimer here that I am a strong advocate against using serrated blades. Get a sharp knife and stop tearing apart your food instead of surgically slicing it. That being said, yes you can use a serrated blade, there are uses.
The first place you might see people using serrated blades is in slicing BBQ. When you develop a tough bark on a brisket, it can take more than just a sharp edge to slice through. Many BBQ experts prefer a serrated blade for their slicing. Otherwise, serrated blades are a kind of lazy way to cut things. While a serrated blade will cut through most anything, it’s a much more aggressive method. Think of a serrated blade as the chainsaw equivalent in the kitchen. Yes it’ll cut, but you won’t end up with the highest quality end product.
There are no special tips to use a serrated blade effectively. Just keep your slicing strokes smooth and controlled.
Specialty Knives
There are plenty of other knives that you may wish to acquire as you continue your journey in cooking. From the veggie master Nakari, to boning and filet knives, there are many many knives for you to acquire that all specialize. If you wish to expand your knife collection I would suggest you acquire a Nakari for your vegetables, a boning or filet knife for breaking down chickens or small tasks on proteins, and a large slicer if you often cook large roasts such as a ribeye roast or brisket.
Basic Knife Skills Everyone Should Master
The Claw Technique
The claw technique is a technique employed by nearly all chefs and definitely all chefs who wish to keep their fingers. The claw grip is taking your non dominant hand and curling your fingers towards your palm. This will allow your knuckles to be further out than your finger tips. This is the critical aspect of the claw technique. This way you can rest the flat of a blade on your knuckles and know it will avoid your fingers, keeping them safe. With your fingers tucked into your palm, you can grip whatever you are cutting keeping it in place so it won’t move on you and cause your cut to go off the mark.
The claw technique definitely takes a little bit to get used to, but stick with it. Once you feel comfortable with this technique you will be able to process produce extra quickly and offer a far higher quality end product. Learning this technique is a no brainer as it keeps you safer, saves you time and yields a superior product.
The Rock Chop
The rock chop is a method of making a fine mince of produce or proteins. While this can be used on many different vegetables, please don’t use it on an onion. We have a comprehensive blog about how to cut an onion the correct way; please go check it out. The rock chop is mainly seen in two places, mincing garlic and making ground beef/sausage.
For a rock chop, you use a larger curved blade such as a chef knife. You hold the knife in your dominant hand like normal, but you lightly place your non-dominant hand on the spine of the blade near the tip. As you rock the blade from tip to heel you chop through whatever you are mincing. Repeating this rapidly is where the rock chop shines. The motion is very smooth and easy to repeat. This will allow you to make many cuts very quickly, breaking down your food into very small pieces.
Note: use only 1-3 fingers on your non dominant hand. If you press too hard you will roll your edge and dull your knife extremely quickly. If you do this you’ll have to read our blog on how to sharpen a knife to fix this mistake.
As I’ve stated, mincing garlic is by far the most common use for the rock chop. Another use is making sausage without a meat grinder. Using the same method you can quickly break down meat to a fine mince and get the proper sausage texture. While these are the most common methods, the rock chop is not limited to just garlic and sausage making. Try it out and see where you like to implement it into your cooking.
Slicing and Dicing
Slicing with a blade can be achieved in two ways: a push cut or a pull cut. This refers to how the blade moves as you cut, either towards your body or away from your body, hence push or pull. Both will work on most all cuts that you need to perform, so try them out and see what you like best. Personally, I push cut when I have larger items I want to cut quickly. I pull cut when I am doing more precise work or cutting through the tough skin of a tomato or jalapeño.
Tips for achieving uniform pieces.
So all your cuts are different thicknesses and uneven? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. This comes back to what we discuss earlier in the blog, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” Slow down and control your cuts. Achieve the desired quality first, then work your way up to achieving it faster and faster. Quality comes first, speed comes second. Always remember to be safe as you work faster, don’t push past your limits; your fingers aren’t worth saving 15 seconds on a pepper.
Chiffonade
First, let us get on the same page about chiffonade cutting. Translating to “ribbon-like”, the idea of a chiffonade is to slice herbs into super thin ribbons. This is perfect for garnishing or using in sauces and soups.
To properly chiffonade herbs, place the leaves one on top of the other. Roll them together into a cylinder. Then with a sharp knife, slice very thin sections off the cylinder until you’ve completed the task. This will yield a beautiful result elevating the look and taste of your dishes.
Chiffonade is best used on herbs such as basil, mint, chives, green onions and sage.
Chopping
Chopping is a technique where the blade does not move towards or away from your body as you cut through food. I do not recommend this method to beginners for one simple reason: you need a very sharp knife to achieve a quality product with this technique. Push cuts or pull cuts are better until you’ve refined your knife sharpening skills.
If you have a razor edge, the chop can lead to a quick and wonderful end product, making quick work of carrots in no time.
Making a paste
While generally used on garlic, this technique can be used for jalapeños, habaneros, onions, ginger and much more. Start with a minced product – for garlic this is a great chance to practice the rock chop skills. Once the garlic is smaller than a grain of rice, take the flat of your knife and press the garlic into the cutting board and smear across cutting board. Continue using the flat of the blade until you have created a paste.
How to Improve Knife Skills
Practice Regularly
Same as any other skill, knife work take practice. The best part of this is that you get to eat your practice. Be deliberate, control your blade and you will quickly pick up these skills. Every time you cook is an opportunity to practice these skills.
Invest in Quality Tools
While good tools don’t make you a good chef, poor tools definitely hold you back. Get yourself a quality knife and a good wood cutting board. End grain hardwood cutting boards are the best. This has to do with the grain of the wood causing less wear on your blade edge compared to other wood cutting boards. While bamboo boards are cheap, they are too hard to properly care for your blade so I do not recommend them. As for plastic cutting boards, they are great in a professional setting but they are not ideal for keeping your blade sharp so I don’t recommend them for the home chef. Please, oh please, never use a granite, glass or ceramic cutting board. These are terrible for your knife, it hurts my heart thinking about people using these.
Watch Tutorials and Take Classes
One of the best ways to learn is to watch someone better than you. Don’t be afraid to take a class in person to learn these skills first hand or watch professionals on video. I have learned the majority of knife skills from watching a professional and then implementing the techniques myself. Sometimes words don’t cut it and you need some visual learning. Do whatever works best for you.
Practice Proper Knife Maintenance
A sharp knife is a safe knife. This is true because the produce you are cutting is usually tougher than your skin. If your blade is dull, you will slide off the produce and slice into your finger. However, if your blade is sharp then you will only cut whatever it is that you are meaning to cut, not your precious digits.
As for basic maintenance, make sure to hand wash and dry your knives immediately after use. The dish washer is where knives go to die. NEVER use the dishwasher on your blade. Be careful when washing knives as they are sharp and will be slippery.
Improve Your Knife Skills
As I hope you’ve learned, knife skills are important and fun to learn. Practicing new techniques can help make your cooking process more exciting and leave you with better tasting dishes.
Yes, this blog is well over 2,000 words. Don’t get overwhelmed. Start small with the claw technique. As you start to understand that, move onto push cuts and pull cut. There is no one size fits all path here. Just enjoy the process.