Knife skills may sound fancy, but they are
actually very basic and are essential for
even the beginner home cook.
A chef’s knife is one of the most important
tools in the kitchen.
It can be used to slice, chop, dice, mince,
and julienne foods for preparing quick, simple
meals at home.
First, make sure you are holding your chef’s
knife correctly.
Hold the knife close to the blade.
Use your other hand to hold the food with
your fingers curled under, like you are making
a claw.
Using a rocking motion, come down on the food
and push slightly forward.
Keep the tip of the knife on the board as
you cut.
To slice, make vertical, even cuts.
The goal is to make pieces with the same thickness.
Chopping creates smaller pieces that are about
half an inch.
To chop a carrot, cut it lengthwise into 4
equal pieces.
Then use the same rocking motion for slicing
to make chopped pieces.
Chopping an onion is a little more complicated.
To chop an onion, first cut the onion at the
stem end to remove the top.
Turn the onion down onto the cut end to make
a stable base and cut through the root end
to make two halves.
Peel the outer layer off both halves and set
one half aside.
Put the half on the cutting board and hold
the root end with your other hand.
Do not cut this end because it helps hold
the layers of the onion together.
Make 3 to 4 horizontal cuts, then 3 to 4 vertical
cuts, with the tip of the blade pointing toward
the root end.
Don’t cut all the way to the end, because
then the layers will come apart.
Finally, make slices to release the chopped
pieces.
Dicing is similar to chopping, except the
pieces will be smaller – about half the
size of the chopped pieces.
Making more horizontal and vertical cuts in
the onion before slicing will cause the pieces
to be smaller.
Mincing cuts food into the smallest pieces
possible - smaller than a dice, but not pureed.
To mince garlic, first make slices through
the clove from root to tip.
Hold the slices together while you make more
slices in the other direction.
Keeping the blade on the cutting board, rock
the knife back and forth to cut the garlic
into even smaller pieces, pausing to scrape
garlic off of the knife blade and switch directions.
Keep going until the pieces are the size you
would like.
French fries are an example of something cut
in the julienne style.
They look like strips and are always longer
than they are wide.
To julienne a potato, cut off both ends.
Turn it on one end, making a stable base,
and cut one side to remove the skin.
Put this new side down and cut all of the
sides to make a rectangular box.
Cut the box into rectangle sheets, and cut
the sheets into strips.
Try making your own oven-baked fries for a
healthier alternative.
Think about all of the other ways you can
use your new knife skills to help you and
your family cook smart and eat smart!
