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Kitchen Guide

Knife Handling & Cutting Techniques

Before you start cooking (or letting your kids cook), make sure that everyone is aware of proper knife cutting techniques and also proper knife handling.

Tom Tom Founder
Published:
October 6, 2023

Since nobody in my family had culinary training before and had no clue how to hold and operate a knife, I had to learn the hard way.

I started cooking as a little kid (before I was 10) and I can’t even describe how many times and how badly I accidentally cut myself before I figured out how to safely, properly, and efficiently cut. But you don’t need to be a pro or have a culinary degree to properly handle a knife.

Make sure that you use the following advice and share with your family members safety standards for cutting and proper cutting techniques and you will minimize the risk of injury. Proper and safe cutting is something that doesn’t come naturally, and you will need to spend some time and effort to master it. But it doesn’t have to take long since it is not hard at all.

Never clean your cutting knife in the dishwasher. Washing cutting knives in the dishwasher only makes them duller.

Storage Safety

  • Always store your knives blade side away from you (especially on a magnetic holder, surface, or in a drawer). Make sure that every family member follows this rule to be able to count on it and to make sure everyone remains safe.
  • Never leave sharp knives in the sink. My family rule is to always clean them right after using, and if there is no time to do so, they need to be placed in a visual place with the blade pointing towards the wall. I also limit the number of knives in the kitchen to be able to track them.
  •  When cleaned, knives need to dry on flat surface and blades need to be pointed towards the wall during the drying as well. They should never be put on a dryer rack.

Cutting Safety

  • Keep your knives sharp. It may surprise you, but a dull knife can slip and have an increased chance of causing injury. Sharp knives will perform just as you’d like, and that way you avoid accidents.
  • Make sure that your cutting board is stable and not moving during cutting. You can a put damp kitchen towel under the cutting board to make the cutting board more stable.
  • Hold your knife properly (the hand which is holding the knife will be referred to as the knife hand):
    • Chef’s knives and any other large knives need to be held using a pinch grip: with the index finger and thumb holding the blade close to the handle and the rest of the hand holding the handle with a full grip. Holding your knife this way will allow you to have full control over the knife and will prevent slipping from side to side.
    • Paring knives and other smaller knives should be held with a full wrist grip close to the blade (but no fingers holding the blade) in order to have full control.
  • The hand which doesn’t hold the knife is often holding and leading the object that is being cut (this will be referred to as the leading hand). To hold an object properly, use a so called “claw shape effect”: the finger pointing inside the palm of the leading hand and no fingers sticking out in order to create a “claw” shape.

A common mistake is an incorrect interpretation of this method, which is to hold the object with your thumb sticking out of the claw. This is why it is a common reason for many cutting injuries. By strictly having all fingers without exception in a claw shape, you will prevent the majority of potential cutting injuries.

Cutting Techniques

There are multiple cutting techniques that allow you to cut food into desired shapes, such as slices, dices, etc. What all proper knife cutting techniques have in common is that they are safe and effective. Cutting techniques can be combined during cutting or used separately.

Everyone should figure out what cutting techniques they like most to be comfortable, safe, and productive in the kitchen. In the following section, I’m going to present you with the most useful cutting techniques according to my own experience (not all cutting techniques are listed). If you are using other techniques that work for you and are safe at the same time, then consider the following instructions as an alternative option.

A. Elementary Cut: Cut into Halves, Quarters, Larger Pieces, or Cutting Off the Edges

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This cutting technique can be a final cutting technique (for example, cutting an onion into halves for a broth), or it can be followed by other cutting techniques (for example, cutting an onion into half to slice, dice, or chop).

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While this cutting technique may sound elementary, it needs to be performed safely and effectively, the same as any other cutting techniques.

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Use your chef’s knife for this cutting method. Having a sharp knife is extremely crucial with this method to prevent the blade from slipping.

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You have two basic options for how to perform this cut:

a.

Use a “claw effect” for the hand that is holding the object being cut. Keep a little distance between the blade and the “claw” to perform the cut.

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b.

Or hold the object with the leading hand and carefully place the blade into the arch of that hand (between the thumb and other fingers) and perform the cut. With this method make sure that all fingers of the leading hand are far away from the blade’s trajectory and that your object is stable (meaning it won’t rotate or slide).

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To make the object more stable and to prevent unwanted rotating, consider cutting off the bottom of the object to reach stability before cutting.

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You can perform this cut strictly by applying pressure or by combining applying pressure with a very slight pull towards your body.

B. Rough Chopping

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This cutting technique is great for rough chopping of herbs or any other food that doesn’t require perfect uniformity.

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Use a chef’s knife or a cleaver.

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The leading hand should:

1.

Be placed on the top of the knife with fingers pointing up (great for cutting herbs).

2.

Or, hold the object to be cut using a “claw shape effect” and since you are not doing a precise cut, keep it at a distance from the blade during cutting — your hand should keep moving away from the blade while cutting (for example, when chopping carrots).

3.

Or, this hand should not be used at all and should be placed away from the cutting area (for any soft objects such as herbs).

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Rough chopping motion can be performed two ways:

a.

Up and down at a straight 90° angle while avoiding any rocking motion.

b.

Or, by performing a rocking motion during cutting. The front top of the blade should stay on the cutting board during all times of the cutting (or at least the majority of the cutting time), and the rest of the blade should go up and down.

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Optionally, change the direction of chopping (turning left or right) to reach a finer texture. For a super fine texture, repeat a few times.

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C. Rock Chopping

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This technique is great for general chopping into small pieces and also for slicing or dicing small objects into uniform shapes since this method allows you to be very precise. Note that this method is not suitable for chopping or dicing onions or shallots.

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Use a chef’s knife for this kind of cutting.

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Before you start, make sure that the cut object is not too tall to be cut and if so, cut in half or into smaller pieces first. The maximum height of the object depends on the size of your knife and your knife skills — smaller objects will be easier to chop.

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The lead hand needs to be in a claw shape facing the lead knife — the side of the blade should be parallel; sliding on the knuckles of the leading hand while chopping. The leading hand should slowly move away from the blade with the blade closely following the leading hand to perform precise, uniform, and safe cuts.

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To perform a rock chopping motion properly and safely, make sure that the blade is pointing down at a perfect 90° angle or a slight angle away from the leading hand during cutting. If you have the blade pointing towards the leading hand, it can cause serious injuries. Also, make sure that the blade will not go above the knuckle during cutting in order to prevent injury.

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The knife should perform a rocking motion during cutting: the front top portion of the blade should stay on the cutting board during all times when cutting (or at least the majority of the cutting time), and the rest of the blade should go up and down.

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D. Straight Chopping

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This is a great method for chopping into small pieces, slicing, or dicing larger objects, such as an onion (also smaller shallots), tomatoes, etc. This method also allows you to be very precise so you can reach a perfect uniform shape.

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This is a similar technique to the rock chopping technique with one major difference: the knife is not for performing a rocking motion, but performing a cut straight down.

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A cut straight down can be performed by:

a.

Strictly applying pressure.

b.

Or combining applying pressure while very slightly pulling it towards your body at the same time.

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All other aspects stay the same (leaving the leading hand in a claw shape with the blade sliding on the leading hand’s knuckles, the blade pointing down at a 90° angle, etc.).

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Use a chef’s knife, cleaver, or a paring knife.

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In some or all cases you may find this kind of cutting a better fit for you than the rock chopping cut.

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Difference between Cutting and Chopping

When unspecified, the word cutting often means to cut into large or at least larger pieces (for example, when cutting an onion into half). It can be used to get an exact size (for example, to cut into 1″ cubes). Chopping (without any other specification) often means to cut into very small pieces without needing to get an exact size (for example, to chop an onion).

In some recipes you can also find the phrase, “chop into large pieces”, which means that there are no exact requirements for size, and a simple and brief rough chop of the food should be performed (for example, lettuce chopped into large pieces). Read every recipe carefully to get the exact meaning of the requirement since both of these words can be used both ways.

Kitchen Guide

Fruit & Vegetable Preparation & Cutting

September 29, 2023

Fruit and vegetables are nutritious, full of vitamins, and are very flavorful. Even if you are not interested in gaining the health benefits or appreciate the initial taste, fruit and vegetables are often very important for creating a final flavor in many meals (creating important flavor elements). The following are ways to wash, peel, and cut your produce. In this section, I’m not able to cover all fruits and vegetables but have chosen the most common ones. In this section I’m not able to cover all fruits and vegetables but have chosen the most common ones.

Read More
Tom Tom Founder
About the Author:
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