Kitchen School Lesson 3 of 11
Knife skills
Good knife skills make cooking faster, safer and better, because evenly cut pieces cook evenly.
The grip. Hold the knife with your thumb and the side of your bent index finger pinching the blade just in front of the handle, with your other three fingers wrapped around the handle. This "pinch grip" gives far more control than holding the handle alone.
The claw. Your other hand holds the food. Curl your fingertips under, so your knuckles stick out further than your nails and the flat of the blade rests against your knuckles. The knife can't reach fingertips that are tucked away. Move the claw back steadily as you cut.
The motion. Let the knife do the work. For most cutting, rock the blade forward and down, keeping the tip on or near the board, so it slices through rather than chopping straight down. Never use the blade's edge to scrape food across the board; turn the knife over and use the spine.
Stability first. Round foods roll. Cut a thin slice off one side of an onion, potato or carrot to create a flat base before you start.
The five cuts
| Cut | Size | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Fine dice (brunoise) | 2–3 mm cubes | Shallots for sauces, garnishes |
| Small dice | 5–6 mm cubes | Onions, carrots and celery for soups, sauces and stews |
| Medium dice | 1–1.5 cm cubes | Vegetables for stews, roasting, hash |
| Batons (bâtonnet) | 6 mm × 6 mm × 6 cm | Crudités, stir-fries, fries |
| Julienne | 2 mm × 2 mm × 5 cm | Salads, garnishes, quick-cooking stir-fries |
A sixth, chiffonade, is for leafy herbs and greens: stack the leaves, roll them tightly into a cigar, and slice across into fine ribbons.
How to dice an onion. Cut it in half from root to tip and peel it, leaving the root on to hold the layers together. Lay one half flat side down. Make vertical cuts toward the root, 5 mm apart, stopping 1 cm short of it. Make one or two horizontal cuts parallel to the board, again stopping short of the root. Then slice across the cuts to make even dice. Discard the root end.
How to mince garlic. Crush the clove with the flat of the blade to loosen the skin, peel it, and slice it thinly. Then rock the knife back and forth across the slices until finely chopped. For a paste, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and press and scrape with the flat of the blade. A fine grater (microplane) is quicker for a few cloves.
How to chop herbs. Pick the leaves (tender stems of parsley, cilantro and dill can be included). Make sure they are dry. Gather them in a tight pile and slice through once or twice, then rock the knife over them. Stop before they turn dark and wet; bruised herbs taste bitter.
Practice. Spend ten minutes dicing two onions slowly and evenly before worrying about speed. Speed comes on its own.