knife skills: the basics

cuts and dices, bases, western vs. japanese knives, videos

what are knife skills?

Mastering proper knife skills is a fundamental aspect of culinary excellence. It not only enhances efficiency and precision in food preparation but also ensures safety in the kitchen. You can reduce food waste and create consistent and uniform cuts by honing your knife abilities.

CUTS and dices

Every chef has mastered their skills with the knife. The kitchen knife or "Chef's Knife" is the ultimate tool for any culinary professional. In the right hands, the knife is an extension of the chef and is used in a way that will make cooking and presentation standout from the rest.

First learn the cuts and dices. Having uniform sized ingredients will allow for even cooking.

BASES

Next put depth of flavor into your cooking by learning the bases of most dishes like the Soffrito, Mirepoix, and the Holy Trinity. These vegetable bases will hone your cutting and dicing skills in the kitchen and make your dishes pop with flavor.

Learn the bases and you will build delicious soups, stews, sauces and other flavorful dishes.

MORE CUTS

You can learn various cutting techniques and apply them to other ingredients.

Whether you are chopping chilis, slicing strips of bell pepper, or mincing garlic, your knife skills will get better the more you prep and cook.

"Remember, its never the knife's fault" ---- daniel boulud

knife skills videos

how to master basic knife skills

If you've ever struggled with basic knife skills then this video is definitely for you. Brunoise, small dice, medium dice, large dice, Julienne, batonnet, rough chop, fine mince or chiffonade whatever the case may be, it takes practice but still with it because you can do it!

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto Shows Off His Famous Knife Skills

41 time Iron Chef champion, Chef Masaharu Morimoto, shows us is legendary knife set and how to slice and dice a perfect sashimi meal!

Professional Chefs Compete in a Knife Skills Speed Challenge

Watch your fingers. In this episode, Brad, Molly, Priya, Gaby, Andy, Amiel and Chris put their knife skills to the test in a timed challenge.

The challenge:

1. Mince the garlic

2. Macédoine the sweet potato

3. Julienne the jicama

western knives vs japanese knives

Knives come in all shapes, sizes and styles. The mighty chef's knife is the most popular and most versatile kitchen knife and if you're going to put time, energy, research toward any single knife, this should be it. If you've ever shopped for a chef's knife, perhaps you've noticed some of those various styles and shapes. If you've looked closely, you might have even noticed that those styles are loosely associated with the regions in which the knives are made. (I stress loosely because knife manufacturers worldwide now produce myriad styles, so the lines have been blurred.)

There are hundreds of types of knives from every corner of the cooking world, but foodies and industry folk often use the term "Western" or "Japanese" to delineate two styles that most chef's knives fall into. If you're wondering what the difference is between a Western-style chef's knife and a Japanese blade you would not be alone. It's not all that common of knowledge but there are significant differences between Western and Japanese knives that you may want to know about and consider before selecting your blade.

western (german) knives

Unsurprisingly, given the name, this is likely the style of chef's knife you're most accustomed to if you group up in one of the Americas or Europe -- ya know, the West. Historically, Germany has done the bulk of high-end knife-making so you may have heard these referred to as "German-style" knives.

Western chef's knives generally have a lot of heft and a thicker blade with a gradual curve that lends itself to a rocking cut. Both the weight and blade shape make a German or Western blade ideal for those more laborious tasks like rough chopping, dicing, and hacking at harder, dense vegetables.

japanese (asian) knives

If you hadn't guessed, this style of knife was popularized by Japanese chefs and sushi masters. Japanese knives are often lighter than their Western counterparts. They also typically have straight blades which are thinner and thus, sharper, making them ideal for precision cuts like slicing, fine mincing, julienne, trimming, and cutting softer foods (tomatoes, fish). Because a Japanese knife won't give you that natural rock, repetitive cuts like chopping and dicing are made more difficult.

Because of the thin blade, a Japanese knife may also chip or dull faster and means they may require more care and sharpening. Some of the more popular Japanese knife manufacturers include Shun, Korin and Mac.

"i probably use my chef's knives more than any other tool. I am not married to a particular brand, because they all work, they all have sharp blades." --- Bobby Flay

in conclusion

Everything starts with a good slicing technique. Move the knife in a rocking, tip-to-heel motion to cleanly slice a food all the way through. Slide the fingers of your claw hand back and move the knife (not the food) after each cut. Experienced chefs use the knuckle of their middle finger as a width guide for slices.

The cutting hand, which grips the knife, has the star turn, but the other hand is an important supporting player. That helping hand holds, nudges and stabilizes the ingredient being cut, to maximize safety and efficiency.

For the knife grip used by most chefs, the palm of the hand chokes up on the handle, while the thumb and index finger grip the top of the blade. This is different from how many home cooks hold a knife, by wrapping the entire hand around the handle. The chef’s grip has evolved that way for a reason: it’s the most efficient way to use the weight of the knife, the sharpness of its blade, and the strength of your arms, which makes for the easiest cutting.

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