Safe Knife Skills

I did a brief stint some years ago as a pantry "chef" in a restaurant. (I was hired as a prep cook and put on the line my first day on the job.) The only thing I knew about cooking at the time was how to make coffee, grill a hot dog, and fry an egg. Since I didn't own any knives, I had to use the house knives.

My very first lesson: A DULL KNIFE IS A DANGEROUS KNIFE!!!!!

The following is not a valid excuse for using a dull knife: "I know I should use a sharp knife but I'm afraid I'll cut my fingers off if I do." The truth is a sharp knife requires very little pressure to slice through food where as a dull knife requires a great deal of pressure to break through the surface. So a sharp knife may nick you (cleanly) but a dull knife will damage you (jaggedly.)

So here's your new mantra: "I know I should use a sharp knife but don't YET have the skills to do it safely."

Here's your first lesson. Since we need to eat a lot of vegetables on this plan, we'll focus on chopping...celery for this lesson (and assume you're a righty.)

1. Choose the right knife for the job: bigger knives shouldn't be scarier knives, especially with the mad knife skills you will have shortly. A paring knife, like the name implies, is for paring or other more detailed jobs. A larger blade is more appropriate for this job. An 8" blade is manageable and effective. You should be able to rest the edge of the blade flatly on the cutting board and still hold onto the handle without smashing your fingers. If your fingers are hitting the cutting board before the blade, you will not be able to chop properly.

2. Make sure the knife is sharp.

3. Hold the celery in your left hand. Your hand should be facing the same direction as the celery. Now, place your index finger and ring finger slightly behind your middle finger. Here's the important part: keep your fingers slightly rounded so your top knuckle will meet the blade before your finger tip. The side of the blade can now move freely up and down, using your knuckle as a guide and the edge of the blade will never find your finger tip.

4. Finally, the tip of the blade should never leave the cutting board. Only your hand will be moving up and down, creating a motion similar to a paper cutting machine. The point is the hinge and your hand moves the lever.

5. Ta-dah! You've learned how to chop! I realize photos would be helpful in this blog but I can't chop and take pictures at the same time so here is an excellent video that demonstrates what I just wrote (and somewhat more eloquently, I might add.)