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Knife Skills: The Foundation
Grip, motion, and the four cuts that cover 95% of home cooking.
A knife is safest when it is sharp and moving with intention. Pinch the blade between thumb and forefinger just ahead of the handle — the "pinch grip" — and let the other three fingers wrap the handle. Your guiding hand curls into a claw, knuckles forward, fingertips tucked, so the flat of the blade rides against your knuckles.
The motion is a rocking slice, not a chop: the tip stays low while the heel rises and falls, and the knife moves forward through the food as it descends. Let the blade's edge do the work; pressing straight down crushes instead of cutting.
Master four cuts and almost every recipe opens up: the slice, the dice (slice, stack, strip, cross-cut), the mince (a fine dice finished with a rock-chop), and the chiffonade for leaves.
Stabilize the board with a damp towel underneath.
Square off round vegetables: cut a thin slice to create a flat side, and rest it on that.
Slice at even thickness — evenness matters more than speed. Speed arrives on its own.
Keep the tip on the board; rock the heel through the food.
Sharpen little and often: a honing rod weekly, a real sharpening monthly.
Holding the handle like a hammer — you lose all control.
A dull knife: it slips off skins and requires dangerous force.
Cutting toward your hand or curling fingers outward.
Scraping the board with the sharp edge (use the spine).