Knives, Grip and Safety
Cooking Skills: Knife Skills 1
Chapter 1 · Knives, Grip and Safety
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The basics
A good cook's most-used tool is a knife. You don't need a drawer of them: three knives do nearly everything. What matters more is how you hold the knife, how you steady the board, and how sharp the edge is.
The three knives worth having
| Knife | Blade length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Chef's knife | 18 to 20 cm | Almost everything: chopping, slicing, dicing, herbs, meat |
| Paring knife | 8 to 10 cm | Small work in the hand: peeling, trimming, hulling strawberries, deveining prawns |
| Serrated (bread) knife | 20 to 23 cm | Bread, tomatoes, citrus, cakes, anything with a tough skin and a soft middle |
A decent knife of each kind can cost from about £20 to £80; very expensive knives are not necessary to cook well. Look for a knife that feels balanced and comfortable in your hand (go and hold some), a blade that runs the full length of the handle (a 'full tang'), and steel that takes a good edge. Avoid sets with a dozen knives in a block, as most are never used. A Japanese santoku or gyuto can stand in for a chef's knife, and a nakiri is a vegetable-chopping specialist.
Holding the knife: the pinch grip
The best control comes from holding the blade as well as the handle. Pinch the blade just in front of the bolster between your thumb and the side of your forefinger, and wrap the other three fingers round the handle. This feels odd at first, as most people grip the handle only, but it gives far more control.
Steadying the food: the claw
Your other hand holds the food. Curl your fingertips back, like a claw, with your thumb tucked behind. The flat of the blade rests against your knuckles, and the knuckles, not the fingertips, are what the blade runs along. With your fingertips tucked away, the blade can't reach them.
- Move your claw back a little after each slice (about the thickness of the slice).
- Make the food stable first. Cut a thin slice off a round vegetable and lay it on that flat side, so it can't roll.
- Use a push-slice, not a chop straight down: the blade moves forwards and down at the same time, using the whole length of the edge.
- Keep the tip on the board for the rocking motion used for herbs (chapter 3).
Keeping it sharp
A blunt knife is dangerous because it needs force, and slips. There are two different jobs: honing and sharpening.
| Job | What it does | How | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honing | Straightens the edge, which bends microscopically with use. Removes almost no metal. | A honing steel (or a ceramic rod) at the knife's angle, a few light strokes each side | Every use, or every few uses |
| Sharpening | Grinds a new edge by removing a little metal | A whetstone (best), or a pull-through sharpener (quick, takes more metal) | A few times a year, or when honing no longer works |
Boards and keeping still
- Wood or plastic boards are kind to the edge. Avoid glass and stone, which dull a knife at once.
- The board must not move. Put a damp cloth or a sheet of damp kitchen paper under it.
- Big enough to hold the food and the pieces you cut.
Try it
Cucumber and carrot sticks with yoghurt dip
Two soft, easy vegetables and the simplest cuts. The dip takes 2 minutes, so most of the time is practice.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1 cucumber (about 300 g)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 150 g plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chopped mint or chives (optional)
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- Set a damp cloth under the board. Hold the cucumber with your claw hand and cut off both ends, then slice it into 5 mm coins, letting the blade run along your knuckles.
- Stack a few coins and cut them into sticks if you like. Or cut the rest of the cucumber lengthways into planks, then into sticks.
- Cut the carrots in half, and lay each half on its flat cut side so it can't roll. Slice into 5 mm planks, then stack and cut into sticks.
- Mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice, herbs and seasoning. Serve with the sticks.
Cucumber, radish and spring onion salad
Three small, round or long vegetables, each cut differently: thin coins, fine slices of a radish, and spring onion cut into rings.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- ½ cucumber
- 4 radishes
- 2 spring onions
- 1 handful salad leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- Slice the cucumber and radishes as thin as you can with a smooth push-slice action (the blade moves forwards and down, not straight down).
- Trim the spring onion roots and dark green tops. Slice the rest into thin rings, or on the diagonal.
- Toss everything with the leaves, oil, lemon juice and seasoning.
Tomato and cucumber salsa
Cutting the same size cube from three different shapes is the first real test. Tomatoes slip, so cut them with a sharp knife.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 ripe tomatoes (about 250 g)
- ½ cucumber
- ½ small red onion
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander or parsley
- 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- Tomatoes: cut out the green core, halve them, and place cut-side down. Slice into strips about 8 mm wide, then turn and cut across into 8 mm dice.
- Cucumber: cut into planks 8 mm thick, then sticks, then dice.
- Onion: dice as finely as you can manage (chapter 2 teaches this properly), or slice thin and chop roughly.
- Mix everything with the herbs, juice and salt. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
Coleslaw
Shredding cabbage thin is a skill in itself: cut a flat face first, then slice across the wedge. Don't use a grater: the knife cuts are crisper.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 150 g white or red cabbage, cored
- 1 medium carrot, peeled
- ½ small red onion or 2 spring onions
- 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
- 1 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- Cut the cabbage into 2 or 3 wedges through the core. Lay a wedge on its flat side and slice it very thinly across, as thin as you can. Cut out any thick core pieces.
- Cut the carrot into thin planks, then stack and cut into thin matchsticks (about 3 mm).
- Slice the onion thinly. Mix with the cabbage and carrot.
- Stir in the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasoning. Chill for 20 minutes before serving.
Experiments
Pinch grip or handle grip
Feel the difference in control.
- Slice a cucumber with a handle-only grip (all four fingers round the handle), concentrating on the evenness of the slices.
- Then slice another using the pinch grip. Compare the evenness and how steady the blade feels.
Look for: With the pinch grip the blade is steadier, so the slices are more even and the cut goes where you aim it.
Practise the claw with a blunt knife
Learn it safely first.
- Practise slicing a cucumber with a butter knife and the claw, until tucking your fingers back is automatic.
- Then repeat with the chef's knife, slowly.
Look for: A safe way to build the habit. Notice how the knuckles guide the blade, and how the fingertips are never in its path.
Damp cloth or not
Does the board stay still?
- Without a knife: put a dry board on a dry worktop and push it sideways with one hand. Then slide a damp cloth under it and push again.
- Compare how far it slides.
Look for: A dry board slides easily; a board on a damp cloth stays put. It's the cheapest safety measure in the kitchen.
Sharp or blunt, on a tomato
Why sharp is safer.
- Cut one tomato with your sharp chef's knife and one with a blunt knife or a butter knife (carefully).
- Compare the slices and how much force you need.
Look for: The sharp knife slices through the skin cleanly with little pressure. The blunt knife squashes the tomato and needs force. Force is what leads to slips.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumber and carrot sticks | ||||
| Cucumber, radish and spring onion salad | ||||
| Tomato and cucumber salsa | ||||
| Coleslaw | ||||
| Pinch vs handle grip | ||||
| Blunt-knife claw practice | ||||
| Damp cloth | ||||
| Sharp vs blunt tomato |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Uneven slices | Fast cutting or unsteady grip | Slow down; use the pinch grip |
| Food rolls | Round surface | Cut a thin slice off and lay it flat |
| Knife slips on skin | Blunt knife | Hone, or sharpen |
| Board slides | Dry worktop | Put a damp cloth under it |
| Fingers feel at risk | Not tucking the claw | Tuck the fingertips back; use a cut-resistant glove |
| Tomatoes squash | Blunt knife, or too much pressure | Use a sharp or serrated knife; slice gently |
Hygiene: wash your hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water after handling raw meat, fish or eggs, and don't use the same board for raw meat and for food that won't be cooked. Wash fruit, vegetables and herbs that you eat raw.
Leftovers: cool cooked food quickly (within 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge, and eat it within 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
- I know the three knives worth having.
- I can hold a knife with the pinch grip.
- I can steady food with the claw.
- I know the difference between honing and sharpening.
- I can keep my board still.