Knife skills and basic cuts

Good knife skills make cooking faster, food cook more evenly and, most importantly, keep your fingers safe. Two grips and a few cuts cover almost everything you will need.

Set up safely

• Put a damp cloth or damp paper towel under your chopping board so it cannot slide while you cut.
• Keep your knife sharp. A dull blade needs more force, slips more easily and causes more accidents than a sharp one.
• Place food with its flattest, most stable side down. Cut a round vegetable in half first so it sits flat.
• Never try to catch a falling knife. Step back and let it drop.
• Carry a knife by the handle with the tip pointing down and the blade turned away from your body.

The claw grip

• Curl the fingertips of your guiding hand into a claw and rest them on the food, so your nails face the blade and your fingertips are tucked away.
• Let the flat side of the blade rest against your knuckles as you cut. Your knuckles guide the knife and set the thickness of each slice.
• Move your claw back a little after each cut, keeping the fingertips tucked.
• Use the claw for slicing and dicing: onions, carrots, cucumber, peppers.

The bridge hold

• Make a bridge over the food with your hand: fingers on one side, thumb on the other, holding the food firmly.
• Pass the knife under the bridge and cut down through the food between your fingers and thumb.
• Use the bridge to cut round foods such as tomatoes, apples or potatoes into halves and quarters.
• For wobbly foods like tomatoes, hold them firmly around the sides.

Dicing an onion and mincing garlic

• Onion: trim off the top but leave the root on, because the root holds the layers together. Peel, then halve through the root.
• Lay one half cut side down. Make vertical slices towards the root without cutting through it, then slice across to make small cubes.
• When you reach the root end, push the chopped pieces away, lay the heel of the onion down flat and slice the last piece safely.
• Garlic: press the clove with the flat side of a large knife to loosen the skin, then peel and chop it roughly.
• For a smooth garlic paste, add a generous pinch of salt and scrape the garlic with the flat of the blade, pressing down, until it turns to paste.
• Use a separate small board for garlic if you can, so the smell does not travel into fruit.

Cuts you will see in recipes

• Dice: small even cubes, used for curry bases, soups and sauces. Even size means even cooking.
• Slice: thin, even pieces, used for stir-fries and salads.
• Chunks or wedges: larger pieces, used for tray bakes and stews where food cooks for longer.
• Wash knives straight after use, keeping the sharp edge away from your hand.