Knife Skills

Work Area Set Up 1. Sanitize work area. 2. Stabilize cutting board by placing a damp dish cloth under it to prevent movement. 3. Set up bowls to use for waste and for useable product.

Holding a Chef’s Knife Hold knife with fingers around the handle, thumb and index finger on the metal of the blade. No fingers under the blade!

The Chef’s Knife

Why Different Knives are Needed Cutting different types of foods requires different types of knives. To cut small fruits and vegetables, a small bladed knife is favoured. To cut tomatoes, bread, or a crispy roast a serrated knife is used. Large and straight blades are ideal for carving. The Chef’s knife is an all-purpose type of knife – the manual food processor

Basic Knife Cuts The basic cuts include: Chop Mince Chiffonade Julienne Batonnet Dice Diagonal and rondelle

Chop Chopping vegetables are generally used for vegetables that are strained out of the food and discarded or pureed. Trim the root and end as necessary Slice or cut through the vegetables at nearly regular internals to ensure the cuts are uniform so pieces end up being roughly the same size.

Mince A very fine cut that is suitable for vegetables and herbs. Coarsely chop the food Once chopped use your fingertips as a guiding tool and keep the tip of the blade on the cutting board Raise and lower the rest of the knife firmly and rapidly cutting through the herb or vegetable until the desired fineness is reached.

Chiffanade Done by hand to cut leafy vegetables and herbs into very fine shreds. Roll individual leaves into tight cylinders before cutting. For smaller leaves, wrap several together before rolling and shredding. Using a chef’s knife, make very fine, even, parallel cuts to produce a fine shred.

Julienne & Batonnet These are both long, rectangular cuts that look like match sticks. Julienne are 2mm (fine) – 4mm(allumette) thick and 25-50 mm long Batonnet are 6 mm thick and 25-50 mm long Trim and square off the vegetable by cutting to make four straight sides. Cut off the ends to make the block even. Slice the vegetable lengthwise, using even, parallel cuts. Stack the slices, being sure the edges are even, and make parallel cuts of the same thickness through the stack.

Dice This is a cut that produces cube- shaped products. Different sizes of dice fine (brunoise), small, medium, and large. Trim and peel the vegetable as needed. Slice to the desired thickness of the dice. Stack the slices and make even parallel cuts to the appropriate thickness. Gather up the resulting sticks and hold them together. Make parallel cuts through the sticks – be sure the cuts are even to produce a product of equal size.

Diagonal and Rondelle The diagonal cuts are often used to prepare vegetables for stir-fry and other Asian-style dishes. It exposes a greater surface area and shortens cooking time. Cut the vegetable on the bias. Rondelles or rounds are the simplest cuts. The shape is the result of cutting a cylindrical vegetable crosswise.