Knife Skills

Objective Apply the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Preparing the Workstation Follow these steps to prepare your workstation: Select a cleaned and sanitized cutting board Place a damp towel between the cutting board and worktable © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Preparing the Workstation Follow these steps to prepare your workstation (continued): Select the appropriate knife and make sure the edge is sharp Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and weight evenly distributed on both feet facing the worktable © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objective Execute the proper technique for cutting with a chef knife © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Using the Chef Knife The chef knife is the most important knife in the kitchen A chef knife can be used to chop, slice, cut, and mince The most common sizes are 8- and 10-inch © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

The Knife Grip Grip the knife with your dominant hand Grasp the portion of the knife blade just next to the end of the handle with the thumb and forefinger © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

The Knife Grip Wrap remaining fingers comfortably around the handle © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

The Guiding Hand Positioning the guiding hand: Curl fingertips under slightly to protect the fingertips Place your thumb and pinkie finger behind the other fingers to grasp the object during cutting © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

The Cutting Motion Begin your stroke with the tip of the chef knife pointed toward the cutting board The knife glides forward as the handle of the knife descends toward the cutting board © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Cutting with the Chef Knife Position guiding hand on one or more smaller objects. Thumb and pinkie are holding the object(s) securely and are behind the other fingers. Front fingers are curved. Finger position determines the location of the cut. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Cutting with the Chef Knife Place flat side of chef knife against middle joint of the front fingers of the guiding hand. The knife blade should be resting on the object(s). © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Cutting with the Chef Knife Gently glide chef knife in a forward and down motion until the entire blade of the knife is resting on the cutting board. The object(s) should be completely cut. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Cutting with the Chef Knife Lift back end of the knife so the tip remains pointing down. Slide guiding hand to the location of the next cut. Verify the position of the guiding hand and begin again at step one. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objective Execute the three basic knife cuts © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Basic Knife Cuts Foodservice professionals must be able to produce consistently cut shapes Three basic knife cuts Slice Stick Dice © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Slices Slices should be the same thickness Rondelles are often ¼-inch (6 mm) thick Lightly trim one side of the food to prevent rolling while cutting © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Sticks Most common stick cuts Batonnet (bat ohn AY) Julienne (joo lee EHN) © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Preparing Stick Cuts Trim food item so it is flat on one side. Trim the other five sides of the food to create a rectangular box. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Preparing Stick Cuts Cut lengthwise slices according to the thickness required for the specific stick cut. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Preparing Stick Cuts Cut each slice lengthwise into uniformly sized sticks based on the dimensions of the desired stick cut. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Dices To make a dice, cut across stick cuts to make cubes © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Dices Most common dice cuts Large dice Medium dice Small dice © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Dices Most common dice cuts (continued) Brunoise (broon WAHZ) Paysanne (pay ZAHN) © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Mincing The chef knife is also used for mincing foods Remove food that sticks to the blade by dragging a finger from the back of the knife toward the edge Drag the knife blade across the cutting board to push food back into a neat pile © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Mincing Place tip of knife on cutting board. Place guiding hand on the back of the tip of the knife. Keep fingers of the guiding hand away from the blade. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Technique: Mincing To mince a product, lower and raise the chef knife repeatedly while pivoting the knife on the rounded front section of the blade. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objective Execute the correct use of a paring knife © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Using the Paring Knife The paring knife can be used for a wide variety of small tasks such as peeling vegetables and fruits Creating garnishes Decorative food items to enhance the look of a plate. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Review Describe the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work Clean and sanitize cutting board; place damp towel between cutting board and worktable; adjust height of worktable or cutting board, if necessary; select appropriate knife; use correct stance © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Review Explain the proper technique for cutting with a chef knife When cutting, fingertips of the guiding hand are curled under for safety and accuracy Guiding hand guides the knife as it makes uniform cuts using a smooth, forward and down motion © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Review What types of knife cuts are made with the chef knife? Slices, sticks, dices, mince © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Review What is the paring knife commonly used for? Peeling, trimming, and making tournés © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Glossary batonnet (bat ohn AY). A stick cut measuring 2 x ¼ x ¼ inch (50 x 6 x 6 mm). brunoise (broon WAHZ). A dice cut measuring ⅛ x ⅛ x ⅛ inch (3 x 3 x 3 mm). © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Glossary julienne (joo lee EHN). A stick cut measuring 2 x ⅛ x ⅛ inch (50 x 3 x 3 mm). large dice. A dice cut measuring ¾ x ¾ x ¾ inch (2 x 2 x 2 cm). © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Glossary medium dice. A dice cut measuring ½ x ½ x ½ inch (13 x 13 x 13 mm). mincing. The process of chopping food into very fine pieces. paysanne (pay ZAHN). A dice cut measuring ½ x ½ x ¼ inch (13 x 13 x 6 mm). © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Glossary rondelle (rahn DEHL). A round slice cut from round food such as carrots. small dice. A dice cut measuring ¼ x ¼ x ¼ inch (6 x 6 x 6 mm). tourné (toor NAY). A vegetable that has been pared into a seven-sided football shape. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.