1.2.4: Knife Skills

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Page ID: 64420

William R. Thibodeaux & Randy Cheramie
Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University

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Knife skills are the single most important and the most fundamental skill a chef or home cook must acquire. Often, before heating or cooking foods, ingredients will be chopped, sliced, or diced into smaller more manageable pieces. Safe handling of knives is important for the safety of the cook and those around them. The most frequently used knife in the kitchen is called the Chef's knife also known as the French knife.

Example of Chef knife Photo courtesy of: Lukas on Pexels

Gripping the Knife

A good grip will give you better control increasing cutting accuracy and speed, while preventing slippage and lessening the chances of accidents.

Handling the Knife

The best way to hold a chef knife is to grip the heel of the blade with your thumb and forefinger and wrap the remaining three fingers around the handle.

The Guide Hand

The purpose of the opposite hand is used for holding and guiding the food to be processed. Always curl the fingertips of the opposite hand into a ‘claw’ shape, never lay them flat. Use the second joint of the opposite fingers as a guide for the knife blade. This will help control the thickness of the cut. Slide the blade across the product. A sharp edge will allow the knife to glide through the object with minimal applied pressure.