How to cut food professionally

Content

Method 2 of 3: Hold the Knife Correctly
Method 3 of 3: Use different slicing techniques
Tips
You will need

1 Choose the right cutting board. You can choose from wood, bamboo or plastic. Plastic is lighter and easier to store, but not easy to clean. Avoid plastic cutting boards that leave cuts and knife marks on them. Wooden cutting boards have natural antiseptic properties that help keep them clean. You can also use bamboo cutting boards, but they are harder than wooden ones, so your knives will dull faster.

Avoid cutting on metal, glass cutting boards, or stone boards. They dull knives.
Consider purchasing two cutting boards. Use one for slicing fruits or vegetables, and the other for meat.

2 Secure the cutting board. If you decide to use a plastic cutting board, or if your work surface is fairly smooth, do not allow the board to budge. The knife may slip and injure you. To keep your cutting board steady, spread a damp towel (or rag) on your work surface. Place the cutting board directly on the rag. The board should now not slide.

You can also place non-slip rugs, damp paper towels or special adhesive under the cutting board.

3 Use the correct knife for the job. Most knife sets include different types of knives that you will need in your kitchen. For slicing, a 20-25 cm kitchen knife is most often used. It has a slight bend that allows you to drive the knife back and forth when cutting quickly. You should feel the balance and light weight of the knife when holding it in your hand.

Do not use small knives (such as fruit knives) to cut food, as the knife can get stuck in the food or injure you.
Do not use a kitchen knife for small tasks such as peeling food or slicing bread.

4 Keep the knife sharp. Professional chefs sharpen the blades of their knives every day because they use them a lot. Get in the habit of sharpening your knife blade with a sharpening stone, as dull knives tend to slip when working. This increases the risk of cutting yourself. If you are not comfortable sharpening your knives yourself, you can take them to a cutting tool sharpening workshop.

If the blade of the knife is bent in the center due to constant use, you can restore its balance with the help of musata (steel).

Method 2 of 3: Hold the Knife Correctly

1 Hold a kitchen knife in your dominant hand. Use it to wrap around the handle of the knife, placing your index finger and thumb on the blade. These fingers should be in front of the bolster (the place where the widest part of the blade meets the handle). Try not to place your index finger across the top of the blade. A firm grip on the blade will provide better control of the knife during cutting.
- Of course, you can cut with your entire hand around the handle, but this will limit your range of motion.
- The index and thumb should look like they are squeezing the sides of the blade.
2 Form a "claw" with your non-dominant hand. With your hand free from the knife, you need to firmly hold the food that you are cutting.To avoid cutting yourself, bend your fingertips towards the palm so that the hand forms a "pincer". Squeeze the food with your hand bent into a claw so that the food does not move or slip.
- This may seem unnatural or uncomfortable at first, but it is the best way to prevent unpleasant incidents in the kitchen.
3 Protect your non-dominant thumb. It is very important to tuck in the thumb of the auxiliary hand to reduce the risk of cutting yourself. The knuckles of the thumb and knuckles of the fingertips should be closer to the blade of the knife than the tips of the fingers themselves. Thus, when cutting quickly, the knife will simply hit the knuckles and not touch the fingertips.
- Practice curling your thumb. If you notice that your thumb is starting to stick out, stop and bend it again. Practice cutting slowly until it becomes a habit.

Method 3 of 3: Use different slicing techniques

1 Train your cut to length technique. If you are just learning how to slice, then cross-cutting is a great and safe technique. Place the food you want to cut on a cutting board and grip the kitchen knife with your dominant hand. Open your non-dominant hand and place your palm so that your fingers cover the blade. Do not bend your fingers, but move the blade at the same level with the other hand, slicing the food. Continue slicing to size.
- Cross-cutting is well suited for products that shrink during the cooking process, as the lumps can be uneven.
2 Learn to cut into slices. If you are cutting something into pieces, hold the food firmly with the thumb of your non-dominant hand. Place your fingers towards the part of the food where you will start cutting. Bend your fingertips to protect them from the blade. Lift the blade straight up and slide it straight back to cut a piece. Continue to slowly raise and lower the blade, gradually pushing your fingertips back.
- Keep your thumb away from the blade and continue to grip the product firmly.
- Do not shake the blade while cutting.
3 Try a chopping technique. To chop or chop fresh herbs or small foods (such as garlic) into pieces, first slice them casually for a few seconds. Gather the pieces together and place the fingertips of your non-dominant hand on the tip of the blade. Move the blade up and down using the knife handle. In this case, you must firmly hold the blade with your non-dominant hand while you cut the product. Continue raking the pieces into a pile until you have chopped them to the desired size.
- A kitchen knife works well for chopping because the blade is slightly curved. This blade is easier to drive while cutting.

Tips

Certain types of meat need to be cut with a special bone knife. It is not a kind of slicing, but rather a process of removing meat from the bone. This can be done carefully by carving the meat off the surface of the bone.
Meat can also be sliced with a fillet knife like vegetables. Make longitudinal cuts first and then transverse cuts.