How To Do Basic Knife Cuts
Use a clean wooden cutting board and place a wet napkin or cloth below the board to prevent the board from moving and sliding while cutting.
Find a Chef’s knife that works for you, the size should fit well in your hand and not be oversized and clunky. The handle should be forged (that is the handle and knife should be one piece) and not two separate pieces of material.
Ensure that your knife is sharp, as blunt or dull knives bruise your vegetables and are also dangerous to work with as they may cut your fingers terribly due to excessive force being applied to cut the product.
To sharpen your knife; use a Sharpening Steel also known as an Iron File. Hold the knife at a 20-degree angle and run the blade of the knife onto the steel in solid strokes away from you.
The Steel or File should always have a guard at the base in which you would keep your thumb and fingers behind to prevent the blade from cutting you during the process. Always sharpen your knife before and after use as this helps maintain a sharp edge on the knife.
When cutting, you are to form your fingers into a claw shape, so that your thumb and baby finger can help sustain the back side of the product being cut while the index and marriage finger should be supporting the middle part of the item being cut. The middle finger is then crouched or bent where the knuckle rubs against the body of the knife’s blade, supporting it while the edge of the knife cuts the product.
