Hold the knife properly
Most beginners grip the handle like a hammer, with every finger behind the bolster. Move your hand forward instead. Pinch the blade itself between thumb and the side of your index finger, just ahead of the handle, and wrap the other three fingers around the grip. This pinch grip feels odd for a day and then gives you far more control. The other hand forms the claw: fingertips curled under, knuckles forward, thumb tucked behind. The flat of the blade rides against your knuckles, and the knuckles set the width of each slice as they walk backward.
Set up the board
A board that slides is how people get cut. Lay a damp paper towel or a thin damp cloth under it and it will stay put. Use a large board, and clear cut food off to a bowl as you go. Anything round gets a flat side first. Halve the onion, slice a strip off the potato or the carrot, and rest the food on that flat face so it cannot roll.
Let the blade move
A chef's knife cuts by sliding, not by pressing straight down. Keep the tip on or near the board and rock the blade forward and down through the food, then draw it back. Long, smooth strokes beat chopping. If you are crushing a tomato rather than slicing it, the knife needs sharpening, not more force.
Dice an onion
- Cut off the stem end, leave the root end intact, halve the onion through the root, and peel it.
- Lay one half flat and make lengthwise cuts toward the root, a quarter inch apart, stopping short of the root so the half holds together.
- Make one or two horizontal cuts toward the root, with your palm flat on top and your fingers lifted out of the way.
- Slice across the onion, and even dice will fall away from the blade.
Habits that keep your fingers
Scrape food off the board with the spine of the knife, never the edge, which dulls it. Never leave a knife in a sink of soapy water where a hand will find it. If a knife falls, step back and let it fall. Carry it point down at your side, and hand-wash and dry it as soon as you are finished.
Tip Buy a five-pound bag of onions for a few dollars and dice all of them in one session. Cooked down slowly in a little oil, they freeze well in small portions, and you will finish the bag with a skill.
