how to hold a knife
Know the correct way to hold a knife so you avoid hurting yourself and cut food like a professional.
Learning how to hold a knife is essential and a basic knowledge to perform properly in the kitchen. You don’t have to be a professional chef to use one properly. Keep in mind that before making a good cut you must maintain your physical integrity, preventing you from hurting yourself.
How to hold a knife?
- Place a damp rag under the board.
- Place your index finger and thumb on the blade of the knife.
- With the other fingers grasp the handle firmly. This will prevent the knife from slipping.
- Keep the tip of the knife on the board so that when you move it down to make the cuts, you maintain control and balance of the utensil.
the guiding hand
It is the non-dominant or opposite hand to the one we use to hold the knife. It helps us to hold the food that we are cutting so that it does not slip in the process, preventing us from getting hurt or from inaccurate cutting. Locate it as follows:
- Bend your fingers to form a kind of claw.
- Rest your fingertips on the food so that your knuckles are in front and are your guide to start cutting.
- To give the knife support, squeeze the blade against your knuckles and start moving it forward.
And that’s it! Remember that, with practice and dedication, you will do this task faster and more accurately.
Five things to avoid when using a knife
1. Cutting on very hard surfaces: this will easily cause the knife to dull. Ideally, you should use wooden boards, the usual ones, or polyethylene, which is a lighter and more durable material.
2. Drag food with the sharp part of the blade: it is a common mistake with which the utensil loses its edge quickly. Instead, flip the knife over and proceed to push through the ingredients.
3. Allocate your knives for other uses: it refers both to tasks that do not have to do with those of the kitchen, such as chopping, peeling, cutting or dicing special foods.
To be more specific, there are jobs that require different utensils, for example, you should not use a chef’s knife to peel garlic, or a serrated knife to divide cheese.
One recommendation is that you have three or four knives for different uses. It is not necessary to have the complete set, as long as you identify which are the most essential for your preparations, you will be ready to cook.
4. Keep knives blunt: it is essential that these utensils are sharp, as this will reduce the effort we must make when cutting, it will be easier to handle and, therefore, safer to use.
5. Choosing the wrong one: when purchasing a knife, check that when you take it you feel comfortable, the handle is not heavy or is upside down.