A beginners guide

It's important to learn about different knife cuts for cooking and also for personal safety. Here are the most common, need-to-know knife cuts for when you're next in the kitchen:

1. Slice

Everything starts with a good slicing technique. Move the knife in a rocking tip-heel motion to cleanly slice food all the way through. Slide the fingers of your claw hand back and move the knife, not the food, after each cut. You may see experienced chefs use the knuckle of their middle finger as a width guide for slices.

2. Bias Slice

If you're looking for larger slices of longer foods like bananas, cucumbers or carrots, cut them on a diagonal. The sharper the angle, the broader your slice will be.

3. Mince

Food like herbs, garlic and ginger need to be minced into small, fine bits to complement a dish. Place the knife next to the food item, and set your free hand flat on the top of the knife. Hold the tip down as you move the knife up and down in a chopping motion, rocking back and forth over the food until it's finely minced.

4. Dice

Cutting food into cubes is a 3-step process. First, cut the food into even slices. Then stack 2 or 3 on the chopping board and cut lengthwise into thick sticks. Holding the sticks together with your claw hand, cut the sticks crosswise into dice. When working with large amounts of food, make room on the chopping board by transferring the food to bowls. If you're dicing onions, they have a specific technique.

5. Wedges

For nice potato wedges, start by halving them lengthwise. Lay the halves cut-side down and halve them again. Then cut through the centre of each quarter to make wedges. If your wedges still seem large, halve them again. This technique can be used for onions, lettuce, cabbage, etc.

These knife cuts may take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of them, they will become automatic 🍎