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#17
Forget the twenty French cuts. You need three — plus the grip that keeps your fingers attached.
The claw grip (learn this first)
Curl your fingertips under, knuckles forward, guiding the food. The flat side of the blade rides against your knuckles. If your fingertips are visible, you're doing it wrong.
1. The chop — for herbs and garlic. Tip of the knife stays on the board; rock the handle up and down. Fast, safe, rhythmic.
2. The dice — for onions, potatoes, everything. Slice into planks, stack planks into sticks, cut sticks into cubes. Uniform pieces cook evenly, which is the whole point.
3. The mince — garlic and herbs into near-paste. Chop fine, sprinkle salt on top, then drag the blade sideways over it while pressing down. The salt acts as an abrasive.
The unglamorous truth: a sharp cheap knife beats a dull expensive one every time. If your knife squishes a tomato instead of slicing it, it's dull — a $10 pull-through sharpener fixes 90% of home knives.
The claw grip (learn this first)
Curl your fingertips under, knuckles forward, guiding the food. The flat side of the blade rides against your knuckles. If your fingertips are visible, you're doing it wrong.
1. The chop — for herbs and garlic. Tip of the knife stays on the board; rock the handle up and down. Fast, safe, rhythmic.
2. The dice — for onions, potatoes, everything. Slice into planks, stack planks into sticks, cut sticks into cubes. Uniform pieces cook evenly, which is the whole point.
3. The mince — garlic and herbs into near-paste. Chop fine, sprinkle salt on top, then drag the blade sideways over it while pressing down. The salt acts as an abrasive.
The unglamorous truth: a sharp cheap knife beats a dull expensive one every time. If your knife squishes a tomato instead of slicing it, it's dull — a $10 pull-through sharpener fixes 90% of home knives.