CUUL 1000

1. On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary
Fundamentals
Sixth Edition
Chapter 6
Knife Skills
Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
6.1 Use knives safely
6.2 Select and care for knives
6.3 Sharpen knives
6.4 Grip and control knives when cutting foods into a
variety of classic shapes
6.5 Identify classic knife cuts
6.6 Understand when to use the classic knife cuts

3. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Importance of Knife Skills
• Knives are the most commonly used tool in the kitchen.
• For this reason, good knife skills are critical to a chef’s
success.

4. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Using the Knife Safely (1 of 2)
• Use the correct knife for the task at hand
• Always cut away from yourself
• Always cut on a clean cutting board
– Do not cut on glass, marble or metal
• Place a damp towel underneath the cutting board to keep
it from sliding as you cut

5. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Using a Knife Safely (2 of 2)
• Keep knives sharp; a dull knife is more dangerous than a
sharp one
• When carrying a knife, hold it pointed down, parallel and
close to your leg as you walk
• A falling knife has no handle. Do not attempt to catch a
falling knife; step back and allow it to fall
• Never leave a knife in a sink of water; anyone reaching
into the sink could be injured or the knife could be dented
by pots or other utensils

6. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Caring for Your Knives
Wash and store your knives properly
– Do not wash knives in commercial dishwashers
– Always wash and dry knives by hand

7. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Sharpening Your Knives
• Sharpening may be done with:
– Whetstone
– Steel
▪ The steel hones or straightens blade after
sharpening

8. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Blade Angle When Sharpening a
Knife
To use a whetstone, place the heel of the blade against the
whetstone at a 15- to 20-degree angle. Maintaining the angle
throughout the sharpening process is key.

9. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Gripping the Knife
• The most common grip (left) and a variation (right)

10. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Controlling Your Knife
• Use a grip that is most comfortable for you
• Keep the sharp edge of the blade on the cutting board
• Grip the item being cut with three fingertips and your
thumb
• Use the second joint of your index finger as a guide
• Use smooth, even strokes to slice the food
• Do not use a dull knife

11. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Cutting with Your Knife
• Chiffonade
– Finely sliced or shredded leafy vegetables or herbs
• Rondelles or rounds
– Disk-shaped slices
• Diagonals
– Oval-shaped slices
• Oblique-cut or roll-cut
– Small pieces with two angle-cut sides
• Lozenges
– Diamond-shaped pieces, usually of firm vegetables

12. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Horizontal Slicing
• To horizontal slice is to butterfly or cut a pocket into meats, poultry
or fish; it is also a method used to thinly slice soft vegetables
• Holding the knife parallel to the table, slice a pocket to the desired
depth, or cut through the item completely.

13. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Chopping
• To chop is to cut an item into small pieces where
uniformity of size and shape is neither necessary or
feasible

14. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Cutting Sticks
• Bâtonnet
– ¼ × ¼ × 2 inches
• Julienne
– ⅛ × ⅛ × 2 inches
• Fine julienne
– 1/16× 1/16 × 2 inches

15. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Dice Cuts
• Brunoise
– ⅛ × ⅛ × ⅛
• Small dice
– ¼ × ¼ × ¼
• Medium dice
– ½ × ½ × ½
• Large dice
– ¾ × ¾ × ¾
• Paysanne
– ½ × ½ × ⅛

16. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mincing
• To mince is to cut items into very small pieces
• The terms finely chopped and minced are often used
interchangeably

17. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Round Cuts
• Tourner or turning (below left)
– Football-shaped pieces with seven equal sides and blunt ends
• Parisiennes (below right)
– Spheres of fruits or vegetables cut with a small melon ball cutter

18. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Spiral Slicer
• Specialized slicers are popular tools. A spiral slicer
makes cuts difficult to produce with a knife.

19. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mandoline
• The mandoline is a non-mechanical cutting tool

20. Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright
This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is
provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses
and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part
of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will destroy the
integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials
from it should never be made available to students except by
instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All
recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions
and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of
other instructors who rely on these materials.