Understanding proper use of kitchen knives is one of the fastest and easiest ways to up your cooking skills, even if you are just starting out in your cooking journey. Whether you are an expert in the kitchen or a total novice, sharpening up on these essential knife skills is a necessity.

Preparing to Use a Knife

Before you are ready to use your knife, you need to prepare your cutting board. To do so, place a damp kitchen towel under your cutting board to secure it. This way, your cutting board will not be slipping and sliding when you are trying to slice and dice.

Before digging into various knife techniques, it’s important to first learn how to hold your tool correctly to guarantee the most precise cuts while keeping your fingers intact. In addition, you want to make sure you are gripping the food in a way that keeps your fingers away from the blade.

The Knife Safety Techniques depicted below are crucial for anyone who cooks to know.

Common Kitchen Knives

The most common kitchen knives are the chef’s knife, the serrated knife, and the paring knife.

The chef’s knife is a wide, long knife used for general chopping and slicing.

The serrated knife is a toothlike knife with a jagged edge. It is great for cutting foods with a firm exterior and soft interior, like bread.

The paring knife is a narrow, short knife ideal for making small and detailed cuts.

Check out our March Community Health Corner if you are interested in seeing these knives in action! In the cooking skills segment, we use a chefs knife to dice an onion and mince garlic, we use a serrated knife to slice bread, and we use a paring knife to peel an apple.