TryingOver Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Hi All, This is my second round of Whole30 and I'm really excited and trying to expand my horizons, but I have a confession to make. I have terrible knife skills. I'm not a danger to myself or others, but trying to dice something evenly or julienne/matchstick carrots, etc never works out. For example, I made a salad tonight that called for match stick/julienne carrots and they were all too large and uneven. It tasted fine, but wasn't as good as it could have been. I refuse to pay extra for pre-prepped foods at the grocery store, so I'm hoping folks here can lend me some advice, share their favorite tutorial videos, or commiserate over all of the vegetable chopping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtFossil Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Get a good chef's knife and keep it sharp. 10" is a good size and you can do everything with it (OK, a paring knife is a nice addition.) Get a wooden cutting board. Use it only for vegetables and fruits, not meat or fish! Watch Worst Cooks in America. Ann Burrell treats knife cuts like a religion! Plus, you will laugh, which is a stress-reliever. Practice! Pretend you're competing for a million dollars. (I'm sure there are a ton of videos.) Chopping means you are cooking and feeding yourself well. (And I totally buy the sliced mushrooms and the pre-peeled garlic at Trader Joe's.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellmaestra Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Gaining knife skills is fun and confidence-building. I agree: a good, sharp knife is essential. (Read the book "The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry.") When cutting, aim for consistency in size and shape so that things will cook (marinate, be salad elements) at the same level. And always curl your fingers and thumb so that you don't chop digits; which is definitely not good. Remember you are much safer with a sharp knife than a dull knife. Stephanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TryingOver Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 @ArtFossil Thanks for all the advice! I actually have a decent chef's knife, I just always feel like I'm bumbling around with it. Interestingly, I have no problem peeling garlic (and then I use a microplane so I don't have to mince it). @Bellmaestra Thanks for the response. I know to "aim for consistency", but it never seems to turn out consistent. Maybe practice makes perfect though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtFossil Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 6 minutes ago, TryingOver said: @ArtFossil Thanks for all the advice! I actually have a decent chef's knife, I just always feel like I'm bumbling around with it. Interestingly, I have no problem peeling garlic (and then I use a microplane so I don't have to mince it). @Bellmaestra Thanks for the response. I know to "aim for consistency", but it never seems to turn out consistent. Maybe practice makes perfect though. You get to decide how large or small or "perfect" you want your ingredients to be. But, they will taste better if they are a consistent size so they cook consistently. I learned how to slice, chop and dice READING Julia Child back in the 60's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stegner Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I use mandolin slicers - they do a beautiful fine julienne and slice hard veggies like carrot thin enough to cook fast. You can process a lot of veggies very fast, but the two troublesome things about them are 1) they can cut you very badly. you have to keep your mind fully on what you're doing. I use a special glove to protect my hand. 2) I've never found one that can be sharpened and they need to be very sharp to work well. I use them for a couple of years and replace them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellmaestra Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've been wanting to try a mandolin slicer, but I'm pretty terrified of them. Stephanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TryingOver Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 1 hour ago, Bellmaestra said: I've been wanting to try a mandolin slicer, but I'm pretty terrified of them. Stephanie I actually have one that I forgot about that I'll make my husband dig out now! I had one that had a "handle" with prongs that held the food to protect your hand, and that worked pretty well, but left some product that couldn't be sliced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stegner Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 The handle with prongs is always clumsy, alas. If you google "mandolin glove" you'll see the kind of safety glove I use. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yazp Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Mandolins are great. You can cut everything into strips in your desired thickness and then cube in the other direction by hand. Otherwise, practice with an observant mind. Watch videos of professionals cutting. Try to subtly alter things. You'll get there. Five years ago when I started seriously cooking, I couldn't slice a tomato at all. Now I can get very thin slices that are pretty much uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookyLoo Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 My mom once gave me a tip that made all the difference to me: The tip end of your knife should stay on the board at all times. Not sure why that was so helpful, but it changed everything about the way I chop, dice, and slice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Use a heavy cutting board that stays in place without moving as you cut, this way your attention stays focused on anchoring the food and using your knife. If you don't have a heavy cutting board, and purchasing one is not an option, purchase a roll of rubber shelf liner. Cut a piece that is the same shape or slightly smaller than your cutting boards, and place under your boards before use. If your rubber mat is cut slightly smaller than your board, this can help reduce contamination from food scraps. If a heavy board is an option -- many cooks say that they have had the best luck getting a rhythm with a large wooden board that they cannot duplicate with other boards. A heavy wooden board can be used for meat and fish. Make sure to disinfect it after each use. Drench the cutting board in white vinegar and then place it in a 350 degree oven to dry, or clean with drugstore hydrodgen peroxide. If your board gets stained or has odors, clean with baking soda and white vinegar. Hone your knives before each use. Sharpen them regularly with a whetstone or appropriate sharpener. Many expensive knives use an alloy of steel that can be ground razor sharp and hold a sharpened edge for quite awhile. Not-so-expensive knives can still be ground to an acceptable sharpness, but they will not hold their edge as long -- and will need to be resharpened more often. Rubber cutting boards (Sanituff) are reputed to wear out a knife edge faster as well. Happy cooking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TryingOver Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 Thank you @Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoMommaGo Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Places like Sur la Table also offer courses in knife skills. If you aren't getting the hang of it, it might be worth getting in-person hands-on instruction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoMommaGo Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 On 3/18/2017 at 10:35 AM, Carol said: Hone your knives before each use. Sharpen them regularly with a whetstone or appropriate sharpener. Many expensive knives use an alloy of steel that can be ground razor sharp and hold a sharpened edge for quite awhile. Not-so-expensive knives can still be ground to an acceptable sharpness, but they will not hold their edge as long -- and will need to be resharpened more often. Rubber cutting boards (Sanituff) are reputed to wear out a knife edge faster as well. Happy cooking! I bought an electric knife sharpener a few years ago - I sharpen every couple of weeks, and hone daily. It's been a game changer! This is a modestly priced version: http://a.co/gMAQUMe ChefsClassic also has fancier versions. They are generally well regarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I love mine as well. I took a class on stone sharpening some years ago. I loved the class, and enjoyed learning about the traditions. But in reality? Unless I'm sitting in front of a campfire some evening, I'm just not motivated to pull out the waterstone. I'd much rather pull out the electric sharpener and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I liked this video! Less than 3 minutes and he shows some great tips with hand positioning, and a tip I didn't know for crushing garlic.http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/basic-knife-skills-63077 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtFossil Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 23 minutes ago, Carol said: I liked this video! Less than 3 minutes and he shows some great tips with hand positioning, and a tip I didn't know for crushing garlic.http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/basic-knife-skills-63077 And Bobby Flay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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