One of the first skills a cook learns is to chop vegetables and meat quickly, because this way he can complete recipes quickly and control the cooking time of food. If you don't consider yourself to be able to cut your food quickly, don't worry as it is a common problem among home cooks. However, with practice you will learn how to cut foods quickly and evenly, and this ability in turn can improve the quality of what you eat because, if cut evenly, the vegetables blend evenly. Knife skills are essential in the art of cooking. To develop it, you also need to know which knives to use, how to sharpen them regularly and how to keep food properly. The quality and speed of mincing will come over time. Read on to learn how to cut food like a pro.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Plan to Cut
Step 1. Choose the correct surface to chop
Do not cut on a metal worktop. You need to keep the knife blade sharp, so in the order preferred by skilled chefs, use high-density plastic, low-density or wooden shelves. Never use glass. Only diamonds can cut glass, so you risk damaging any knife.
Most people suggest plastic cutting board for cutting vegetables and wood for meat. Wood, when properly maintained, has natural antiseptic properties. If in doubt, clean it before and after cutting food. Wood absorbs antibacterial cleaners and could contaminate food
Part 2 of 4: Learning to Use the Knife
Step 1. Choose the correct knife
To cut properly, you should have a knife set that includes a 4cm kitchen knife, a 15cm chef's knife, a 10-12cm boning knife and a carving knife. Some chefs believe that a single chef's knife no less than 12 cm long is enough.
The kitchen knife is a small knife used to cut small parts. A carving knife has a long, straight blade, similar to a bread knife. The chef's knife is a straight knife that is longer than a kitchen knife with the front blade curved and well defined to swing back and forth and can be used for cutting meat and vegetables. The chef's knife is the most difficult to use, but it is the most useful
Step 2. Hold the chef's knife with your dominant hand
The index finger should go near the top and sides, rather than the bottom of the handle. The positioning of the index allows you to learn how to slide along the food by chopping it.
Step 3. Keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board
Push the blade forward and down at once. Instead of hitting the cutting board, it runs through the food, and that way you can easily lift the blade and move on to the next "slice" of food.
- Practice this cut without the vegetables at first. Start very slowly and gradually learn to cut quickly.
- There is an exception to the handle rule if you try to cut very small foods, such as garlic, with a kitchen knife. You may need to place your index finger down to check the small piece.
Step 4. Form a claw with your non-dominant hand
The knuckle on the middle finger should form the end of the claw and be closer to the edge of the knife. Place the "claw" on top of the food you intend to cut.
Most people tend to cut by holding the end of the food with their fingertips. If you form a claw, you will greatly reduce the risk of cutting your fingers
Part 3 of 4: Learning to Cut Evenly
Step 1. Cut the vegetables in half lengthwise with the root side up
Place them so that the cut ends are on the cutting board. Start with one half and hold both sides of the vegetable with the knife on top.
Step 2. Touch your fingertip over the vegetable
Lift the blade, but not the tip, and cut lengthwise trying to get even pieces. It will likely take some time to learn how to cut lengthwise.
Step 3. Collect the sticks you created and then chop widthwise into even pieces
Keep your hand in the shape of a claw before cutting horizontally. You should make small squares of vegetables.
When you can move your nondominant hand better in the claw position, you will be able to cut smaller pieces faster
Step 4. Repeat the same steps with the second half of the vegetable
You can cut most vegetables this way, including onions. Make sure you keep the root up and cut away from it.
If you want to chop the onion into very small cubes, you can chop horizontally before chopping it. Don't cut to the end. When you turn it to shred it widthwise, the onion cubes will be smaller
Part 4 of 4: Taking Care of Knives
Step 1. Store knives in a knife block or on a magnetic metal rack
If you put them in drawers, they are more likely to lose thread because they will bump into other metal utensils.
Step 2. Sharpen the knives to cut correctly and safely
A dull knife will slide over the food to be cut. If you want to cook like a pro, you should buy a knife sharpener and read the instructions on how to make them sharp effectively.
You can buy a sharpener in whetstone, ceramic or steel. Most chefs suggest ceramic and sharpening at an angle between 10 and 30 °
Step 3. Wash the knives with neutral detergent and lukewarm water
Dry them immediately afterwards. If you let them dry, make sure the tips are pointing down.
Advice
- Some types of meat may need to be cut with a boning knife. In this case, you don't have to chop, but remove the meat from the bones. Do this by carefully cutting the meat off the surface of the bone.
- The meat can also be cut with a sharp chef's knife and diced like vegetables. First cut it lengthwise and then widthwise.
