\u00a9 2020 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Rest the fingers of your non-dominant hand on the blade’s blunt edge right above the tip. What is the best way to cut an onion if I need to chop it? With a bit of practice and care, you’ll stay safe while handling your knives. Position the ingredient so the flattest side is on the bottom. The tip of the knife should be fixed on the board and kept in place with your guide hand. What you do with your other hand is just as important. How to Hold a Knife. The claw is fairly simple: choke up on the handle and pinch between the spine and heel with your index finger and thumb. While this takes some practice and might feel a bit awkward at first, it will help you make thinner, more direct cuts. Never extend your fingertips past your knuckles since you’re more likely to cut yourself. Tested. Hold the knife by the handle with a pinch-like grip. Once you’ve mastered the gripper and the guider, the one thing left to do is to practice your knife skills: Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Scams likely to heat up after COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Johnson and EU Expected to Continue Negotiations: Brexit Update. Knife skills are as important as they are intimidating. The clothes don’t actually exist but the emperor won’t admit it because he wants to look smart. Don’t be a hero, be a pro! How to Hold a Knife. Perhaps the most natural way to hold a knife is the handle grip —you wrap all five fingers around the handle—there’s no contact with the blade. There are also some guidelines for the hand that is holding the food. Just like the first step to fighting crime is learning how to put on a cape, the first step to perfect knife skills is learning how to hold a knife. As you practice and feel more comfortable using your knife, you’ll be able to increase your speed. The index finger and thumb should be opposite each other on either side of the blade while the remaining three fingers are sort of loosely curled around the handle. Yes No. How Not to Hold your chef knife. How to Hold a Chef’s Knife. With kitchen knives coming in many different shapes and sizes, figuring out how to best hold them to increase effectivity is a hassle. The claw is fairly simple: choke up on the handle and pinch between the spine and heel with your index finger and thumb. The hand holding the knife is your cutting hand. It will also reduce damage to the knife, which will extend the lifetime of the knife. It is usually located at the very end of the handle. For Your Own Safety, Please Learn These 18 Basic Knife Skills. [9] In the video above, we use a standard chef’s knife, but the technique will apply to most any kitchen knife. © Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones. Press the tip of the blade against the cutting board. With kitchen knives coming in many different shapes and sizes, figuring out how to best hold them to increase effectivity is a hassle. TWO WAYS TO HOLD YOUR KNIFE. Then slowly start to chop in a rocking motion increasing the speed as you go. Last Updated: November 17, 2020 This maximal grip strength can only be obtained when all five digits work in this coordinated manner; the thumb wraps around and over the index/middle fingers and the ring/small fingers squeeze down tightly. This variation of the reverse grip technique is called Edge In, because the cutting edge faces the knife user. Your other hand should use the claw, which stabilizes the ingredient and protects your fingers. If you're playing on a PC, then you can throw the knife by using the E key. The knife leads the front at-the-ready and provides a pointed shield. Perhaps the most natural way to hold a knife is the handle grip—you wrap all five fingers around the handle—there’s no contact with the blade. Let us take a look at how holding the knife at an angle will perform effectively at specified distances. The reason we hold the blade here is because this is the balance point of the knife. So, you might want to know how to hold a throwing knife; otherwise, you may end up getting less from even a cutting-edge throwing knife. The most stable and safe way to hold a chef’s knife is the pinch grip, also known as “the claw.” It’s not difficult, but can take a little bit of time to adjust if you’re used to something else. If your knife is dull, sharpen them. I see a lot of people hold the knife by the handle, putting their pointer finger on the spine (along the top) of the blade. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Proper knife handling is not only good for your food but also for your safety. This article has been viewed 47,020 times. If you don’t have any, but want to practice, you could either use any old knife that won’t have the same impact or you could look into a site like KitchenKnives.co.uk to purchase a brand new set. The goal with any grip is to help you be precise (that’s obviously more important if you’re dicing an onion than halving a winter squash) while providing protection for your valuable and vulnerable fingertips. Your index finger should cover the handle from the opposite side of the knife. If you have to twist or position your fingers awkwardly, then readjust your grip or try using a different knife. 2. Submit. It also prevents the blade from slipping so you’re less likely to have an accident in the kitchen. That way, it’s less likely to rock or move around when you try to cut it. Practice your knife skills in your free time so you get more confident handling a blade. To hold a chef’s knife, grip the handle of your dominant hand. Always curl in the fingertips of the hand not holding the knife. A common mistake is using your index finger to steady the blade, by holding the handle and planting your index finger on the back of the blade, this is not good practice. The wikiHow Culinary Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. Hold the knife at a 30- or 45-degree angle so the tip touches your cutting board. Advertisement. Want to get Basically content way before these articles hit the site? Chefs use their dominant hand to hold the knife, and if you want to do it like the pros, then you need to pay attention to how they operate in the kitchen. The forefinger is slightly bent, and gently “hooks” the outside of the knife, right around where the blade meets the handle, but once again, at a safe distance from the sharp blade. Always curl in the fingertips of the hand not holding the knife. But many culinary experts argue that there is a better way to hold a knife for heightened safety and control: the "blade grip". wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Avoid holding the knife by the end of the handle since you won’t be able to get a firm grip. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Trustworthy Source [12] Proper knife skills will not only help you slice and dice faster—they’ll make your prep work so much safer, too. How to hold a knife like a pro, using the pinch method. Rest your index finger flat against the blade near the handle (curl the finger back toward the handle), and position your thumb on the opposite side of the blade. If you have to twist or position your fingers awkwardly, then readjust your grip or try using a different knife. Pretend you’re holding an imaginary baseball to get your hand in the correct position. May 31, 2011 Edit. When you go to use the fork, push the food onto it with your knife, keeping the tines of your fork pointing downwards. Use it to rake the food onto your fork. For a start, holding a knife does not simply mean grabbing and clutching it with your hand. When holding an object, such as a knife handle for fighting purposes, it is essential to have full maximal grip strength. To begin with, pick the right knife for food you want to cut. Conventionally, a knife held by its handle should turn at least once (360 degrees) in the air to land point-first while a knife held by its sharp end should turn more than once. There is only one entirely incorrect and extremely dangerous way to hold a knife. X Learn 4 effective gripping methods, the cutting motion technique, and guide hand positioning. Learning how to hold a chef’s knife and properly cut with it was one of the most life changing things (in the kitchen, that is) that I ever did. Put your bent pointer finger on one side of the blade and your thumb on the opposite side, like you’re pinching the blade between them. For tips on how to guide your knife with your other hand while chopping, read on! wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Holding a knife properly will increase safety and eliminate accidental cuts and injuries. Bend both fingers so that they are so close to each other that they touch each other. How to hold the knife that I'm using to cut up the bell pepper. The right way to hold a knife can be easily summarized in one directive: choke up on it. Most home cooks don’t know how to hold a chef knife the right way. This hand position keeps your wrist in line with the blade so it’s more comfortable to use. The right hold results in the right cut which in turn, ensures evenly … Learning to Hold a Knife is the First Step to Perfect Knife Skills. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. So be careful and take note. Chefs use their dominant hand to hold the knife, and if you want to do it like the pros, then you need to pay attention to how they operate in the kitchen. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. More Knife Skills This Way! Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The hand that is holding the knife is not simply clutching it within a fist. Push the knife forward as you bring the base of the blade down. Thanks! Show more answers. 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\n<\/p><\/div>"}, Leading academic medical center in the U.S. focused on clinical care and research. Point your forefinger out and bend it slightly. If you feel lost, don’t worry. It looks great in training and competitions, but in those situations they’re not really trying to KILL each other. The knife should fit comfortably in your palm while you’re holding it. You want to get a good strong grip on the knife, this is where many people go wrong. If you do not catch your knife properly, you may end up with cuts. To hold it in place, just keep your fingers straight and position them together on top of the spine of the knife close to the tip. If your cutting board rocks or shifts, try putting a towel underneath it to help keep it steady. the blade grip). To do it, hold the ingredient like you’re imitating a cat, with your fingertips curled under and tucked away: Your knuckles will press into the ingredient and your thumb, positioned back and below, toward the cutting board, will help to stabilize it. If you're cutting something tough, rest your forefinger against the side of the blade near the top or tuck it around the handle next to your middle finger. Hold it in your hand in the same closed-fist manner that you hold your fork. Your knuckles will help keep the blade straight and protect your fingertips. Subscribe to our print magazine, where we explore a single subject every month. Hold the knife in what’s known as a forward or traditional grip. Wrap your middle, ring, and pinky fingers around the top third of the handle so that your fingers are pointing up on the other side of your wrist. Tighten your grip on the knife so it doesn’t slip or rattle around in your hands. The difference between injured amateur and suave pro rests with the play button. For most people, picking up a chef's knife intuitively means gripping it exclusively by the handle to cut. Posts Tagged ‘how to hold a knife’ beginner knives, buying a knife, carbon, ceramic, good knives, how to hold a knife, new knife, stainless. Go to source. I'm starting a new category of blog posts to address these things, "Cooking 101."