Kamikoto’s Expert Knife Techniques

Developing one’s knife skills is paramount to success in the kitchen. There are many different techniques a chef can study and practice to ensure the time they spend creating meals is both pleasurable and efficient.

The key reasons for knowing specific knife techniques

A repertoire of cutting techniques is important for a variety of reasons. It not only saves time but the cut, slice or dice can affect how long it takes the ingredients take to cook, and the final outcome of the dish – both in taste and presentation.

Garlic is a perfect example of how the cut, slice or dice can affect flavor. When it is cut, it produces an enzyme that is responsible for the distinctive smell that remains on the breath when eaten. The more cuts you make in a clove, the more enzyme is released.

So a rough chop of garlic will produce a much milder flavor than a fine dice or mince (as it utilizes more cuts). This is very important when considering how to use garlic in a particular dish for optimum flavor.

A guide to 4 basic knife techniques according to categories

What follows is a brief explanation of some of the most common cuts used in professional kitchens when it comes to specific categories of food. While all of these techniques take some time and practice to perfect, mastering them will elevate your from the everyday to the elite.

1. Basic vegetable cuts

Chop & Slice

Almost all chefs use these two cuts each time they make a dish. Chopping is a rough vegetable cut used when size uniformity is not important, for instance, when making stews or curries.

A slice is a thin cut of vegetable similar in size and thickness. The thickness depends on the recipe. If it calls for crispy potatoes to accompany broiled meat, then slice wafer thin. However, if potatoes with a crisp exterior and fluffy interior are needed, slice thick.

Dice

This is another very common cut used on a daily basis by home and professional chefs alike. simply means to cut vegetables into small cubes. The size created once again depends on the recipe requirements.

As an example, ¾ inch cubes are good for bolognese, whereas a small dice (around ¼ inch) is perfect for a mirepoix (the holy trinity of , celery and onion that so many recipes begin with).

Dice options usually fall into large, medium and small categories, plus .

Brunoise

A brunoise is the smallest dice you can make, around 1/16 inch. It is quite an intricate cut so can take some practice to develop. This cut is one step further than a julienne. To do it, gather together a bunch of julienne strips and then cut uniformly into 1/16 inch cubes.

Julienne

Another name for a julienne cut is a matchstick cut. They are particularly good for stir fries, salads and garnishes or fillings for sushi rolls. Again, the thickness of the cut depends on the recipe. It involves cutting multiple long, thin, uniform strips out of the vegetable.

Chiffonade

This cut produces beautiful ribbon-like pieces of leafy green vegetables or herbs by stacking and rolling them into tight scroll and then thinly slicing. They are most often used to dishes.

2. Deboning meat

Out of all the cutting techniques, this one takes the most time to develop. It is highly recommend to proceed slowly when starting out to avoid accidental slips and injuries.

Deboning meat offers up many advantages. It is often cheaper to buy large cuts – or whole birds – and section them in your own kitchen. It’s perfect when the recipe calls for seasoning, stuffing and rolling a piece of meat, and it also makes carving much easier. Finally, removing bones evens up the cooking time required.

You’ll need a few specialty knives when it comes to deboning meat. Techniques also vary depending on the protein being deboned – meat, chicken or fish. The link provided here has some useful tips to help you make a start on your learning-to-debone journey.

3. Cutting meat

As meat cuts vary greatly, the recipe is the best guide to choose which one to use. A number of cuts referred to in the vegetable section apply to meat and poultry too, in particular chop, slice and dice. Thus, if making a stir fry, slice as thinly as possible. If making kabobs, dice the meat into large uniform cubes to ensure even cooking when .

Apart from selecting the right cut according to recipe and protein, there are two further things to do when cutting meat:

1) Keep the knife sharp 2) Cut against the grain or muscle fibers

Cutting against the grain ensures a tender mouthful of meat. Doing it the other way makes for a much chewier texture.

4. Fish filleting and cutting

There are countless ways to fillet a fish and what works for one chef, may not for another. What is of most importance is using the right knife, particularly as fish flesh is so delicate.

There are a few specialty fish filleting knives on the market and most have a strong curved blade with a fine tip. This is especially useful when gutting the fish. Most chefs use the tip to pierce the fish belly near the tail, and then slit the fish to the head in one fluid motion. They then discard the innards, an essential part of the process to ensure diner’s safety.

As for filleting, often the variety of fish will dictate the type of cut you would make. Smaller-sized fish, such as salmon or mackerel, benefit from the following technique:

1. Either slice the head cleanly off or make a cut just below the fish gills, following the groove until you hit bone

2. Make a small cut -at the top of the backbone where the first cut was made

3. Slide your knife into this cut and in a fluid, horizontal motion, glide it down the full length of the fish to the end of the tail and slice through

4. Turn the fish over and repeat

5. Remove any pin bones

Fillets can then be used whole or cut using a slicing, dicing or technique according to the recipe you are using.

When it comes to vegetables, meat and fish, you can’t get past these basics in the kitchen. Expanding one’s knowledge base in relation to cutting techniques can take your dishes from mundane to masterful. So start practicing and use your techniques safely.