How To Hold Knife? If you ask any chef or culinary expert, what are the most critical aspects to become a professional chef? 99 percent of them would mention their knife skill.
You know working with a professional knife may be a frightening endeavor but if it is done correctly and you acquire a solid technique you can work with it by modifying your grip on a knife that will enable you to increase control and faster cuts so you’re more efficient.
That’s why culinary schools spend so much time on knife skills before they go on to the art of generating beautiful cuisine.
The vast majority of us have never gone to culinary school, and as a result, we were never taught how to handle a knife correctly.
Read Also: Best Kitchen Knife Sets Under $100
To become a superior look, having excellent knife abilities is quite necessary. It serves as the foundation for anything else that you will accomplish in the kitchen when you have completed it.
This is something that applies to you each and every day since you utilize this ability for almost everything that you make. Keeping yourself safe when dealing with knives only requires little training and awareness on your part.
Your food cuts will be more accurate and consistent, making your cooking more professional outcomes.
Additionally, having good knife skills enables you to maintain safety in the kitchen by keeping food, not fingers, on the chopping board. This will make your cooking more professional.
It is necessary for us to be familiar with the components that make up a knife as well as the function of each element.
The point of a knife is defined as the intersection of the blade and the spine of the knife. In order for your knife to carry out the tasks for which it was designed, you will need to sharpen the edge (and maybe the spine, as well), as appropriate.
The tip of the knife is the area at the front of the blade that is utilized for fine cutting.
The point at which the blade’s cutting edge and the handle of the knife meet is known as the edge of the knife.
Although it has a wide variety of applications, the edge of the knife is most often used for slicing small slices of meat and bread. Additionally, it may be used for the removal of excess fat from meat before to cooking.
The spine, which is the rear of the blade and is not sharpened, and the heel are the two halves of the blade.
Because it impacts the knife’s balance, the thickness of the spine directly correlates to the blade’s overall strength. The heel is the section of the edge that is lowest and most rearward. It is directly opposite the point and is located near to the bolster.
A knife’s bolster is the metal plate that runs from the blade all the way down to the handle, connecting the two together. It contributes to the knife’s overall balance and prevents the blade from going out of alignment with the handle of the knife.
The tang is the part of the knife that connects the handle to the blade. You are able to exert a higher amount of power on the knife when it has a complete tang, which is another name for this kind of tang.
The tang and the bolster make up the two components that make up the handle of a knife. The part of the blade that is really being used is called the tang.
The part of the blade that is being held firmly in place while it is being used is called the bolster. Screw or rivet construction may be used for the manufacture of knife handles.
In the kitchen, numerous techniques are used for holding a knife, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.
If you want to become an expert in chopping or cutting abilities, then continue reading this article, as it will provide you with several strategies that are both simple and very effective.
1. The Grip on the Handle
What exactly is the handle grip? When you are preparing to chop or cut something with the knife, one of the strategies you might use is to grab the handle of the knife behind the bolster with your full hand. This is called a handle knife grip.
People who are just starting out in the kitchen or who have very tiny hands often turn to this method since it provides a secure and comfortable grasp, which makes it an excellent option for those kinds of chefs. A secure and comfortable grip on the knife may be achieved using this method.
You should make sure that your fingers are folded under the bolster, and that your thumb is firmly positioned on the blade. This will ensure that the grip has some solidity.
The handle grip, on the other hand, seems the most natural when one is holding a knife. There are some highly skilled specialists that choose not to employ the handle grip method.
Because the majority of the grip is located so far away from the end of the blade, it is impossible to create cuts that are exact and consistent. As a result, it is very challenging to complete any culinary tasks and this makes it tough to get the work done.
2. The Cloverleaf Grip
When you watch culinary programs or the show of your favorite chef, you may see the professional chef’s deft chopping, which may cause you to ponder the following question: how are the chefs able to cut through food with such dexterity and speed?
The solution to this problem is the method known as the pinch grip, which is the safest and most efficient way to handle a knife. You’ll be able to produce cuts that are neater and more precise as a result.
In many different types of culinary arts schools, one of the first things that students learn is the correct method to wield a knife.
The pinch grip, also known as the blade grip, is a method in which the blade is held between the forefinger and the thumb of one hand.
The remaining fingers slide below the handle and then wrap around it. It’s done such that your index finger is at the top, and your thumb is at the very bottom of the motion.
The reason we hold the knife in this posture is that we want to maintain an ideal equilibrium between the knife’s degree of sharpness and its level of safety. This implies that when you use the knife, you should not move it away from your body in any manner.
While you’re using it, if you mistakenly move the blade in any manner, you put yourself in danger of cutting yourself.
Because our fingers will be light around the knife. Which will fit like an extension of your hand, there is no need for us to over-guide the blade and the knife itself.
You will grow much better at slicing, mincing, and dicing like a professional if you practice the blade grip and get comfortable with the various knife cuts.
3. The Pincers
If you want to produce an even slice or a precise cut, the claw method is the one to use in this situation since it gives you the most control. You can get more consistent cuts while protecting your hand and fingers with the claw.
The claw is created by using the tips of your fingers to secure the item being cut in place on the cutting board.
Next, curl the fingers of your non-dominant hand into a claw shape. Place the palm of your non-dominant hand down on a flat surface. Such as a table or countertop, with the back of the hand facing away from you.
When you have your hand in the correct posture, it should resemble the letter C with its knuckles protruding outward.
Now, grip the knife with the hand that you normally use, and push the blade against your knuckles. To make a clean cut through the ingredient, move the blade of the knife forward.
Apply pressure to the component using the hand that is leading the operation to prevent it from sliding or moving. After you have completed each cut, move your hand that is not your dominant hand farther back along with the component.
Check the width of the first portion that you sliced, and then move your leading hand back just a little bit so that you may cut another part that will be the same size.
Please share in the comments below the writing mode that you find most natural and use on a daily basis. Please enlighten us on any more effective ways of holding a knife if you are familiar with any.