Chapter 9 Knife Skills. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objective Apply the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work

Chapter 9Chapter 9

Knife Skills Knife Skills

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

ObjectiveObjective

• Apply the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work


Preparing the WorkstationPreparing the Workstation

• Follow these steps to prepare your workstation:– Select a cleaned and sanitized cutting board– Place a damp towel between the cutting

board and worktable – Adjust the height of the worktable and cutting

board as necessary


Preparing the WorkstationPreparing the Workstation

• Follow these steps to prepare your workstation (continued):– Select the appropriate knife and make sure

the edge is sharp– Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and

weight evenly distributed on both feet facing the worktable


ObjectiveObjective

• Execute the proper technique for cutting with a chef knife


Using the Chef KnifeUsing the Chef Knife

• The chef knife is the most important knife in the kitchen

• A chef knife can be used to chop, slice, cut, and mince

• The most common sizes are 8- and 10-inch


The Knife GripThe Knife Grip

• Grip the knife with your dominant hand

• Grasp the portion of the knife blade just next to the end of the handle with the thumb and forefinger


The Knife GripThe Knife Grip

• Wrap remaining fingers comfortably around the handle


The Guiding HandThe Guiding Hand

• Positioning the guiding hand:1. Curl fingertips under

slightly to protect the fingertips

2. Place your thumb and pinkie finger behind the other fingers to grasp the object during cutting


The Cutting MotionThe Cutting Motion

• Begin your stroke with the tip of the chef knife pointed toward the cutting board

• The knife glides forward as the handle of the knife descends toward the cutting board


Technique: Cutting with the ChefTechnique: Cutting with the Chef Knife Knife

1. Position guiding hand on one or more smaller objects. Thumb and pinkie are holding the object(s) securely and are behind the other fingers. Front fingers are curved. Finger position determines the location of the cut.



2. Place flat side of chef knife against middle joint of the front fingers of the guiding hand. The knife blade should be resting on the object(s).



3. Gently glide chef knife in a forward and down motion until the entire blade of the knife is resting on the cutting board. The object(s) should be completely cut.



4. Lift back end of the knife so the tip remains pointing down. Slide guiding hand to the location of the next cut. Verify the position of the guiding hand and begin again at step one.


ObjectiveObjective

• Execute the three basic knife cuts


Basic Knife CutsBasic Knife Cuts

• Foodservice professionals must be able to produce consistently cut shapes

• Three basic knife cuts– Slice– Stick– Dice


SlicesSlices

• Slices should be the same thickness

• Rondelles are often ¼-inch (6 mm) thick

• Lightly trim one side of the food to prevent rolling while cutting


SticksSticks

• Most common stick cuts

Batonnet (bat ohn AY)

Julienne (joo lee EHN)


Technique: Preparing Stick CutsTechnique: Preparing Stick Cuts

1. Trim food item so it is flat on one side.

2. Trim the other five sides of the food to create a rectangular box.



3. Cut lengthwise slices according to the thickness required for the specific stick cut.



4. Cut each slice lengthwise into uniformly sized sticks based on the dimensions of the desired stick cut.


DicesDices

• To make a dice, cut across stick cuts to make cubes


DicesDices

• Most common dice cuts

Large dice

Medium dice

Small dice


DicesDices

• Most common dice cuts (continued)

Brunoise (broon WAHZ)

Paysanne (pay ZAHN)


MincingMincing

• The chef knife is also used for mincing foods

• Remove food that sticks to the blade by dragging a finger from the back of the knife toward the edge

• Drag the knife blade across the cutting board to push food back into a neat pile


Technique: MincingTechnique: Mincing

1. Place tip of knife on cutting board. Place guiding hand on the back of the tip of the knife. Keep fingers of the guiding hand away from the blade.


Technique: MincingTechnique: Mincing

2. To mince a product, lower and raise the chef knife repeatedly while pivoting the knife on the rounded front section of the blade.


ObjectiveObjective

• Apply the correct techniques for using a boning knife


Using the Boning KnifeUsing the Boning Knife

• There are three methods for gripping a boning knife1. All fingers grip the handle of the knife



2.All fingers except the index finger grip the handle. Index finger rests on the back of the blade.



3.All fingers wrap around the handle with the blade pointing down



• The guiding hand manipulates the fish or meat during the cutting process


ObjectiveObjective

• Execute the correct use of a paring knife


Using the Paring KnifeUsing the Paring Knife

• The paring knife can be used for a wide variety of small tasks such as– peeling vegetables and fruits– making the classical knife cut called a tourné


Technique: Preparing Vegetable Technique: Preparing Vegetable TournésTournés

1. Cut the vegetable to approximate desired length of the tourné.

2. Hold trimmed vegetable in the guiding hand.



3. Place thumb of the knife hand on or near the end of the vegetable. Make one continuous cut starting at the top of the vegetable drawing the knife toward the bottom in a slightly rounded fashion.



4. Turn vegetable 1/7th revolution and make another cut. Right-handed cooks turn the vegetable counterclockwise, while left-handed cooks turn the vegetable clockwise. Finished tourné should have seven equal sides.


ObjectiveObjective

• Implement the proper technique when using a slicer or serrated bread knife


Using the Slicer and Serrated Using the Slicer and Serrated Bread KnifeBread Knife

• To use a slicer or serrated bread knife– wrap your hand

around the handle with no fingers on the blade

– use a long, sawing motion with minimal downward pressure


ReviewReview

• Describe the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work

– Clean and sanitize cutting board; place damp towel between cutting board and worktable; adjust height of worktable or cutting board, if necessary; select appropriate knife; use correct stance


ReviewReview

• Explain the proper technique for cutting with a chef knife

– When cutting, fingertips of the guiding hand are curled under for safety and accuracy

– Guiding hand guides the knife as it makes uniform cuts using a smooth, forward and down motion


ReviewReview

• What types of knife cuts are made with the chef knife?

– Slices, sticks, dices, mince


ReviewReview

• Describe the proper technique for using a boning knife

– All fingers grip handle; all fingers grip handle except for index finger resting on back of blade; or all fingers wrap around handle with blade pointing down

– During cutting, the guiding hand maneuvers the food item being cut


ReviewReview

• What is the paring knife commonly used for?

– Peeling, trimming, and making tournés


ReviewReview

• Explain the correct technique for cutting with a slicer or serrated bread knife

– Sawing motion with little downward pressure; product should not be smashed

Documents

Chapter 9 Knife Skills. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objective Apply the procedures for preparing a workstation for knife work