Chopping

Even pieces, even cooking

Cooking time depends on how far heat has to travel to the centre of a piece. Double the thickness and you roughly quadruple the time.

So a pan containing 3mm and 12mm pieces of the same vegetable is cooking two different dishes. By the time the large pieces are soft, the small ones have been overcooked for several minutes, and in a hot pan they will have burnt.

This is the entire practical case for knife skills. Neatness is a by-product; the point is that a cook who can produce even pieces has control over the outcome and one who cannot does not.

The cuts, and what each is for

Rough chop

Uneven pieces, roughly a size. Fine for anything that will be blended, strained out or cooked for hours.

Dice

Even cubes. Large for roasting and stews, medium for a soffritto, small for a sauce base where it should disappear.

Brunoise

A very fine even dice, a couple of millimetres. For garnishes and refined sauces.

Julienne and batons

Matchsticks. For stir-fries, slaws and anything that needs to cook fast and look deliberate.

Mince

Chopped as fine as the knife will take it. Garlic, ginger, chilli, herbs.

Chiffonade

Leaves stacked, rolled and sliced into ribbons. Basil, sorrel, cabbage.

Slicing

Flat pieces. Thickness decides everything about how they cook.

The grip, and why it is the safe one

1. Hold the knife with your thumb and forefinger pinching the blade just in front of the handle, and the remaining fingers wrapped round the handle. This gives control; gripping the handle alone does not.
2. Curl the fingers of your other hand under so the fingertips are behind the knuckles. This is the claw.
3. Rest the flat of the blade against those knuckles. The knuckles guide the knife and the fingertips are physically behind the blade.
4. Move the guiding hand backwards to set the thickness of each cut. The knife does not move sideways; the food does.
5. Cut with a forward-and-down or backward-and-down motion rather than pressing straight down. A knife slices; it does not chop like an axe.
6. Keep the tip of the blade on the board for most cuts and rock through.
7. Put a damp cloth under the board so it cannot slide.

What actually goes wrong

• A blunt knife. More dangerous than a sharp one, because it slips instead of cutting and needs more force. Almost every kitchen cut comes from a blunt blade.
• A sliding board. A damp cloth or a piece of kitchen paper underneath fixes it.
• No flat surface. Cut a slice off a round vegetable first so it sits still. Rolling food is what causes accidents.
• Rushing. Speed is a consequence of practice, not a technique to attempt.
• Too much on the board. Pieces sliding off in every direction.
• Chopping herbs to death. Repeated hacking bruises and blackens them. A few clean passes with a sharp blade.

Common questions