My son is an inspiration in the kitchen. Our family has had some wonderful cooking and grocery shopping time together this summer. Watching him dice, slice, chop, julienne, and mince is a real treat. He showed me how to hold a chef’s knife properly and it has changed my life. Rather than just grabbing the handle and flailing around until my vegetables were in small irregularly size and shape pieces hopefully masked in the cooking process, all of a sudden I have beautiful slices and dice.
Take hold of your chef’s knife handle like you are shaking hands nestling your third finger up against the base of the blade as in the picture.
Lift your forefinger up on the blade so it is at about the same level as your thumb and prevent cutting the end of it off.
Slice the roasted red peppers in the background for use in your paella. Slicing works best when you keep the first inch or so of the knife tip on the cutting board and slice veggies with a rocking motion. Maybe I will do a mincing picture another time.