Basic Cooking Skills – How To Hold A Knife

Don’t panic, this isn’t a knife fight amongst a group of cooks! It’s just a very simple lesson on why it’s important to hold a knife firmly, and how to do so.  

This is information I first posted on my old blog ‘The Mum’s Diet.’ I’m closing that blog down after a good year with it, and moving useful posts over to this blog under the ‘Food’ category.

Now I’ve got a lot to learn about food and cooking.

Lucky I’m a willing learner.

Here’s something cool  we learned from celeb chef Fast Ed when he cooked a lovely egg-based lunch recently for myself and four other mum bloggers.

You’ve got a MUCH better grip on the knife if you hold the blade itself as well as the handle.

Candy, of Candysfamily, holds the knife properly whilst Fast Ed twists it to show how strong her grip is.

And I trust Fast Ed, he knows a lot about sharp knives and fingers.

After all, he once chopped off one of his own fingers in the kitchen.  

It was sewn back on, just a wee bit squint though.

Anyway, I looked online for some video to illustrate this better than my photo.

Have a look at:  http://video.about.com/busycooks/How-to-Hold-a-Knife.htm

And here’s an article with photos: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knifeskills/ss/knifegrips.htm Lucy, of the blog Dimishing Lucy made a good point in a comment:

‘It’s the same as pencil grips – get it right, and the activity is faster and easier. Get it wrong, and it feels hard forever.’

Am I the only dopey mother who chopped a million veggies for kids the wrong way????!!!!

 I do hold the knife firmly these days.

And love a sharp knife too.

How about you?

Enjoy your chopping,