How to Chop Food
- 1). Choose a quality chef's knife. "Cook's Illustrated" recommends an 8-inch chef's knife as the best size for most cooks. A good choice, according to "Fine Cooking," is a forged, high-carbon stainless-steel knife with a slightly curved blade. A textured handle will help you keep a grip on your knife even with wet or greasy hands.
- 2). Choose the appropriate cutting board for your needs. A wooden or plastic cutting board will dull your knife less quickly than a glass or composite one; however, wooden and plastic boards are susceptible to nicks and scratches. A high-end bamboo board is typically long-lasting and contains natural properties to combat bacteria. Some people choose to use one board for poultry and meat and another for fruits, vegetables, nuts and eggs.
- 3). Hold your chef's knife properly, with your thumb on one side of the blade and your forefinger on the other. Rest your palm on the handle of the knife. Place your food on the cutting board and steady it with the tips of the fingers of your other hand, keeping your fingers out of the way of the cutting motion.
- 4). Chop food by holding your knife firmly in your dominant hand and placing the fingers of your other hand on the top of the blade toward the opposite end. Use a back-and-forth rocking motion to chop the food repeatedly until it is cut into the appropriate size for your recipe. To mince food, keep chopping until you render small bits of 1/8-inch or less in size.
- 5). Julienne food by holding it steady with your nondominant hand and slicing it into thin strips, approximately 1/8-inch wide by 2 inches in length.
- 6). Dice or cube food by cutting it into lengthwise strips, while holding it steady with your nondominant hand. Turn your strips sideways, pile several pieces up and make vertical cuts across the food to create cubes of uniform size.
