Knife Skills —

a kitchen guide to using the right knife the right way

This site will give you the confidence to choose and use the knives and other nonelectric sharp tools in your kitchen. It’s also a reference site that you can use as you improve your skills and acquire the tools that will make you a better cook!

Mezzaluna

A mezzaluna is a mostly single-purpose tool. Its use is for chopping herbs. With its rounded blade, it just needs a rocking motion, back and forth, to chop the herbs as finely as you’d like. Mezzalunas are available with either one or two blades. As a professional chef, I’ve never felt the need to use one. Herbs chop quite easily with a chef’s knife. The main reason to buy a mezzaluna is if you’re chopping a mountain of herbs every day. It will make your task easier and faster.

Meat cleaver

Oyster, clam, and scallop knives

How to Choose and Use Your Knives

How to Buy a Knife

Caring for Your Knives

Nonknife, Nonmotorized Sharp Kitchen Tools

A mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

If the throat can grant passage to a knife, the anus should wonder how to expel it.

What is in the yams that a knife doesn’t know.

Tad Williams

He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder.

Rodney Dangerfield

One time a guy pulled a knife on me... I could tell it wasn’t a professional job — it had butter on it.

FeedBack Knife Skills — a kitchen guide to using the right knife the right way

The information in this site is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
The author disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.
All recommendations are made without guarantee.