Knife Skills Demonstration and Lab

Day #1 Overview

• Setting up your cutting station

• Proper grip (Chef’s knife)

• Maintaining knife’s edge

• Rolling technique (bench scraper practice)

Setting Up Your Cutting Station

A rubber mat or a damp paper towel between the counter top and cutting board helps ensure a stable

cutting surface

Proper Grip

Click on photo above to show video

(Chef knife grip ends at 1:24)

Honing Your Knife

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Demo

Vertical Honing With Towel

**NOTE: hone on towel on countertop, not on cutting board

Practice Honing In Your Kitchens

Individual Practice

•Practice honing chef’s knife using vertical honing method (six times on

each side of blade)

•Compare/contrast your honing skills with others in your group

•Return to your seat

Basic Knife Skills

Click on photo to show video

The Rolling Technique

• Hand should follow the contour of the pot lid in a backwards motion (think of the wheels of a locomotive train moving backwards)

• Knife blade slides forward through the food,

not dragging backwards through the food

Practice at Your Seat

Proper Rolling Technique

Now try the rolling technique

using a pen/pencil as the knife**End of pen/pencil stays on

table (eraser end or pen cap)

**Knife blade slides forward through the food

Proper Guide Hand

Click on photo above to show video

•“Cat claw” •Side of blade rests against middle knuckle

Practice at Your Seat

Proper Guide Hand Technique

Now try the “cat claw”

with a pen/pencil

Practice at Your Seat

Putting it Together

Proper rolling and

guide hand technique

Bench ScraperMultiple Uses

Click on photo to show video

Practice In Your KitchensKnife Skills Using Bench Scraper

1.Practice the proper rolling and guide hand technique– flour on cutting board

• Properly measure ¼ c. flour and level with the bench scraper

– using bench scraper as knife• 3 minutes per person

– using Chef’s knife • 3 minutes per person

2.Compare/contrast your cutting skills with others in your group by evaluating the cuts in the flour

3.Kitchen check– Leave station as you found it– Have instructor check

Day #2 Overview• Review

– Setting up your cutting station properly*

– Proper grip* (Chef’s knife)

– Honing knife*

– Rolling technique* (bench scraper practice with flour)

*these are now expectations for any lab using knife skills

• Today– Hone knife– Rolling technique cutting celery

Practice In Your KitchensStep #1: Set up Station as a Group

•Fill sink with dishwater

•Get out dry rack/discard bowl

•Sanitize countertops

•Set up three cutting board stations

•One person from each kitchen gets one stalk of celery per person in group

Step #2: Individual Practice

1. Cut your stalk in half lengthwise

2. From one half of your stalk, slice celery into

small pieces using the “Rolling Technique”

3. Compare/contrast your cutting skills with others

in your group

4. Place all cut celery in bags

5. Clean up and final kitchen check