All kitchen skills take practice. With the right know-how, using a knife while cooking does not have to be scaryLet us help!  

Knife Skills 

Learning how to use a knife is a kitchen skill that takes time to master. It is important to be safe for yourself and for others who may be cooking with you. Additionally, different recipes call for different knife skills. 

We created the following videos to take the pressure off! Watch each video to discover the ins and outs of chopping different vegetables and how to stay safe while doing so. 

Basic Chopping Skills

Chopping Green Peppers

Chopping Carrots

Chopping Greens

Chopping Potatoes

 

Some key takeaways from these videos:  

  • Make sure you are holding the knife correctly. Holding it in a pinch grip will keep it from slipping in your hand.  
  • Holding the vegetables correctly is just as important as holding the knife. Curling your fingers towards the cutting board and using your knuckles to guide the blade of the knife will keep your fingers safe and ensure a straight cut.  
  • Pay attention to what the recipe calls for. As you saw in the videos, slicing a pepper is very different from dicing a pepper.  

Other Kitchen Skills  

You don’t have to be a professional chef to know your way around the kitchen. The more time you spend cooking, the more comfortable you will become! 

If you are looking for some additional tips on how you can become a better cook, check out some of our popular kitchen skills blogs and videos:  

mother and daughter baking in the kitchen together

We hope you find these videos helpful for the next time you chop vegetables. Remember: learning new kitchen skills takes time and patience. The more you practice, the better you get! 

 

Written by Darci Bell, RDN, LD | Reviewed by Leslie Davis, MS, RD, LD, CDCES, and the Nutrition Education Team  

Posted: December 20, 2021