Introduction to knife techniques

When a knife is dull, much more pressure is needed to cut food, and a slip can cause serious injury. It's also important to choose the right knife for the task: a large chef's knife isn't the best choice for removing the seeds from a chili pepper, where control is key.

Traditional French cuisine establishes the basic cuts and their sizes. The most commonly used are julienne, dice, brunoise, and chiffonade. Julienne is technically a 5 cm × 3 mm × 3 mm stick; dicing these sticks produces a dice, and for brunoise, the sticks are cut into especially fine 3 mm cubes.

To learn, it's best to start by practicing julienne with an inexpensive vegetable, such as a potato or carrot, and turning the scraps into purée or soup. While knowing the exact measurements for each cut isn't essential, cutting vegetables into uniform shapes and sizes is a useful skill, especially when preparing a special meal that requires an element of surprise.

Preparing meat from scratch is very rewarding. It might seem intimidating at first, but once you gain confidence, you won't want to go back. When learning to butcher whole animals, it's best to start with smaller animals, such as rabbits or hares, which are easier to handle. The butcher will gladly do most of the work.

With far less room for error than with meat, filleting and preparing fish correctly can be tricky. It's best to prepare it yourself, as seeing it whole allows you to better appreciate its freshness. Plus, you get the bones, which can be used to make a delicious stock.