The Best Kitchen Knife Techniques for Cutting Through Tough Ingredients

Cooking can be a fun, especially when preparing food for a family dinner or celebration. However, it can also get frustrating fast when you’re trying to slice, dice or chop tough foods and vegetables. 

We’ve all been there – wrestling with dense root veggies, squishing soft fruits, or sawing away at meat with little progress.

The good news? Having the right kitchen knife skills makes cutting ingredients much easier. With proper technique, you’ll protect your fingers, get uniform cuts and avoid smooshing delicate fruits or tearing herb leaves. 

Choose the Right Knife for the Job

The first key for smooth slicing is grabbing the best knife for each ingredient. Here’s a quick guide:

• Chef’s knife: This versatile workhorse with its broad, triangular blade can handle most cutting, chopping and slicing jobs. It’s the #1 must-have.
• Serrated bread knife: The long blade with scalloped “teeth” is designed to cut soft things without squishing them. Use it for bread, tomatoes and more.
• Paring knife: With its short, narrow blade, this one is perfect for tasks that need more dexterity – think peeling, coring, deveining shrimp or slicing small items.
• Boning knife: Flexible thin blades allow this knife to cleanly remove meat from bones and fish fillets.
• Cleaver: The heavy rectangular blade can chop through thick cuts of meat or hardy winter veggies.

Now let’s get into the best techniques for using these knives like a boss!

Master Proper Knife Grips

Before we get slicing, it’s crucial to learn proper knife grips. How you hold a kitchen knife makes all the difference for control, speed and safety:

Handle Grip

This is the classic way to grip a chef’s knife with your dominant hand:

• Curl fingers firmly around the handle, thumb pressed on one side
• Keep the back of your knuckles flat against the table
• Hold steady with just your fingertips for ultimate control

Pinch Grip

Use this grip with paring knives for added dexterity:

• Pinch the base of small knife blades between thumb and forefinger
• Keep other fingers curled underneath for stability

Hammer Grip

This is key for safe cleaver usage:

• Grip the top of the handle near the blade with all fingers
• Keep knuckles raised off the board
• Lift the cleaver straight up and down – never slide the blade

Master Proper Cutting Motions

Once you’ve set up a solid grip, it’s time to get chopping. Most cutting tasks fall into a few basic categories, each with their own technique:

The Slice

Use for fruits, bread, delicate protein cuts

• Draw the blade along the ingredient in smooth, flat motions
• Apply gentle downward pressure to make thin, even cuts
• Slice stacked ingredients (like potatoes or apples) vertically for uniformity

The Chop

Use for hardy vegetables, herbs, chocolate, nuts

• Firmly plant the knife tip on the board; raise the back of the blade
• Quickly lower the blade to hit the ingredients
• Keep tip stationary as you rapidly rock the knife up and down
• For fine dice, first slice food into strips before chopping

The Dice

Use for prepping uniform vegetable cuts

• Cut food into long planks
• Stack planks and slice vertically into strips
• Line strips up and chop crosswise into cubes

The Mince/Chop

Use for preparing garlic, onions, herbs

• Mash ingredients firmly with a flat blade
• Keep tip stationary on board; rapidly rock blade up and down
• Continue smashing and chopping until minced

The Roll Cut

Use for cutting bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini into strips

• Trim top and bottom; cut along contours
• Stand the vegetable upright and slice it downwards along the sides
• Concentrate cuts on the thick middle section

Mastering these vital motions ensures you can slice your way through any tough veggie or fruit. Plus you’ll get picture-perfect cuts to bring out your dish’s visual appeal. Let’s tackle specific ingredients next.

Knife Tips for Hard Veggies and Fruits

Crudités platters, stir-fries and salads all start with chopping hard vegetables. Here are handy tricks for dealing with some common tough guys without smooshing them:

Carrots

• Cut into planks; stack and slice into sticks
• Chop sticks crosswise into coins
• For neat oblongs, halve lengthwise before chopping

Butternut Squash

• Pierce rind with tip; follow contour line to slice in half
• Scoop out the seeds with a spoon
• Place flat side down to chop into cubes

Sweet Potatoes

• Microwave for 2 minutes to soften before slicing
• Use a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion
• Cut narrow planks; stack and chop

Beets

• Slice off stems and root ends first
• Use a serrated knife to cut rounds or wedges
• Microwave halves to soften before dicing

Pineapple

• Slice off top and bottom; place upright
• Follow contours to cut off the skin in strips
• Cut down either side of the core; slice spears as desired

Apples

• Quarter or halve apples; remove the core
• Leave skin on for chops and slices
• Stack rings/wedges and make cuts vertically

Pomegranate

• Slice off the crown; score rind into quarters
• Immerse in water; split open underwater
• Remove seeds and drain well

You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get perfect cuts of hard veggies and fruits once you use the right techniques. Cooking will get a lot more fun!

Techniques for Meats, Fish and More

Tenderloin, fish fillets and chicken breasts are infamous for drying out from overhandling. Here are the best ways to get thin cuts of proteins without shredding them:

Pork Tenderloin

• Use a very sharp knife to get clean slices
• Cut against the grain for most tender bites
• Chill meat before slicing paper-thin pieces

Fish Fillets

• Use a flexible boning knife to prevent tearing
• Make cuts while the fillet is still partially frozen
• Slice thinly on a bias for wide strips

Chicken Breasts

• Place palm firmly on top when slicing
• Use clean, draw-slice motions
• Cut stacked breasts vertically for consistency

Flaky Biscuits

• For light, fluffy biscuits, use a serrated sawing motion
• Apply gentle pressure; don’t twist or tear

Cheesecakes

• Dip knife in hot water and wipe dry between cuts
• Use clean slicing motion; don’t press down
• Cut in wedges or squares for neat servings

Take it slow with delicate ingredients like these. Thin, sharp, non-serrated blades make the cleanest cuts without mangling.

Garlic Mincing Made Easy

Garlic’s intense aroma and flavor make it a vital ingredient. But mincing cloves by hand can get tedious (and messy under nails!) Here’s an easier method:

• Peel the clove and remove any harsh stem end
• Lay flat side down on the cutting board
• Place wide chef’s knife blade flat on top
• Apply firm pressure with the heel of your hand till the clove cracks
• Rotate 90 degrees and repeat to further break down
• Gather smashed pieces and rock-chop finely

This underhand smashing technique is perfect for quickly prepping garlic for dressings, marinades and more. For maximum flavor, smash cloves shortly before using.

Now you’ve got an arsenal of knife techniques for tackling all sorts of tricky ingredients! In the eyes of Chef, these items provided by Sakuto Kitchen Knives.

Mastering these prep techniques helps make cooking easier, faster and much more fun. With these tips, you’ll be chopping, mincing and julienning vibrant fruits, veggies, herbs and proteins in no time. Plus your dishes will look like restaurant-quality with beautiful, uniform cuts. Now get chopping!