Before you even start cutting anything, make sure there's a wet cloth/ paper to prevent your board from moving. Run your knife along your sharpening steel a few times. Organize everything that you are going to cut, with a small container as a temporary trash. Then it makes cutting safe and efficient. One reason why knife skills are important is if everything is the same, everything cooks at the same time.
How to chop an onion?
What you can do to avoid tearing while cutting an onion.
1. Freeze the onion before prepping.
2. Do it fast, (obviously, if you can)
3. Stand straight and keep your eyes as far away as possible.
4. Have a very sharp knife. That applies for everything you cut, because a sharp knife will not slide off the object you are cutting so as to prevent injuries. In this case, a sharp knife will reduce the onion's (some people say its juice some say it's gas) that comes our which is what makes you cry. So the sharper your knife, the less you'll cry.
5. If you've got a fan, cut an onion beside the fan. No joke.
6. Those of you who wear contact lenses, good for you.
7. Chew on a slice of lemon, trust me you won't cry.
8. Don't be dumb an rub your eyes while cutting an onion.
1. Freeze the onion before prepping.
2. Do it fast, (obviously, if you can)
3. Stand straight and keep your eyes as far away as possible.
4. Have a very sharp knife. That applies for everything you cut, because a sharp knife will not slide off the object you are cutting so as to prevent injuries. In this case, a sharp knife will reduce the onion's (some people say its juice some say it's gas) that comes our which is what makes you cry. So the sharper your knife, the less you'll cry.
5. If you've got a fan, cut an onion beside the fan. No joke.
6. Those of you who wear contact lenses, good for you.
7. Chew on a slice of lemon, trust me you won't cry.
8. Don't be dumb an rub your eyes while cutting an onion.
How to cut a pepper?
This is how i would prefer to cut a pepper instead.
Concasse of Tomatoes
Chiffonade for Herbs
Chiffonade is rolling up leaves like a cigar before cutting so it applies to herbs like basil and mint. Reason why, because you don't want to bruise the herbs or the herbs will lost its aroma therefore its purpose in the dish. How to tell if you're bruising anything? Look at your cutting board, if there's like a green patch, you're bruising the herb. Same goes for onions and garlic, if you chop it, it turns into a paste. When prepping herbs, make sure your knife is very very sharp too, because you want to slice the herb, not crush.
Done with vegetables, How to fillet a fish?
Nah, this is just some fancy way of filleting a fish by some skillful masters in Japan who do these everyday.
Watch from 2:30, a home cook can do it. She's a very good one though.
Here's my verbal way of filleting a fish by following this steps:
1. Use you knife to scrape against the scale to check for any remaining scales after buying it from the fish monger. [Careful & be gentle do not puncture the skin.
2. Make an incision slanted towards the head so as to prevent wastage of any flesh that could go on the plate. [Do it both sides.
3. Cut where you would like to stop at the end of the tail.
4. Start going down the back bone, along the top fin, REMEMBER keep your knife on the bones. You do not want any meat left on the bone. You should hear the sound of your knife scratching the bones.
5. IMPORTANT: Always keep your hands out of the way and be gentle with your knife, if you are stuck, work around the bones, do not use any force with your knife because that's when you'll get a cut. I guarantee you that.
6. Lastly and most importantly, keep your knives sharp which applies for everything. As Japanese chefs say, your knife must be at it's sharpest because fish is very delicate and you do not want to ruin it.
1. Use you knife to scrape against the scale to check for any remaining scales after buying it from the fish monger. [Careful & be gentle do not puncture the skin.
2. Make an incision slanted towards the head so as to prevent wastage of any flesh that could go on the plate. [Do it both sides.
3. Cut where you would like to stop at the end of the tail.
4. Start going down the back bone, along the top fin, REMEMBER keep your knife on the bones. You do not want any meat left on the bone. You should hear the sound of your knife scratching the bones.
5. IMPORTANT: Always keep your hands out of the way and be gentle with your knife, if you are stuck, work around the bones, do not use any force with your knife because that's when you'll get a cut. I guarantee you that.
6. Lastly and most importantly, keep your knives sharp which applies for everything. As Japanese chefs say, your knife must be at it's sharpest because fish is very delicate and you do not want to ruin it.
How to french any rack?
There's a really good video but it's not on youtube. There are lot's of videos on frenching a rack on youtube though!
I'll try to describe verbally to the best I can what I learnt from that video. Everything seems easy until you try to do it!
1. You must know which is the inside and which is the outside of the rack, well that's easy right?
2. Mark on one side, the outside of the rack to the extent you would like to french or (trim).
3. Pierce through the rack where the marks uh to the other side so as to make sure both sides are marked exactly on the same line.
4. Follow the markings on the inside of the rack you have marked by piercing through from the outside.
5. On the inside of the rack, there's kind of a membrane or sinew cut it open. That is what keeps the outside of the rack attached to the rack itself.
6. You can actually start to pull back slowly. The meat will come off pretty easily.
7. BECAREFUL: The tips of the rack are sawed, so there's sharp edges, don't get a cut for nothing!
8. You can clean off any excess meat still stuck of the rack that you did not manage to pull off and there's your rack.
There's a really good video but it's not on youtube. There are lot's of videos on frenching a rack on youtube though!
I'll try to describe verbally to the best I can what I learnt from that video. Everything seems easy until you try to do it!
1. You must know which is the inside and which is the outside of the rack, well that's easy right?
2. Mark on one side, the outside of the rack to the extent you would like to french or (trim).
3. Pierce through the rack where the marks uh to the other side so as to make sure both sides are marked exactly on the same line.
4. Follow the markings on the inside of the rack you have marked by piercing through from the outside.
5. On the inside of the rack, there's kind of a membrane or sinew cut it open. That is what keeps the outside of the rack attached to the rack itself.
6. You can actually start to pull back slowly. The meat will come off pretty easily.
7. BECAREFUL: The tips of the rack are sawed, so there's sharp edges, don't get a cut for nothing!
8. You can clean off any excess meat still stuck of the rack that you did not manage to pull off and there's your rack.
I will pose more along the way, shall share all these first. Enjoy!