The chef knife design is their best pal and it is not only necessary but also intimate. Here are some details about the relationship between cooks and their knives.
A Proper Wight
The ideal mass is the right weight. When chopping and cutting, the knife’s weight stabilizes the hand and works to your advantage.
A Good Balance
Both the handle and the blade should equally bear the weight. The knife should rest comfortably in your hand with the proper grip and not lean in any direction.
Correct Sharpness
Divergent viewpoints exist regarding the ideal steel hardness and knife edge angle. Although it is more brittle, harder steel can be sharpened. Sharper, but also more brittle, is an acute angle. The one thing that matters most, in the end, is that your knife is sharp.
A Suitable Cutting Board
For the benefit of your knife and hand, the board should be fairly soft. Although different materials have various benefits, stay away from porcelain, glass, and hard plastic.
The Ideal Knife
Try using a different knife if the cutting feels difficult. Cutting is easier with a long knife, chopping is simpler with a shorter one, attacking materials from all directions is possible with a small knife, etc. Only bread should be cut using a serrated bread knife.
The Correct Mentality
A professional wouldn’t even think about using a dull knife.
The Proper Grip
1. Hold your knife in a chef’s grip by wrapping your thumb and index finger around the top of the handle and “pinching” the blade.
2. When chopping with a forward-rocking motion, it’s a good idea to rest the tip of the blade on the cutting board.
3. Flex the fingers on the hand that is holding the food, then use the flat of your nails or the tips of your knuckles to direct the knife’s blade.