What you will learn
The session covers the foundations of knife technique for home cooks: how to hold a chef's knife safely and with control, how to use the guiding hand (the "bear claw") to protect fingers while cutting, and three cuts that cover most prep work in a home kitchen — the slice, the dice and the chiffonade.
The class is taught live with time for questions. You will follow along with your own knife and ingredients, cutting in real time. This is the most effective way to learn grip and hand position — the same approach used by culinary schools like Escoffier in their introductory modules.
The three cuts
1. The slice
Used for proteins, large vegetables and anything you want to cut into rounds or planks. The emphasis is on smooth, consistent movement rather than force. A sharp knife does the work; technique determines the result. See BBC Good Food's knife skills breakdown for a written companion.
2. The dice
The most useful cut in a home kitchen: for onions, carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes. The class covers how to square off a vegetable first, then planks, then strips, then dice — the standard three-step method. Getting consistent dice size matters because it means even cooking.
3. The chiffonade
For herbs and leafy greens. Stack the leaves, roll them tightly, then slice across the roll into thin ribbons. This is the most elegant of the three cuts and the easiest to get right immediately with practice.
What to bring
- Any kitchen knife (chef's knife preferred, 20–25 cm)
- A cutting board large enough to work on
- One onion, one carrot, a small bunch of herbs
- A device with a browser (phone, tablet or laptop)
About the guide
This class is the live, interactive version of the How to hold and use a chef's knife guide. Reading the guide beforehand is helpful but not required. The format is designed to be accessible to anyone who has never taken a cooking class before.