How to hold and use a chef's knife
Slicing peppers for a stir-fry goes faster with the right grip. Pinch the blade just in front of the handle between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger, with your other fingers wrapped around the handle. Your other hand holds the food in a claw, fingertips tucked. Rock the blade from tip to heel, keep it sharp, and cut on a board that cannot slide.
Why it matters: A safe grip is faster and cuts fewer fingers than hacking with a small knife.
Steps
- Set the cutting board on a damp towel so it cannot slide.
- Pinch the blade just ahead of the handle between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger, wrapping the other fingers around the handle.
- Shape your other hand into a claw, fingertips tucked and knuckles forward against the flat of the blade.
- Cut round foods flat side down first, so nothing rolls.
- Rock the knife from tip to heel, moving your claw hand back as you go.
- Push cut food aside with the spine, not the sharp edge.
- Hone the knife often and have it sharpened when it stops biting into a tomato skin.
- Wash and dry the knife by hand straight after use and store it in a block or sleeve.
Stop and call a professional if
- a cut bleeds heavily, will not stop with ten minutes of firm pressure, or you cannot move the finger normally: get medical care, and call your local emergency number for heavy bleeding
Common mistakes
- Grabbing for a falling knife; step back and let it drop.
- Using a dull knife, which slips and needs more force.
- Leaving a knife in a sink of soapy water where nobody can see it.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to hold and use a chef's knife
What to say
Slicing peppers for a stir-fry goes faster with the right grip. Pinch the blade just in front of the handle between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger, with your other fingers wrapped around the handle. Your other hand holds the food in a claw, fingertips tucked. Rock the blade from tip to heel, keep it sharp, and cut on a board that cannot slide.
What to show
- Set the cutting board on a damp towel so it cannot slide.
- Pinch the blade just ahead of the handle between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger, wrapping the other fingers around the handle.
- Shape your other hand into a claw, fingertips tucked and knuckles forward against the flat of the blade.
- Cut round foods flat side down first, so nothing rolls.
- Rock the knife from tip to heel, moving your claw hand back as you go.
- Push cut food aside with the spine, not the sharp edge.
- Hone the knife often and have it sharpened when it stops biting into a tomato skin.
- Wash and dry the knife by hand straight after use and store it in a block or sleeve.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if a cut bleeds heavily, will not stop with ten minutes of firm pressure, or you cannot move the finger normally: get medical care, and call your local emergency number for heavy bleeding.
Check question
Where do your fingers go in a pinch grip?
Answer: Thumb and bent index finger pinch the blade near the handle. Pinching the blade gives control over the edge.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
This skill is general practice and draws on no single published source.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .