Basic Knife Skills for Culinary Students
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
I have worked as a professional culinarian in almost every state and in several locations around the world. My success as a chef and my current work as a culinary educator is built on the foundation of professional knife skills. Additionally, I have a specific research interest into online delivery of culinary arts education. Is it possible to provide quality instruction and guide student learning in culinary arts in the online/distance environment? This is a first step in attempting to build online culinary arts instruction. HRD 572 principles and scholarly references are embedded throughout the work, specifically on the Instructor View.
This learning module is for beginning culinary students; it should take about 8 weeks to complete. The purpose of this learning module is to introduce students to the main tool used by culinary professionals, the knife. Chuck Williams (2010) said: “When you’re learning to cook, some pieces of equipment are essential—and a set of good knives is one of them. Using the proper tool for the job will help achieve the best results, allowing you to quickly and efficiently accomplish everything from peeling and slicing to chopping and mincing. With the right knives and a little practice, you’ll soon find that food preparation can be fun and very satisfying” (Knife skills, 2010).
In this learning module, you will encounter charts, graphs, videos, online discussions, project uploads, self-assessment, peer assessment, and more. The following file from Williams Sonoma is a great place to start your discovery of culinary knives and knife skills.
Learning Outcome:
An essential aspect of food service is safety and sanitation. Customers should be able to dine with confidence that every effort is being employed to prevent foodborne illness. “Although foodborne illness is preventable, more than 56,000 people per year become ill in the U.S., creating high economic costs, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life for many. Experts agree that the home is the primary location where foodborne outbreaks occur; however, many consumers do not believe the home to be a risky place” (Byrd-Bredbenner, Berning, Martin-Biggers, & Quick, 2013).
Being negligent in kitchen safety and sanitation can be a very costly thing. “The economic cost of foodborne illness also is high—affecting the U.S. pocketbook at a cost of $50 to $80 billion annually in health care costs, lost productivity, and diminished quality of life” (Byrd-Bredbenner, Berning, Martin-Biggers, & Quick, 2013).
A substantial proportion of food born disease, up to 87% (van Asselt, de Jong, de Jong, & Nauta, 2008) is attributable to improper food preparation practices in consumers’ homes (Redmond & Griffith, 2003). Consider the following documents:
The previous document and the following infographics focus our attention to the safe use of kitchen knives. Review these carefully.
Review the following video to gain additional understanding of the safe use of kitchen knives. Pay particular attention to the chef's grip, finger placement, etc. Noticd the chef's grip of the knife throughout the entire video; it is the same as the grip demonstration at the beginning.
Discussion
In 100+ words, discuss the importance of knife safety and kitchen sanitation, especially when you engage in the practical, hands on component of this learning module. How will you ensure your behavior will be safe, professional, and sanitary? Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.
One way to achieve collaborative learning is to create an online learning community through group discussions. “Synchronous online discussions are being increasingly used in higher education in order to facilitate learning and group interaction between on-campus and off-campus students” (Duemer, et al., 2002).
According to research, it has been found that “members of social learning communities moved from identifying themselves solely as a learner and student to identifying themselves as” (Duemer, et al., 2002) practitioners of the discipline they are studying. This is an important consideration as students are required, in each module, to engage in group discussion.
The group discussions throughout this Learning Module (original discussion post and response to 2 classmates' posts) will encourage collaborative learning as students teach each other, share knowledge with each other, and learn from each other.
There are many types of knives professional culinarians have at their disposal. While there may be only a few knives necessary, it is important to understand the various uses of each knife; then, you can use the proper tool for any specific task.
The following videos will further explain many of the different knives available to chefs and suggest the most important ones to have and use. You will see how to hold and properly use the main tool, the chef’s knife.
The following pics show you the correct and incorrect way to hold your chef’s knife. Pay particular attention to the incorrect grip, as this is the grip most commonly used by amateur cooks. If this is how you hold your kitchen knife, this is a bad habit that will need to be changed.
Discussion
In 100+ words, discuss the knives you have in your collection. What is the proper use of each knife? Which are the most important knives every professional culinarian needs in his or her kit? Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.
“To cultivate students’ critical thinking, it may be helpful to have them be aware of the characteristics of accepted responses so that they will deliberately think and reflect in critical way when responding online” (Bai, 2009). With so many kitchen knives available, this module’s discussion is intended to make students think, self-evaluate, make a decision, and justify that decision. Some may question their knife preference as they engage in group discussion, learning from others. The point here is NOT to make students question or second-guess themselves; but, rather, to reinforce good choices. Also, students should begin to see how their personal preferences may have to adapt to an industry standard.
A chef’s knife is one of the most important tools for a chef and one the most lasting investments he or she will make. Many considerations are taken into account when choosing a knife – quality of the blade, weight and balance, feel of the handle, and more. Caring for this all important investment (we can call this an investment because of the expense and attention to care) is of paramount importance. The following booklet provides very good instruction about the care of your knives.
Consider the following video that also discusses the care of your chef’s knife. You should pay specific attention to how the chef sharpens the knife. There are multiple methods for various needs. Pay attention to each.
Discussion
In 100+ words, discuss your plan to care for your kitchen knives. What kind of board will you use? How will you clean your knives? How will you keep your knives sharp? Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.
The purpose of a 2013 study “was to determine if the inclusion of basic culinary technique videos in a college Advanced Foods class would improve student culinary skills and food knowledge. The results of this study indicate significant improvement in test scores for the class viewing culinary videos” (Schaeffer & Warren, 2013). This reasoning contributes to the purposes behind the inclusion of the various instructive videos throughout this Learning Module. Students should view each one, paying attention to specific things prompted in the text preceeding the video.
We now enter the practical, hands on phase of this learning module. In this module, you will practice very basic use of your chef’s knife. The rough chop is exactly as it sounds, a non-specific, uneven chop.
The following slides will further define specific definitions and dimensions of those cuts placed in the ‘rough’ category.
The following video will help define rough chopping as well as introduce you to some of the precision cutting your will experience in the next module.
After reviewing all of this module’s information, practice rough chopping. As part of your regular meal preparation or during specific practice, rough chop at least 4 different vegetables. Pay attention to your grip, your guide hand, and the motion of your knife.
Discussion
This module’s discussion should be a reflection of insights noticed in your practice.
In 100+ words, discuss your experience rough chopping the veggies. How did the knife feel in your hand? What challenges did you have? How can you improve? Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.
Students will move from introduction to a specific cut to mastery of that cut through time and practice. “There are several factors that influence the level of professional achievement. First and foremost, extensive experience of activities in a domain is necessary to reach very high levels of performance” (Ericsson, 2006). Extensive experience of activities means practice, over and over again.
It is important to note, however, that “attainable performance is constrained by one’s basic endowments, such as abilities, mental capacities, and innate talents” (Ericsson, 2006). It is important, as instructors, that we encourage and motivate, while acknowledging that some will excel naturally and some will struggle no matter what.
This module will introduce you to precision cutting, essential for every culinary professional
The following slides focus on each cut, detailing name and dimension for each. The video at the bottom shows how to produce these cuts.
After reviewing all of this module’s information, practice rough chopping. As part of your regular meal preparation or during specific practice, precision cut, at least 4 different cuts, potatoes or carrots. Pay attention to your grip, your guide hand, and the motion of your knife.
Discussion
This module’s discussion should be a reflection of insights noticed in your practice.
In 100+ words, discuss your experience rough chopping the veggies. How did the knife feel in your hand? What challenges did you have? How can you improve? Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.
Again, practice is the key word in this experiential learning module. “If all you do… is lecture, you might as well just hand out your notes and let the students find something more productive to do with all that time. The only way a skill is developed—skiing, cooking, writing, critical thinking, or solving thermodynamics problems—is practice: trying something, seeing how well or poorly it works, reflecting on how to do it differently, then trying it again and seeing if it works better” (Felder & Brent, 2003). This is an intregal aspect of culinary arts training. Students don't care about a lot of lecture; they want to get their hands dirty.
It has been said that 'practice makes perfect.' As a classically trained, former professional musician, I was taught and incorporate in my teaching the adage, "Practice makes Permenant." Students should be encouraged to practice, practice, practice. Everyone has to eat and most of our students cook their own meals. They should be encouraged to incorporate these new knife skills into their everyday food preparation.
There are a few classical knife cuts that are used to enhance the visual appeal of plate presentations. The challenge is maintaining strict control of the knife, no matter how large or how small the cut is made. This will help produce consistent cuts that will be impressive on the plate.
The following videos focus on a few specific classical cuts used as garnish, specifically the paysanne, lozenge, and tourne. Pay careful attention to the techniques used by the demonstrating chef to execute these specialty cuts.
Review the following rubric to know what is expected for your Classical Cutting submission.
There will be no discussion in this module. Instead, choose 4 classical cuts (1 rough chop, 1 stick, 1 dice, and 1 garnish). Produce ½ cup each of the 4 cuts chosen, photograph each one separately, and upload on the following single page pdf. Review, evaluate, and rate 2 classmates’ submission, following the Classical Cutting rubric.
Peer review and peer feedback is an essential element in collaborative learning. “A peer review process depends on the rubric that students use to assess each other’s work and to give feedback to each other” (Goldin & Ashley, 2012). Students will be asked to use the attached rubric to guide their feedback. “Good rubrics can provide students with important guidelines without constraining creativity and can be a boon to self-assessment” (Andrade, 2007).
In this module, students are to practice all of the learning module cuts, prepare and present (via simple photography and upload) some specific cuts, and review, evaluate, and rate each other’s work, using the attached rubric.
Unlike a live knife skills exam in a face-to-face classroom, students may perform better with this exercise, photographing their finished cuts for evaluation. In the traditional classroom, students have little opportunity to repeat their work until they are pleased with and ready to submit finished cuts; they have a limited amount of time. Online students have no time limit and can repeat their work until they are pleased with their performance. In the industry, it is the finished product that is more important than the method to get there. In an introductory course such as this, photographic evidence of their work is sufficient; technique will be evaluated in more advanced courses.
The most economical approach to inventory control and sound fiscal management is acquiring proteins in whole animal portions and dividing each into individual retail cuts. For example, purchasing a whole chicken for $0.75 per pound and ‘fabricating’ it (breaking it down into individual pieces) is much cheaper than the $4.65 per pound one pays for just chicken breast. To be most economical, culinarians must be able to do this quickly and efficiently.
There are several variations of a fabricated chicken.
The following video details whole chicken fabrication. Pay attention to the method the chef employs in the disjoining of the various chicken pieces (you should never cut through the bone; you will but connective tissue at the joints).
There will be no discussion in this module. Instead, practice fabricating at least 1 whole chicken into 8 classical pieces – 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings (keeping the 3 joints intact), 2 breasts. Keep the skeletal remains, the chicken frame, for stock production; this allows for zero waste.
Complete the following survey about your chicken fabrication experience.
In this module, students will be asked to practice the “fabrication” of chicken (breaking the whole chicken down into smaller, usable parts and pieces). They will evaluate their own work and discuss their personal experiences in the module’s survey. “Correctly implemented, student self-assessment can promote intrinsic motivation, internally controlled effort, a mastery goal orientation, and more meaningful learning. Its powerful impact on student performance—in both classroom assessments and large-scale accountability assessments—empowers students to guide their own learning and internalize the criteria for judging success” (Mcmillan, 2008).
Academy, T. C. (2010, June 28). The chef's academy: How to break down a chicken. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiaoUbfw07A
Albouze, B. (2017, January 26). Basic knife skills. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VBnaFhOEn8&t=67s
Allen, K. E. (2011). Tips for teaching knife skills. Retrieved from Utah state university cooperative extension: http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1143&context=extension_curall
Andrade, H. (2007). Self-assessment through rubrics. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 60-63.
Bai, H. (2009). Facilitating students’ critical thinking in online discussion: An instructor’s experience. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 8(2), 156-164.
Bleu, L. (2010, September 23). How to hold a knife: Properly using a chef's knife. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20gwf7YttQM
Bleu, L. (2010, September 24). Potato tourne technique. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IWty8bKFnw
Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Berning, J., Martin-Biggers, J., & Quick, V. (2013). Food safety in home kitchens: A synthesis of the literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10, 4060-4085.
Center, I. C. (2013, June 14). How and when to use different knives. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVrwvHRkVec
Coull, J. L. (2019). Jointing a chicken. Retrieved from Tes: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/jointing-a-chicken-11598601
Crowley, E. (2011, March 10). How to cut a lozenge from a carrot. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur85o7hgvyQ
Crowley, E. (2011, March 10). How to cut a paysanne with a carrot. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJW7Qd_F7Q8
Cutlery buying guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from Williams sonoma: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cutlery/?cm_type=gnav
Duemer, L., Fontenot, D., Kallus, K., Gumfory, M., Larsen, J., Schafer, S., & Shaw, B. C. (2002). The use of online synchronous discussion groups to enhance community formation and professional identity development. The Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 1(2), 1-11.
Epicurious. (2018, April 9). Knifemaker explains the difference between chef's knives. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO35cdWL1MQ
Ericsson, K. A. (2006). The Influence of Experience and Deliberate Practice on the Development of Superior Expert Performance. In K. A. Ericsson, The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (p. 918). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2003). Learning by doing. Chemical Engineering Education, 37(4), 282-283.
French cooking terms all chefs should know. (2019). Retrieved from Cookstr: https://www.cookstr.com/Cooking-Tips/French-Cooking-Terms
Goldin, I., & Ashley, K. (2012). Eliciting formative assessment in peer review. Journal of Writing Research, 203-237.
Harlan, B. (2010, July 23). Setting up for a cooking demo. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_CqB-A6R8
Henning, J. M., Weidner, T. G., & Marty, M. C. (2008). Peer Assisted Learning in Clinical Education: Literature Review. Athletic Training Education Journal, 3, 84-90.
Hospitality and restaurant safety. (n.d.). Retrieved from SAIF: https://www.saif.com/Documents/SafetyandHealth/RestaurantKitchen/knife_and_balde_handling.pdf
Insider, B. (2015, October 4). Proper knife care. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFiSnLwjgd4
Katuri, R. B. (2017, October 31). Basic knife skills and different types of vegetable cutting. Retrieved from SlideShare: https://www.slideshare.net/RameshBabuKaturi/basic-knife-skills-and-different-types-of-vegetable-cutting
Kitchen knife basics. (2012). Retrieved from Kitchenknifeguru: https://kitchenknifeguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/KitKnifeBasics.pdf
Kitchen knife safety. (2017, January 30). Retrieved from Dinner tonight: https://dinnertonight.tamu.edu/kitchen-knife-safety/
Knife skills. (2010, August 29). Retrieved from Williams Sonoma: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/wsimgs/ab/images/i/201939/0006/images/pdf/pages/technique-classes/08-29-10_KnifeSkills.pdf
Manley, P. (n.d.). Poultry lesson 2. Retrieved from Blendspace by tes: https://www.tes.com/lessons/tkeWUp6Ndw2B8A/poultry-lesson-2
Mcmillan, J. &. (2008). Student self-assessment: The key to stronger student motivation and higher achievement. 40-49.
MonkeySee. (2010, August 2). Kitchen knife safety. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EVWhtfRw2E
Overhiser, S. (2019). Knife skills 101: How to cut basic fruits and vegetables. Retrieved from A couple cooks: https://www.acouplecooks.com/basic-knife-skills-for-home-cooks/
Pierre, C. J. (2012, January 5). Chop the veggies not your fingers. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnNJ9v-46A
Redmond, E. C., & Griffith, C. J. (2003). Consumer food handling in the home: A review of food safety studies. Journal of Food Protection, 66(1), 130-161.
Ruth. (2014, December 15). Boiled Dinner. Retrieved from The finish dish: https://finnishdish.blog/2014/12/15/boiled-dinner/
Schaeffer, L., & Warren, J. (2013). Will Culinary Videos Increase Dietetic Students’ Culinary Skills and Food Knowledge. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 31(1), 51-61.
Spiro, J. (2018, July 2). Mise en place: An essential guide to classical vegetable cuts. Retrieved from Crush: https://crushmag-online.com/mise-en-place-essential-guide-classic-vegetable-cuts/
The safe use of knives. (2019). Retrieved from SureSafe: https://www.suresafe.co.uk/Safe-use-of-knives
Tips for a successful cooking demo. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ornish: https://www.ornish.com/wp-content/uploads/Tips-for-a-successful-cooking-demo.pdf
van Asselt, E., de Jong, A., de Jong, R., & Nauta, M. (2008). Cross-contamination in the kitchen: Estimation of transfer rates for cutting boards, hands, and knives. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 105, 1392-1401.