Chef told me my knife grip was wrong after 8 years

Had a sous chef at a pop-up in Portland last month watch me break down a case of onions. He said I was holding the knife like a hammer and losing control on the tip. Switched to pinching the blade right above the bolster and my cuts are way more consistent now. Anyone else get basic technique feedback way later than they should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanegibson2mo ago

Funny timing, I was just reading about how Kenji Lopez-Alt spent years gripping his knife like a caveman before a chef called him out on it, and now he swears by the pinch grip. It's wild how something so basic can fly under the radar for that long.

spencer_chen62mo ago

My buddy Joel ran a food truck for 6 years before a guest chef told him he was slicing bell peppers the hard way. He switched to cutting through the ribs instead of around the core and said it saved him like 20 minutes a shift.

barbara841mo ago

Yeah, the "holding it like a hammer" part hits home. I always thought my grip was fine until a buddy showed me the pinch thing and I felt dumb for not trying it sooner. It's like relearning how to hold a pencil after doing it wrong your whole life.