Safely Using A Chef’s Knife

I can’t stress enough how important it is to build some basic knife skills with a Chef’s knife before you start chopping a lot of things.

Go SLOW – yeah, you’ll see videos of professionals just slicing and dicing but do not be tempted to jump right in like that.
Make sure your cutting board is not going to move on you (having one with rubber stoppers underneath is your best bet).
Keep your fingers away from the knife blade – firmly hold the handle of the knife and when using your other hand as a guide, make sure you have a firm grip on what you’re cutting and your fingers are rolled back and your hand is not spread out.
For most cuts, anchor the point of the knife to your cutting board and do not raise the blade higher than your knuckle height.

Here are some great videos others have put together that show these basic skills in action.