Good knife skills are absolutely essential for any Personal Chef, but that doesn’t mean that these skills need to be kept from each and every household kitchen and chef. We present some advanced knife skills and techniques for your own consideration.
Advanced Knife Techniques Every Serious Home Cook Should Know
Most home cooks reach a point where basic knife skills aren’t enough anymore. You already dice onions without thinking about it. You can julienne carrots on autopilot. You know how to slice, chop, and mince your way through dinner prep. But there’s a world of knife techniques beyond the fundamentals that professional chefs use every single day—techniques that give them incredible speed, uniformity, and control.
The good news? You don’t need culinary school to learn them. With a sharp knife and a little practice, you can elevate your prep from “skilled home cook” to genuinely professional.
Below are the advanced knife techniques that transform not just how you prep food, but how you cook, plate, and think about ingredients.
The Oblique (Roll) Cut: The Smallest Move That Changes Everything
Ask any pro how they make braised vegetables look elegant, and they’ll point you to the oblique cut. This angular, rolling technique adds dimensionality and uniformity to ingredients that would otherwise look clunky.
How it works
1. Start with a cylindrical vegetable—carrots, parsnips, daikon, zucchini.
2. Hold your knife at a 45° angle and slice.
3. Roll the vegetable a quarter-turn.
4. Slice again.
5. Repeat until finished.
Why chefs love it
• It exposes more surface area, allowing vegetables to brown beautifully.
• The pieces cook evenly, even in high-heat stir-fries.
• The angular shape looks refined on the plate.
Once you learn this cut, it becomes your default for sturdy vegetables.
Chiffonade—But Chef-Level (No Bruising, No Browning)
Most home cooks can make a chiffonade, but chefs take it a step further: they slice delicate herbs without leaving dark bruised edges.
The secret?
• Use an extremely sharp knife—dull blades crush.
• Stack the leaves gently, not tightly.
• Start your cuts from the bottom of the blade and pull the knife toward you in one fluid motion.
• No rocking, no heavy pressure.
When to use it
• Basil for caprese or pasta
• Mint for dessert garnishes
• Tender greens like sorrel, shiso, or baby spinach
The result is a chiffonade that stays emerald green and feathery, not soggy and blackened.
Precision Brunoise: The Cut That Trains Your Eye
If you want to instantly raise your plating game, master the brunoise—a flawless ⅛-inch cube. Some chefs say this cut isn’t about showing off; it’s about building disciplined knife control.
Why it matters
• Uniform pieces cook at exactly the same speed.
• Sauces look refined and glossy with tiny cubes of veg.
• It gives a dish that chef-level, almost architectural polish.
A pro tip
Cut your vegetable into thin, even planks first. Everything that follows will naturally become uniform.
Supreme Citrus Segments: Restaurant-Perfect Fruit
If you’ve ever wondered why a restaurant citrus salad tastes cleaner and brighter, it’s because chefs remove every bit of peel, pith, and membrane.
How to supreme
1. Slice off the top and bottom of the fruit.
2. Follow the curve with your knife, cutting away peel and white pith.
3. Hold the fruit in your hand and slide the blade between the membranes.
4. Pop out perfect, membrane-free segments.
Where it shines
• Citrus-forward salads
• Cocktails
• Tarts or pavlovas
• Charcuterie boards
You’ll never go back to rough-cut orange chunks again.
Rock Chop vs. Tap Chop: The Art of Switching Gears
Professional chefs constantly alternate between chopping styles—and this is one of the biggest differences between home cooks and trained pros.
Rock Chop
Best for:
• Herbs
• Mushrooms
• Soft produce
• High-volume mincing
It keeps everything contained and reduces bruising when done lightly and quickly.
Tap Chop (Up-and-Down Precision)
Best for:
• Firm vegetables
• Garlic
• Onions (after the initial slices)
• Anything requiring exact sizing
This motion uses the full length of the knife for controlled, accurate cuts.
Becoming fluent in both styles is a huge upgrade.
The Back-Slice: The Secret to Ultra-Thin Cuts
To get paper-thin slices—think shaved fennel, onions for carpaccio, or ultra-fine mushrooms—chefs rely on the back-slice.
How it works
Pull the blade backward toward you while slicing down, using almost no downward force. The motion is smooth and light, as though the knife is doing all the work.
Why it works
You’re not pressing down on the ingredient, so you don’t crush or distort it. This keeps slices intact, even at whisper-thin thicknesses.
The Push Cut: Essential for Japanese-Style Knife Work
If you own a Japanese knife (gyuto, santoku, nakiri), you’ll get cleaner cuts and better edge protection with the forward push cut, not the rock chop.
The movement
• The tip stays down.
• You push the blade forward and slightly down.
• You lift straight up, not back.
What it achieves
• Perfectly smooth edges
• Less cell damage (better for sashimi, cucumbers, tomatoes)
• Faster speeds with practice
This is the technique behind ultra-clean sashimi slices.
In-Hand Knife Work (Advanced + Safety Critical)
You’ll see professional chefs do selective cutting while holding ingredients—like peeling garlic, trimming herbs, or removing eyes from potatoes.
In-hand cuts are ideal for
• Stripping rosemary or thyme
• Trimming strawberries
• Carving citrus twists
• Scoring eggplants or squid
• Removing flaws from produce
But a warning
This is not for beginners. Proper hand placement, finger tension, and knife angle are crucial. A razor-sharp blade is safer than a dull one because it doesn’t slip.
Think of this technique as “advanced only with respect for danger.”
The Guillotine-and-Glide: The Chef’s Fastest Cut
This hybrid motion—down sharply, then sweeping forward—allows chefs to cut mountains of produce rapidly and consistently.
When to use it
• Bulk vegetable prep
• Shredding cabbage
• Butterflying chicken breasts
• Trimming proteins
It’s the closest thing to culinary magic: speed without sacrificing accuracy.
Understanding Knife Contact Points (The Real Pro Secret)
Pros know exactly which part of the knife to use for specific tasks:
• Tip: delicate cuts, scoring, shallots
• Middle: all-purpose slicing
• Heel: power cuts through squash or chicken joints
• Spine: scraping (never use the blade!)
• Flat side: crushing garlic, smashing cucumbers
Knowing where your knife’s strengths lie makes you faster, smoother, and safer.
Final Thoughts: Knife Skills Are a Lifelong Practice
Mastering advanced knife techniques isn’t about having the fanciest equipment or the sharpest blade (though it helps). It’s about building a relationship with your knife—a sense of feel, rhythm, and intuition that only comes with practice.
When these techniques become second nature, cooking becomes easier, cleaner, and more enjoyable. You’ll notice:
• faster prep times
• more consistent results
• improved plating
• greater confidence in handling ingredients
It’s the kind of mastery Personal Chefs build over thousands of hours—and you can build it right in your home kitchen.
