KotiChef

At its most basic level, cutting is about concentrating force into a small area. A knife works by creating an extremely small contact point—the edge—where all your force is focused. This concentration of pressure is what allows a knife to separate food with minimal effort. The sharper the edge, the smaller this contact point becomes, and the less force you need to apply.

Many home cooks make the mistake of trying to cut solely by pressing downward. While this works with very sharp knives on soft foods, it's inefficient for most cutting tasks. When you press straight down, the pressure is distributed across the entire length of the blade in contact with the food, reducing efficiency.

The magic happens when you slice—moving the knife horizontally while pressing down. This creates a traveling pressure point that moves along the edge as you slice. By holding the knife at a slight angle and drawing it through the food, you concentrate all your force at a single moving point rather than spreading it across the entire edge. This is why slicing feels effortless compared to chopping—you're applying the same force but concentrating it on a much smaller area that progressively cuts through the food.

Try this simple experiment: Take a tomato and attempt to cut it by pressing directly downward with your knife. Now try again with a slight forward motion as you press down, angling the knife so only a small section contacts the tomato at any moment. The difference is immediate—slicing requires less force and produces cleaner cuts. This same principle applies to nearly everything you'll cut in the kitchen.

Your grip plays a crucial role in efficient cutting. The proper technique is to hold the handle with your last three fingers while pinching the blade itself between your thumb and forefinger. This "pinch grip" gives you precise control over the knife's movement and allows you to feel exactly what's happening as you cut. Your grip should be centered around the knife's balance point—typically where the blade meets the handle—which minimizes strain during extended cutting sessions and gives you the most control over the blade.