Knife Skills

Knife skills are an important technique to learn if you want to be safe in the kitchen. Chef Jason Hill shows you how to cut an onion with a chef's knife. Today you'll learn how to dice, how to slice and how to mince onions.

For dicing, first remove the stem end of the onion. Set up and cut in half down through the root. Peel first layer of skin off. Leaving the root end on keeps the onion together while you are dicing.

With your free hand, tucking your fingers, hold down the onion and begin to make cuts in the onion, using your free hand as a guide for your blade. For a finer dice, you can make a cut or two down the center of the onion.

Again, tucking your fingers, hold down the onion and begin to dice the onion. Keep your fingers tucked at all times.

To slice an onion, I remove the root end and remove the first layer of skin. Set the onion flat. You can turn the onion and begin slicing. This thickness works great for salads or fajitas.

While we're at it, you probably want to know how to mince garlic or shallots. I lay the garlic or shallot on its flat side and begin to make tiny 1/8th inch slices through the shallot. Carefully make several cross section cuts into the shallot, moving your fingertips backward as you cut.

Finally, make 1/8th inch slices down the shallot. Now you are mincing! This method works great for garlic as well. Remember the speed will come with time. Thanks for watching.