Advanced Knife Skills

By Craig Deppe

When you learn and apply some of the basic knife skills, working in the kitchen becomes so much more pleasant. I’ll never forget the first time I learned the easy way to dice an onion or shallot – it was an epiphany!

How could I have been so uninformed? I needed to learn more.

If you want to learn more, and are ready to go a little step beyond basic chopping and slicing, here are a couple of cutting techniques that are essential to some of the more refined dishes that require a bit more precision.

In this advanced knife work segment I will not be demonstrating knife-throwing. That comes much later in a chef’s training when you are taught “management skills.”

Craig Deppe developed his skill and passion for all things culinary at an early age, under the guidance of his French mother. After college, he spent 15 years traveling the world as a professional sailor, sampling myriad cuisines and replicating them in many a ship’s galley. The birth of his son led Craig to forgo a seagoing career to pursue his interest in cooking and writing. He now organizes and caters culinary events in San Francisco and works as a chef’s assistant at Sur la Table.

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