on our first day, we learned we've been holding knives wrong our entire lives.

hand positioning - make sure your index finger wraps around the blade and doesn't rest on the tang. this will give you more control on the knife and pressure applied. it will also tire your hand out less when slicing six flats of carrots.

keep your other hand slightly turned into you at about a 75 degree angle. this should feel uncomfortable. curl your fingers completely under and tuck your thumb into them. the blade of the knife should be able to press against your knuckles.

body positioning - turn your hip so you're at just under a 90 degree angle with the counter. why? look at the way your arm moves. it's now at a 90 degree angle with the counter and with the item you're chopping. if you're flush with the table, your arm is more often at a 45 degree angle and you'll wind up with angled, uneven knife cuts.

knife cuts

let's look at the basic knife cuts. we're going to use a potato. any will do if you'd like to practice. i recommend using something like this first instead of a hard vegetable like carrot. the measurements given are exact and we were graded on perfection. definitely use a ruler when practicing to ensure you're hitting the target!