The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

relentlessly macho), I made the switch and saw an
immediate and dramatic improvement in my knife
skills. I’m not one to judge someone based on how
they hold their knife (or if I did judge, I’d do it
silently), but here’s the deal: If you’ve only ever used
the handle grip, give the blade grip a try—you may
find your cuts improving dramatically. In return, I
promise to judge you only slightly if you go back to
using the handle grip.
What about your non–knife hand? In general,
there are two positions you’ll find that hand in. The
most common is known as “the claw,” and when
people cut themselves with a knife, it’s mostly likely
because they weren’t using the claw. Use this grip
when dicing and slicing. Protect the fingertips of
your non-knife hand by curling them inward, using
your knuckles to guide your knife. When cutting
food, always place it in a stable position, preferably
with a cut surface flat against the cutting board.
Then guide the knife blade against the food with
your claw hand.