amy692•16d ago

A line cook in Portland told me my knife skills were slowing down the whole station

I was working a busy brunch shift, just trying to keep up with the ticket rail. This new guy, Jake, was on garde manger next to me. After the rush, he pulled me aside and said, 'Hey, I noticed you're using a rocking chop for your mirepoix. For the volume we do, a straight up-and-down push cut is way faster and more consistent.' I was kind of offended at first, honestly. I'd been rocking my knife for years. But the next day, I tried his way on a big batch of onions. After about 15 minutes, I was done with a task that usually took me 25. The pieces were more even, and my wrist didn't hurt. I had to admit he was right. It was a small change, but it made a huge difference in my speed and quality. Has anyone else had a basic technique critique that actually improved your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

bailey.sam13d ago

My first kitchen job, the chef saw me holding a peeler like a pencil and just started laughing. Took me a full week to admit that the power grip he showed me could get through a case of potatoes in half the time. Felt like a total goober for clinging to the slow way for so long.

young.sarah16d ago

Your story about the push cut being faster totally reminds me of a video I saw on knife skills.

mark_hernandez1216d ago

Yeah that video probably covered it better than I can explain. @young.sarah I read a whole article breaking down the push cut vs. the rock chop. The push uses more of the blade so it's fewer motions. Makes sense why it feels faster once you get the hang of it.