Just realized I was slicing onions completely wrong for years

A line cook at this little joint in Portland told me I was crushing the onion layers by pressing too hard with the knife tip... I always thought you needed force to get through clean. Switched to a lighter pull-cut motion 2 months ago and my dice is way more even now. Anybody else get a basic knife skill correction that made you feel silly afterwards?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jessica25d ago

Wait, were you using a rocking motion before? Because I see so many folks doing that sawing back-and-forth thing and they never get clean cuts. The pull-cut sounds way smarter for control.

mark_cooper24d ago

Caught myself doing that exact sawing motion for years before I figured it out. Felt so dumb when I realized I was fighting the tool instead of letting it do the work. That pull cut just feels different, like the knife actually wants to go through whatever you're cutting. I remember the first time I tried it on a brisket the slices came out so clean I just stood there staring for a second. Now I can't even watch people doing that back and forth thing without cringing a little. It's one of those small tricks that changes everything once you finally get it right.