Knife skills and preparing ingredients
- The bridge hold: hold the food with your fingers and thumb forming a bridge, and cut under it. Used for cutting round foods, such as halving an onion.
- The claw grip: curl your fingertips under and slice with the knife against your knuckles. Used for slicing and dicing.
- Cuts include julienne (thin matchsticks), dice (cubes) and chiffonade (thin ribbons of leaves).
- Use the right knife and chopping board, and keep knives sharp: a blunt knife slips more easily.
Using equipment and the cooker
- The hob is used for boiling, simmering and frying; the grill for radiant heat; the oven for baking and roasting.
- Blenders, food processors and electric mixers save time and effort, such as making breadcrumbs or whisking.
Key techniques
- Sauces: a roux sauce (fat and flour cooked, then liquid added), an all-in-one sauce, and reduction sauces.
- Doughs: bread (kneading to develop gluten), pastry (rubbing in, shortcrust; laminating, flaky) and fresh pasta.
- Setting mixtures: eggs set quiche and custard; gelatine sets cheesecake.
- Tenderising and marinating: acid (lemon juice, vinegar, yoghurt) or bashing with a meat hammer softens meat and adds flavour.
Testing for readiness
- Use a food probe to check the core temperature has reached 75°C.
- Other tests: a skewer comes out clean from a cake; bread sounds hollow when tapped; pasta is "al dente" (firm to the bite).
Key terms
- Bridge hold
- Holding food with a hand arched like a bridge while cutting underneath.
- Claw grip
- Tucking fingertips under while slicing, so the knife is guided by the knuckles.
- Roux
- A mix of cooked fat and flour used to thicken sauces.
- Julienne
- Cutting food into thin matchstick strips.
- Marinating
- Soaking food in a flavoured, often acidic, liquid to add flavour and tenderise.
- Food probe
- A thermometer inserted into food to check its core temperature.
- Al dente
- Pasta cooked so it is firm to the bite.