Save the Liver

I recently attended a "knife skills" class at a local Sur La Table. Sadly the focus of the class was on safety and not on lightening fast mincing and chopping.

Some useful things I did learn:

• How to peel a melon. Family members will actually eat them if they are cut up into bite size pieces in the fridge.
  
  
• The most useless cut in the world is a brunoise, which is a mince producing bits of carrot or potato the size of small grains of rice. Good only for a Vichyssoise.
  
  
• If you are slicing onions thinly, slice from the side of the onion. Much more visually appealing results.
  
  
• Always dry your herbs in a salad spinner before mincing. This avoids that molten mush of green slime that collects on your knife and cutting board.
  
  
• And finally, always remember to tuck your fingers under when holding the vegetables and choke up on the knife.