Knife Skills: 7 Simple Moves From the 8-Minute Lesson 41 Million People Have Watched

Knife skills are the one kitchen upgrade that costs nothing, and one short video has quietly taught millions of people how to get them. It is not a celebrity chef or a viral trick. It is an 8-minute lesson from a grocery store chef, filmed back in 2012, on how to hold a knife and chop an onion. It has now been played more than 41 million times on a channel with only about 202,000 subscribers. With the biggest cooking week of the year almost here, we walked through the whole lesson. Here are the seven simple moves it teaches, in plain words, so your Thanksgiving prep goes faster and safer..

The video, titled Basic Knife Skills, comes from Chef Mike on the Kroger Culinary 411 channel. It runs just over 8 minutes. There is no music, no fancy set and no shortcuts. He simply stands at a counter with a cutting board, a chef’s knife and a pile of vegetables, and shows each step slowly. Maybe that is exactly why so many people keep coming back to it.

Move 1 and 2: Set Up the Board and Hold the Knife Right

Good knife skills start before you cut anything. In the lesson, the chef prefers a bamboo cutting board, because the blade grips the wood a little instead of sliding around. Glass boards look nice, but they are slippery and hard on the edge of your knife. His other tip is so simple that most of us skip it: put a damp paper towel under the board so it does not move while you work.

Next comes the knife. He uses an 8-inch chef’s knife, the all-purpose size most home cooks already own. The grip is the part people get wrong. Instead of holding only the handle, pinch the base of the blade between your thumb and the side of your index finger, then wrap your other three fingers around the handle. It feels strange for a day or two, but it gives you much more control.

Move 3 and 4: Rock the Blade and Make a Claw

A chef’s knife has a curved belly for a reason. In the video, the blade rocks forward and down while the tip stays on the board, so the knife moves in a smooth rolling motion. He points out that chopping straight up and down, lifting the whole knife each time, is the least safe way to cut. It is also slower and more tiring.

The other hand matters just as much. Curl your fingertips under and rest your knuckles against the side of the blade, like a claw. The knife then slides along your knuckles, not your fingertips. Move the claw back a little after each cut. This one habit is the heart of safe knife skills, and it is the first thing professional cooks learn.

Move 5: Dice an Onion, the Knife Skills Move That Matters Most

The onion is the star of the lesson, and for good reason. Almost every holiday recipe starts with one: stuffing, gravy, soups and casseroles. Here is the method, step by step:

1. Cut the onion in half from the root end to the stem end.
2. Lay each half flat side down, so it cannot roll.
3. Trim off the stem end, but leave the root on. The root holds the layers together while you cut.
4. Peel off the papery skin.
5. For slices, cut thin half moons across the onion. Perfect for salads and burgers.
6. For a dice, make a few cuts toward the root, stopping just short of it. Then cut across those lines, and the onion falls into small, even pieces.

Even pieces are not just about looks. They cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest is still raw. Once this feels easy, you will never want to go back to a chopper.

Move 6: Shallots, Green Onions and Garlic

Shallots and green onions use the same idea: thin slices, or a tiny dice. The chef shares a steakhouse trick here. Slice shallots very thin and cook them slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, until soft and sweet. They make a simple topping for steak, green beans or potatoes.

For garlic, he keeps the bulbs at room temperature, not in the fridge. To peel a clove, lay the flat side of the knife on top and press down with the heel of your hand. The skin pops loose and slips right off. Then slice it thin and dice it the same way as a shallot. Do you crush your garlic or use a press?

Move 7: Peppers, Ginger, Tomatoes and Lemons, the Last of the Basic Knife Skills

• Bell peppers: cut away the ribs and seeds, then slice with the skin side down. The knife grips the soft inside instead of bouncing off the shiny skin. Cut long thin strips, called julienne, then cut across them for a dice.
• Ginger: scrape off the peel with the edge of a spoon. It follows the bumps better than a peeler. Skip the tough, fibrous center, then cut thin strips or grate it.
• Tomatoes: cut the firm outer flesh away from the seeds and juice first, then dice. Your salsa will not be watery.
• Lemons: trim both ends, then cut neat wedges for guests. Small touch, big difference on a holiday table.

Mise en Place: Why Knife Skills Pay Off on Thanksgiving

The chef also explains a French kitchen term: mise en place, which means having everything in its place. Before any pan goes on the stove, every vegetable is chopped and lined up in small bowls. It sounds fussy, but it is the calmest way to cook a big meal. Thanksgiving is on November 26 this year, and most of the prep is the same few things: onions, celery, garlic and herbs for the stuffing and gravy.

Try this: the night before, chop everything for your stuffing and store it in the fridge in covered containers. On the day, you just cook. For more time savers, see our Thanksgiving kitchen hacks, and put those diced onions and celery to work in one of these stuffing recipes everyone asks for.

A few last safety tips round out the lesson. Keep your knife sharp: a dull blade needs more pressure and is more likely to slip. Wipe the board between ingredients, and always cut on a stable surface. Most of all, go slowly. Speed comes on its own after a few weeks of practice, and the old saying from the video holds true: practice really does make perfect.

So, which move will you try first? A) the pinch grip, B) the claw, C) the onion dice, or D) the garlic pop. If you want to watch the original lesson, it is still free on YouTube, linked above. Ten minutes of knife skills practice this weekend could make your whole holiday kitchen run smoother.