Having the right knife skills in the kitchen will keep you safe and make your food preparation more efficient.
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Having the right knife skills in the kitchen will keep you safe and make your food preparation more efficient.

­Few people handle cooking knives with the skill and precision of an experienced professional chef. In fact, many of us feel a little clumsy when using knives in the kitchen. The thought of handling sharp objects and causing some kind of kitchen disaster is enough to make some opt for eating out. However, if you play it safe and take the time to learn a few basic knife skills, it's possible to get the best out of a good set of knives and start chopping away with confidence.

­Before getting started, there are a few things to keep in mind wh­ile using knives. Never cu­t on an open table, whether it's glass, marble or metal. You'll damage or dull the blade of the knife and probably put some nasty nicks on your table, too. Instead, always use a cutting board when slicing and dicing. You should also always cut away from yourself, never toward, and when you're carrying a knife from one spot to the next it's best to carry it with the tip of the blade pointing down and the edge of the blade pointing back, to avoid cutting yourself or others walking by.

So what else do you need to know? In no particular order, here are our top five knife skills.