1. Designate a Vegetable Cutting Board
Most people fail to sanitize cutting boards between uses, which means bacteria like salmonella may transfer from the cutting board onto vegetables. If you plan to cook the vegetables, the heat kills bacteria, but many cooks serve raw vegetables or snack while they cut. To reduce the risk of food related illnesses, designate a cutting board for meats and one for vegetables. Specialty cooking stores or commercial restaurant supply stores carry a variety of colors and also sell cutting boards labeled "meat" and "produce."
2. Start With Sharp Knives
Dull blades make it more difficult to properly cut fresh vegetables. You exert more force on the blade, which may injure your wrists or cause cuts should the knife slip through the vegetable too quickly due to the extra force. Use a knife sharpener or hone the blade on another blade or on a metal kitchen burner to create a sharp edge. Take extra precaution when you switch from dull knives to sharp knifes; working with sharp knives requires different knife skills than working with dull knives.
3. Wield the Right Knife
Have you tried to chop potatoes with a paring knife? The smaller blade may not cover the entire length of the potato. Using the correct knife for the job speeds up the process without increasing the chance for injury. For smaller vegetables, a paring knife gives you precise control to cut crinkled patterns or make fruit and vegetable garnishes. For potatoes, onions or other bulky vegetables, use a chef's knife. Knives with little indentations in the blade allow vegetables like potatoes to easily slip off the blade rather than stick to it.
4. Increase Your Yield
Cooks use a variety of methods like the fan method to cut vegetables. While not improper, some styles of cutting waste the flesh of the vegetable. When you cut round vegetables like onions or potatoes, you should cut the vegetable in half to allow a stable cutting service. The way you cut often determines the yield. Some vegetables like onions produce less waste when cut lengthwise from root to stem rather than horizontally across the middle. When cooks peel vegetables they often pull off more layers than necessary. Tools like hullers remove stems and roots without cutting excess parts away.
5. Watch Out for Fingers
Most people hold the vegetable with their fingers out. Bending your fingers to create a flat wall provides a larger surface area to cut and pulls all your fingertips in to one level. This reduces the risk of catching your middle finger tip with the blade. For some vegetables like carrots, squaring the sides allows you more surface area to work with and allows you a secure grip. You might find it fun to take a culinary class taught by a professional chef to learn tricks and techniques.
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