HOW TO CHOP: THE HAMMER TECHNIQUE

The hammer technique requires precision and a sharp knife, preferably a Santoku knife or a Chinese chef’s knife. Ensure your kitchen staff know this technique to help them effortlessly cut through hard and compact foods such as red cabbage, speeding up prep times whilst giving you a professionally prepared dish. When using the hammer technique, it’s important to use powerful, straight and smooth cuts for both safety and efficiency.

Equipment You'll Need

You'll need the following equipment to complete this how to guide.

Santoku Knife or a specialist chopper knife.
Chopping Board

STEP
1

Break down food into smaller chunks

Holding the food steady, apply even pressure from above, being careful of the hand holding the food, cutting the food in to smaller, more manageable chunks. The food should be cut with the middle or heel part of the blade as you push down.

STEP
2

Begin to chop, applying even downward pressure

Once the food is small enough, you can start using the hammer technique to make short work of it, again, applying even pressure in a downward force. The blade should briefly touch your knuckles (use the claw grip for maximum safety and control) so your fingers are kept safe.

TIP: Lay your thumb and index finger over the top of the blade for extra power and control when pushing down.

STEP
3

Continue chopping to the widths of food you require

Continue chopping with downward force until the food is chopped to your requirements. The knife doesn’t always need to make contact with the chopping board with this technique.

TIP: Don't worry if this is slow at first, the idea is to increase safety whilst getting a clean cut. Speed will come as a byproduct of practice.

How To: Video

Using the hammer technique over other techniques when chopping compact food saves you energy and time when preparing food, making it an essential skill for professional chefs in commercial kitchens. Michelin Star chef, Sebastian Frank demonstrates how to use this technique in the below video.

How To Chop: The Hammer Technique

Cut!

All this information, and more, is available from the new Cut! book from F. Dick knives. The Cut! book is a chef's ultimate guide to preparing food, with information on how to cut and prepare foods, which knife to use, how to use it and other information such as how to sharpen knives and an insight into how Dick knives are made. The book also comes with a free App that allows you to get the information you need on-the-move.