HOW TO CHOP: The Mincing Technique

Mincing is the go-to technique for chopping robust herbs such as rosemary and thyme, as well as meat, making it essential to teach your kitchen staff. It utilises a characteristic upwards and downwards movement from the tip of the blade to the heel. Using the mincing technique with a chef’s knife helps you to get a fine mince and will speed up your food preparation times, helping you to work quicker and more effectively in demanding kitchens, or at home.

Equipment You'll Need

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

STEP
1

Grip the knife with one hand and balance your other hand on the spine of the knife

Wrap your hand around the handle of the knife, getting a firm grip. Place the fingers of your other hand on the back of the blade towards the tip – this gives you the control when rolling the knife.

STEP
2

Use a rocking motion to chop through the food

Lift the knife from the handle in and up and down motion, keeping the point on the chopping board. This creates a rocking motion that slices through herbs. You don’t need to lift the blade very high for this technique and most of the cutting should be down towards the heel end of the blade.

STEP
3

Continue chopping the food until it is as finely chopped as you like

Depending on the foodstuff that you are chopping, you can continue to chop until it is as coarse or as smoothly chopped as you would like

TIP: Remember to use the back of the blade when collecting herbs into a pile, using the blade to gather can blunt the knife.

How To: Video

The mincing technique helps you to quickly and effortlessly chop tough herbs into a fine mix. It also keeps your hands and fingers safe as they are placed on the knife itself, rather than holding the herbs on the chopping board. You can use a large chef’s knife or even a Chinese chef’s knife for the mincing technique.

How To Chop: The Rolling Chop Technique | Dick Knives

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.