How To Chop: The Tunnel Technique

Ensure your kitchen staff keep their fingers safe when chopping food stuffs such as potatoes, with the tunnel technique. Your fingers create a tunnel shape that surrounds the knife, keeping the blade away from your finger tips at all times. The ‘tunnel’ creates a clamp like hold on food that stops it from slipping away whilst you cut.

STEP
1

Create a Tunnel

Create a tunnel shape using your index finger, middle finger and thumb, placing your finger tips on the sides of the food you’re chopping.

Arch the palm of your hand up to get the tunnel shape, this creates the perfect slot for your knife.

STEP
2

Cutting Safely

Guide the knife into the tunnel you've created and place the point of the knife on the chopping board. Bring the knife down and pull it back towards you to slice the food.

The fingers holding the food will act as a clamp to secure the food as it is cut in two.

TIP: Don’t hold the food too tight with this grip, you’ll tire your hands out. Grip the food strong enough so that it doesn’t move when you cut through it.

Video Demonstration

The tunnel technique helps you to keep food secure whilst you get a clean cut, stopping food from slipping away to increase safety during food prep.

You can use any knife that fits in your ‘tunnel’ with this technique, but Michelin Star chef, Sebastian Frank, recommends using a long and thin knife such as a carving knife for the best results.

How To Chop: The Tunnel Technique | Dick Knives

Get the Book

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 and how to use it properly.

There's plenty more information throughout as well such as how to sharpen your knife 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.