My head chef said my knife work was "dangerous"

She watched me for 30 seconds and pointed out I was curling my fingers inward instead of using the claw grip. I fought it for a week, felt slow and stupid, but after two months of forcing the claw, my speed actually went up by like 40%. Anyone else have a simple correction that took forever to stick?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sarah21d ago

Honestly, I get why you'd push back on it. A lot of kitchen rules feel like gatekeeping or just some old timer telling you how to do something for no reason. But the claw grip is one of those things that actually makes sense once you stop fighting it. Ngl, the real danger is probably more about you cutting yourself slow than fast. Tbh, a lot of chefs act like a small mistake is a huge deal, when really it's just a fixable habit.

maryadams19d ago

That whole thing about slow cuts being safer than fast ones really hits home. It reminds me of how people rush through everything in life these days, thinking speed equals progress, when really slowing down just a little keeps you from messing up. Guess the claw grip is just one small example of how taking your time actually saves time in the long run.

paulc9321d ago

Watched a few videos from @the_sarah and honestly changed my whole view on it. I used to think the claw grip was just some old school chef flex, but after trying it out with a dull knife on an onion, I felt way more in control. No more worrying about my fingertips getting sliced off when I'm just trying to chop a tomato. The slow and steady thing clicked for me after that.