CHEF KNIFE TECHNIQUE

Here is a photo of the proper chef's knife grip as seen from the inside or thumb-side of the cutting hand. Your thumb should grip the knife around the top of the blade, with the hand wrapped around the bolster of the knife. As beginners you may find that this takes some getting used to, it definitely provides extra control over the blade. Trust me once you get use to this hold you will see that this hold allows you to have more consistent cuts. 
Remember that you should be gripping the knife mainly with the thumb and forefinger. Make sure you relax your hand if you find that you are tightly gripping the entire handle. After much practice you will get used to this grip, and soon any other grip wont feel natural.

Now that you know the proper way to hold your chef knife, we need to make sure your other hand does, too. Your non-knife hand is called your "guiding hand," and its job is to hold the food in place to keep it from sliding around on the cutting surface. This keeps your non-knife hand in a safe positiong. With the knife blade flying up and down, you need to keep those fingertips tucked safely away, while still being able to firmly hold the food.



This is a demonstration of the "claw grip" and as you can see, by keeping the fingers curled inward and gripping the onion with my fingernails, my fingers stay out of harm's way. The side of the knife blade should rest against the first knuckle of the guiding hand, which helps keep the blade straight up and down to the cutting board.

This is the safest and fastest way to use your profesional chef knife in your kitchen be it at home or at work. Happy cutting and the next time you are cutting food remember to use the "claw grip".