# In-hand cutting



## Mucho Bocho (Aug 28, 2016)

Do Chef's do much in-hand cutting, ya know off the board, as in using a paring knife to peel a potato. I've seen Southern folks cut onions up in hand but is there any good uses for off the board hand cutting? I have a parer and the only thing it gets used for is scoring tomato skin for blanching and deveining shrimp.

Why would one use a paring knife when you could use a peeler.

just curious what others thought


----------



## NO ChoP! (Aug 28, 2016)

To peel and supreme citrus, peel a mango, top a strawberry or stripe a new potato.


----------



## KCMande (Aug 28, 2016)

Peel onions and shallots, trim radishes, core tomatoes, small fruit prep.


----------



## Matus (Aug 28, 2016)

I cut potatoes in hand - some of the most common use for my Blazen R2 110 mm parer. But I also use it to cut apples or such. The thin and narrow blade and lack of sharp heel makes the knife perfect for in-hand cutting.


----------



## _PixelNinja (Aug 28, 2016)

Tourner.


----------



## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 28, 2016)

"Why would one use a paring knife when you could use a peeler."

As an amateur: hey, there has to be SOME space for some unapologetic "real men don't use peelers, and can use all knife practice they can get" attitude  But then, they don't prefer the mini yanagi to the paring knife for most peeling either, maybe because it strangely feels safer - a thicker kataba becomes stuck if you lose control, something like a herder parer gets unstuck . Well, apples don't peel well with a thicker knife.. but hitting a hard damaged spot in an apple is still less profanity worthy with a knife than with a peeler...

And I still think slicing green onions off the bundle, straight into the salad bowl, with something fresh off the stones, is just too much fun to pass up on...

Only use where I really need the tiny paring knife: making slits through whole small eggplant to stuff them or just cook them whole in a sauce. Doing THAT off board would be ludicrously dangerous though.


----------



## daveb (Aug 28, 2016)

Begs the question, "Why would anyone cook eggplant?"


----------



## skewed (Aug 28, 2016)

daveb said:


> Begs the question, "Why would anyone cook eggplant?"



Baba ghanoush!


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Aug 28, 2016)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> "Why would one use a paring knife when you could use a peeler."
> 
> As an amateur: hey, there has to be SOME space for some unapologetic "real men don't use peelers, and can use all knife practice they can get" attitude  But then, they don't prefer the mini yanagi to the paring knife for most peeling either, maybe because it strangely feels safer - a thicker kataba becomes stuck if you lose control, something like a herder parer gets unstuck . Well, apples don't peel well with a thicker knife.. but hitting a hard damaged spot in an apple is still less profanity worthy with a knife than with a peeler...
> 
> ...



I know you're trying to make a point? Please explain with less profanity.


----------



## easy13 (Aug 28, 2016)

supremes obviously, used to have a method with a sharp petty to rip through cherry tomatoes in my hand, still cut avocado in my hand


----------



## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 29, 2016)

@Mucho Bocho bruised, hardened or mushy spots in apples - very good at totally jamming peelers, AND you have to reach for a knife to actually remove them


----------



## Cashn (Sep 4, 2016)

I don't do much detail work in the kitchen I work in so whenever I top strawberries or clean Brussels sprouts I'll just use my 270 gyuto with the product on the board. Ocasionally I'll keep a forgecraft boning knife out as the profile of blade being flush with the handle makes the spine very handy in peeling something like par boiled turnips in hand and being its a boning knife the edge isn't surgically sharp.


----------



## TheDispossessed (Sep 4, 2016)

Competent Japanese cooks and chefs do a remarkable amount of knife work in hand with larger knives. peelers and mandolines are seldom used. the guys i worked with always used their gyuto, suji or usuba in hand and rarely if ever pulled out a petty or paring under 180mm.


----------



## wbusby1 (Sep 4, 2016)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> @Mucho Bocho bruised, hardened or mushy spots in apples - very good at totally jamming peelers, AND you have to reach for a knife to actually remove them



Just removed a good bit of fingertip off with a peeler. Some of my coworkers assume my strong dislike of using peelers and mandolines is macho/snobby pretense. Truth is, I'm just plain afraid of them!:scared4:


----------



## LifeByA1000Cuts (Sep 4, 2016)

Knives don't kill, bladed kitchen gadgets kill 

My theory: a smooth bladed knife will only do anything if it impacts something at the correct angle within a narrow range, a peeler is designed to find that angle itself, a mandoline will enforce it...


----------

