Materials & extras
Downloads
Handouts, flashcards, and note cards from your instructor. Print any of them.
HandoutHandout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Handout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Honest version: you need one good knife and a rock, basically. Everything else on this list is either "makes life easier" or "nice if you've got it." I'll flag which is which.
Bring what you already own to class, even if it's dull and a little embarrassing. That's most people's knives, and it's exactly what we're here to fix.
The Non-Negotiables (Budget Tier)
Chef's knife — 8 inch, one knife, not a set. This does 90% of your cutting. Your call on brand, but do not overspend here. A sharpened $30-40 knife will outcut a dull $200 one every time, no contest. Look for something with a little weight to it and a handle that doesn't feel slippery. Skip the knife block entirely. Blocks are mostly furniture.
Paring knife — small, cheap, whatever's next to the chef's knives. Covers the other 5%. Strawberries, garlic, small stuff. Don't overthink it.
A cutting board — wood or plastic. Never glass. Glass boards wreck your edge and honestly I have feelings about this. If you own a glass one, retire it to trivet duty. Look for something that doesn't skate around on the counter — if yours slides, a damp paper towel underneath fixes that for free.
A whetstone — around $30, this is the whole game. This is the one purchase that actually changes your kitchen life. A dull knife is the dangerous one, not the sharp one — dull knives slip off what you're cutting instead of biting into it, and that's how people end up at urgent care (ask me how I know). A whetstone lasts basically forever if you take care of it. Get a basic double-sided one, coarse on one side, fine on the other. We'll cover technique in class, so don't stress about brand.
Nice-to-Have Tier
A honing steel. Different job than a whetstone — it doesn't sharpen, it just straightens the edge between sharpenings. I learned that the hard way after a week of wondering why my knife felt dull three days after I'd sharpened it. Worth having, not urgent.
A second small paring knife. Handy if you're peeling and someone else is prepping. Not required.
Kitchen towel, just for wiping the blade. Cheap, useful, keeps you from reaching for whatever's nearby (please don't use your jeans).
A bench scraper. Nice for moving diced stuff off the board without dragging the blade edge-down across it — but a big spatula or the back of your knife works fine too.
Local-ish Shopping Notes
You genuinely don't need a specialty store for any of this. A basic 8-inch chef's knife and a paring knife from Macey's or Costco's kitchen aisle will do the job — Costco especially if you catch a knife set on sale, just plan to only use two knives out of the twelve. Whetstones show up in the kitchen section of most big box stores, or online for about the same price. If you're up for a bit of a drive, kitchen supply stores toward the valley sometimes have better selection, but it's not necessary for this class.
One thing to skip: don't buy anything marketed as "self-sharpening" or a knife block that comes with a built-in sharpener slot. They round your edge over time instead of sharpening it properly. Save the money for a real whetstone.
What to Bring to Class
- Your chef's knife, even if it's dull, even if it's the free one that came with a wedding registry set
- A paring knife if you have one
- A cutting board if you have a favorite (we'll have some here too)
- Closed-toe shoes, please — we'll talk about why in session one
That's it. Small list, small budget, big payoff. See you at the board.
~kaylee
HandoutKnife Skills Cheat Sheet
Knife Skills Cheat Sheet
Print this, stick it on the fridge, get sauce on it. That's what it's for.
Here's the short version of everything we covered. If you only remember one thing off this whole page: a dull knife is the dangerous one. Sharp knives cut where you aim them. Dull ones slip. That's the whole game.
---
The Grip
- Pinch grip: thumb and pointer finger pinch the blade itself, right where it meets the handle. Not the handle. The blade.
- Other hand on the food: fingertips curled under, knuckles forward, thumb tucked behind. This is the claw. Tuck your fingers or you're going to lose a knuckle — I say this in every class and I mean it every time.
- Knuckles are your knife's guide rail. The blade rides against them, not toward them.
The Cuts, In Order of How Often You'll Actually Use Them
- Dice: cut into planks, stack or line up, cut into sticks, turn and cut across. Size is your call, but keep it consistent so things cook evenly.
- Slice: claw grip, rock the knife tip-down, feed the food back with your guide hand as you go.
- Mince: small dice, then rock the tip of the knife back and forth over the pile, guide hand resting flat on the spine near the tip.
- Chiffonade (for herbs, leafy stuff): stack, roll it up tight, slice into ribbons.
That covers the vast majority of home cooking. I don't do tourné or competition-level brunoise. I don't need to and you don't either. If a recipe asks for a "fine julienne" and you get something a little chunkier, dinner still happens.
Sharpening vs. Honing (people mix these up constantly, myself included for a solid week once)
- Honing steel: does not sharpen anything. It just realigns the edge you already have. Use it before you cook, every time, ten seconds, both sides.
- Whetstone: this is what actually sharpens. Do this every few weeks depending on how much you cook. $30, lasts forever, worth being a little scared of it for the first few tries.
- Watch your wrist angle. Rocking your wrist instead of keeping it steady is the number one reason a sharpening session makes things worse instead of better. Ask me how I know.
Board and Storage
- Wood or plastic cutting board only. Glass boards wreck your edge — if you own one, retire it to trivet duty.
- Store knives in a block, a magnetic strip, or sheaths in a drawer. Never loose in a drawer with other stuff banging into the edge.
Safety, Plainly
- Dull knife = more danger, not less. Sharpen it.
- Curl your fingers under. Every time. Even when you're moving fast, especially when you're moving fast.
- Knife falls off the counter: let it fall. Do not catch a falling knife. Just don't.
- Cutting something round and wobbly (onion, potato): slice a flat edge first so it sits still. Wobbly food is how accidents happen.
What You Actually Need to Own
One good chef's knife. One paring knife. That covers about 95% of what you'll ever cut. A knife block with fifteen slots is mostly furniture — your call, but spend the extra money on a whetstone instead.
Speed comes on its own once your grip is safe and your knife is sharp. Don't chase it early. Chasing speed with a dull knife is how you end up telling your own urgent care story at parties, and trust me, one is enough.
Small wins count. A clean dice on your third try is a win. Say heck yes to yourself and move on to the next thing.
~kaylee
Worksheet```markdown
```markdown # Handout 3: Knife Skills Checkup — Fill This In As We Go
This is your proof sheet. Not for me, for you. When you're home in three weeks wondering if you actually learned anything, come back to this.
---
Part 1: Grip and Stance (check off as you nail each one)
- [ ] I did the claw grip on a real vegetable, not just air
- [ ] My fingertips were tucked, not flat — knuckles forward, not fingertips
- [ ] My guiding hand knuckles touched the blade before I cut
- [ ] I stood with my cutting board on a damp towel so it didn't slide
- [ ] I felt at least one moment where my grip felt automatic, not thought-out
Your call, but if you skip tucking your fingers you're going to lose a knuckle eventually. Not scaring you. Just being honest.
---
Part 2: The Cuts We Practiced
Circle how each one went today.
Cut Rough Getting there Solid Heck yes Onion dice Bell pepper strips Carrot rounds/half-moons Garlic (smash + mince) Herb chiffonade Don't worry if most of this row is "rough" or "getting there" today. First time I diced an onion in under a minute I gasped out loud. That took months, not one class.
---
Part 3: Sharpening Log
Write today's date and what you actually did.
- Date: ______________
- Honed or sharpened? (circle one)
- If whetstone: how many passes per side? ______________
- Did the blade feel different after? Y / N
- One thing I noticed about my wrist/angle: ______________________________
Reminder because nobody told me this either: honing is not sharpening. A honing steel straightens the edge you already have. A whetstone actually removes metal and creates a new edge. You need both, they're not the same tool.
---
Part 4: Knife Home Check
Look at what's actually in your kitchen right now and answer honestly.
- Do I own one good chef's knife? Y / N - Do I own one paring knife? Y / N - Do I own a giant knife block I don't use? Y / N (no judgment, just data) - What is my cutting board made of? ______________ - If you wrote "glass," that's your homework — go find a wood or plastic one before next week. Glass boards are murder on an edge. I have feelings about this.
---
Part 5: One Honest Sentence
Finish this however it lands for you today:
"The thing that still trips me up is _______________________________."
That's a normal thing to write down. I still can't get my really thin cuts consistent and I've stopped needing to. You don't need tourné cuts to make dinner. You need a sharp knife, tucked fingers, and a little practice between classes — not a marathon, just a little, a few times a week. That consistency beats anything I do, honestly. I go all-in for a week then disappear for a month. Don't be like me on that part.
---
Bring this sheet back next class. Small wins count. Bring the sheet even if half of it says "rough." That's the whole game — showing up with the knife in your hand.
~kaylee ```
HandoutHandout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Handout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Everybody hits these same snags. Here's the fix before you start blaming yourself. Honest version: most of this is grip or sharpness, not you.
1. Onion makes me cry every time Sharper knife, faster cut, less time for the fumes to reach your eyes. Also try chilling the onion for 10 minutes first. Not a magic fix, just buys you a little grace.
2. My knife feels dull again after two weeks It probably rolled, not dulled. That's what your honing steel is for — a few passes before you cook, every time, straightens the edge back out. It doesn't sharpen. I learned that one the hard way after a week of wondering why my edge wasn't lasting. Actual sharpening is the whetstone, monthly-ish depending on how much you cook.
3. Food keeps sliding around instead of getting cut Put a damp paper towel or dish towel under your cutting board. Board should never move on the counter. If it's dancing around, that's how you end up cutting a knuckle instead of a carrot.
4. My cuts are all different sizes Slow down and look at your guide hand, not the blade. Your knuckles are the wall the knife rides against. If your knuckles aren't consistent, your slices won't be either. This is a grip problem, not a knife problem.
5. I'm terrified of the claw grip and my fingers keep flattening out Tuck them. I mean it, tuck them all the way — I once told my sister over FaceTime "you're going to lose a knuckle" a little too loud, and she tucks now. Curl your fingertips back so your knuckles lead. Takes about a week of thinking about it before it's automatic.
6. Cutting takes forever and my hand cramps Two likely culprits: knife's dull, or you're gripping the handle too hard. Loosen up. Speed is a side effect of a safe grip and a sharp edge, not something you chase directly. Chasing speed first is how people end up at urgent care. Ask me how I know.
7. My knife slides instead of biting into the skin (tomatoes, onions) That's a dull knife telling on itself. Sharp knives bite where you aim them. Dull ones skid. A dull blade is the dangerous one, not the sharp one — if you remember one thing from this whole class, remember that.
8. I sharpened on the whetstone and it came out worse Probably your wrist angle drifted partway through. Mine did, my first time — forty minutes, back and forth, watched three videos first, and it came out worse than when I started. Turned out I was rocking my wrist instead of holding the angle steady. Fixed it the next day in about six passes once I locked my wrist and moved from my shoulder instead. Small win, but it counts.
9. Herbs turn to mush when I chop them Knife's dull, or you're sawing back and forth instead of one clean rock-chop motion. Let the blade do the work in one pass instead of pressing down and dragging.
10. I bought a whole knife block and still reach for the same two knives Yeah. That's normal, and honestly it's kind of the point. A chef's knife and a paring knife cover almost everything you do at home. The rest of the block is mostly furniture. Your call, but I'd rather see you spend money on a whetstone than knife number twelve.
If none of these match your problem, bring the knife next class and we'll look at it together. Cutting boards are cheap, therapy for a knife phobia is not, might as well fix it now.
~kaylee
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but did it actually work, the six passes thing?
KAYLEE: It did. Which made me mad, honestly. I'd just sharpened the same knife for forty minutes the day before and made it worse. Then six passes, different day, and it was perfect. Turns out I'd been rocking my wrist the whole time without knowing it.
JESS: See, this is why I wanted you to do the podcast. Everybody thinks knife skills is you standing at a cutting board being calm and competent.
KAYLEE: Oh, I was not calm. I watched three sharpening videos back to back like that was going to help my hands know what to do. It did not.
JESS: For anyone just tuning in — this is Knife Skills for the Home Kitchen, episode one, I'm Jess, I run the podcast side of things for Utah Community Learning, and this is Kaylee, who teaches the actual class.
KAYLEE: Hi. Heck yes, glad to be here.
JESS: So before we get into the syllabus stuff — why knives. Like, of all things.
KAYLEE: Honest version? I ended up in urgent care over an onion.
JESS: Wait, what.
KAYLEE: Yeah. I was hacking away, dull knife, crying the normal onion-crying, and the blade slid off instead of cutting in and caught my thumb. Two stitches. And the PA who stitched me up said something that stuck with me — he said dull knives cause more ER visits than sharp ones. Sharp knives go where you aim them. Dull ones slip.
JESS: That feels backwards to how people think about it.
KAYLEE: Everyone thinks the sharp knife is the scary one. It's not. That's the whole game, honestly, that's basically the entire class in one sentence. A dull knife is the dangerous one.
JESS: Okay so tell me the good version. Because the stitches are not the sell here.
KAYLEE: No, the sell is — I went home from urgent care and got mad enough to actually learn. Thirty-dollar chef's knife. A whetstone I was scared of for like six months before I even touched it.
JESS: Six months.
KAYLEE: It just sat there. I'd pick it up, put it back down. But once I finally learned to sharpen, prep stopped being this thing that ate my whole evening. And that matters more for me than it might for some people — I have some health stuff, some low-energy days — and on those days, a sharp knife is the difference between dinner happening or not happening. It's not about being fast or fancy. It's about the knife doing its job so I don't have to fight it.
JESS: Can I get the onion story? Not the ER one, the good one.
KAYLEE: Oh — the under a minute one.
JESS: Yes. That one.
KAYLEE: First time I diced a whole onion in under a minute, I genuinely gasped, out loud, alone in my kitchen. Texted the video to a friend immediately. She just wrote back "based." Best review I've ever gotten on anything, still think about it.
JESS: That's the whole appeal though, right, that's what people are chasing when they sign up.
KAYLEE: And here's the thing I tell everyone on day one — speed is a side effect. It's not the goal. You don't chase fast. Fast just shows up once your grip is safe and your knife is actually sharp. People try to go fast first and that's the urgent care story all over again.
JESS: Okay, give the people something they can use right now, before they even take the class.
KAYLEE: Your call, but — go find a honing steel in your drawer right now. That long metal rod thing.
JESS: I have one of those.
KAYLEE: Everyone does. Here's the thing nobody tells you: it doesn't sharpen your knife. It realigns the edge, it's maintenance, it buys you time between real sharpenings. I thought mine was sharpening my knife for like a week straight and kept wondering why my edge wasn't lasting. A steel is not a whetstone. Totally different jobs.
JESS: So what do people actually need.
KAYLEE: One knife, sharpened right, on a wood or plastic board. That's basically it. You don't need the block of fifteen. That's mostly furniture.
JESS: Okay, love that, we're gonna leave it there for the tease. Next session we're actually getting into grip — the claw, why your fingertips are in danger right now and you don't even know it —
KAYLEE: Somebody's gonna lose a knuckle if they don't tuck.
JESS: — and we start sharpening. Bring a knife you actually own, don't buy a fancy one for this.
KAYLEE: Cheap knife, sharpened well, beats an expensive one every time. That's not me being nice, that's just true.
JESS: Kaylee, thank you.
KAYLEE: Heck yes. See you at the board.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but you have to finish that thought because I already know somebody's going to email me asking.
KAYLEE: Right, the honing steel thing. So the honest version is I owned one for a week before I found out it doesn't sharpen anything.
JESS: Wait, what does it do then.
KAYLEE: It realigns the edge. Straightens out the little bends that happen when you're cutting. It's maintenance, not sharpening. I thought I was sharpening my knife every night like a responsible adult and really I was just tidying up an edge that was getting duller and duller underneath.
JESS: How'd you figure it out.
KAYLEE: My cuts kept getting worse and I could not understand why. I'm steel-ing this thing every single night. Finally looked it up at like eleven p.m. and felt so dumb. But nobody tells you that. It's not on the box.
JESS: This feels like a good moment for the tip, actually. The thing people can use even if they never take the class.
KAYLEE: Yeah — okay, here's the one thing. If your knife feels dull, before you buy anything, run it across a honing steel a few times, ten passes maybe, both sides. If that fixes it, you didn't need sharpening, you needed realignment. If it's still dull after that, it's actually dull, and steel isn't going to save you. That'll tell you which problem you have.
JESS: See, that's useful. That's a whole free lesson right there.
KAYLEE: Heck yes it is. Steel is maintenance, stone is surgery. Different jobs.
JESS: Okay, tell the poster one. You said you'd tell it this episode.
KAYLEE: Oh — the group project thing.
JESS: Yeah.
KAYLEE: So this was a while back, before knives were even a thing for me, I was on a committee, we were making a poster for a church event. I got it half designed and then I had a bad stretch, one of my flare weeks, and I just couldn't get back to it. Didn't answer texts about it either, honestly, I just went quiet.
JESS: How long?
KAYLEE: Two weeks. And I kept dreading opening my email because I figured people were annoyed.
JESS: Were they?
KAYLEE: Nobody said a word. They just quietly finished it without me. Which, on one hand, great, it got done, the event happened, nobody suffered. On the other hand I was so mad at myself. And relieved. Both at the same time, which is a weird feeling to sit with.
JESS: Why bring that up in a knife class though.
KAYLEE: Because that's basically my whole cooking life too. I'm not a person who does a little bit every day. I go hard for a week — sharpen every knife I own, prep like I'm cooking for twelve, photograph everything — and then I disappear for a month. I want people in the class to know that upfront. If you're the type who practices your cuts for ten minutes every couple days, you will pass me. Easily. That's not me being modest, that's just true.
JESS: I feel like people relax when you say stuff like that.
KAYLEE: That's the point. Nobody's doing this perfectly, including me, especially me. I'd rather say it than have people find out and feel behind.
JESS: Okay, last thing — next session. Give people a reason to show up.
KAYLEE: Next time we're doing the actual cuts. Dice, mince, batonnet, the stuff you'll use for the rest of your life. Onion without crying about it, or at least crying less. And I'm bringing my whetstone so people can watch me use it before we hand them out. Because watching somebody do it wrong first — which, let's be real, might happen live — is honestly more useful than a perfect demo.
JESS: You're setting yourself up.
KAYLEE: A little. But that's kind of the whole class. Small wins, in front of everybody, including the fumbly ones.
JESS: Alright. Bring your knives, don't bring your glass cutting boards —
KAYLEE: Never bring me a glass cutting board. I will confiscate it lovingly.
JESS: — and we'll see you Thursday.
KAYLEE: ~kaylee, out.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —and I said, okay but does everyone else's mom also refuse to get a new knife, or is that just yours.
KAYLEE: Just mine. My mom has this one paring knife, older than me probably, and it is dull as a spoon. I sharpened it once when I was visiting. Didn't ask, just did it while she was in the shower.
JESS: Oh no.
KAYLEE: She comes out, cuts a tomato, and gets suspicious. Actually suspicious. Looks at me and goes "did you do something to my knife." Like I'd pranked her.
JESS: Because a knife that actually works felt like a trick.
KAYLEE: That's genuinely the reaction a lot of people have the first time. They think their knife is fine because it's what they've always used. It's not fine. It's just familiar.
JESS: Okay, so this is episode three, we're halfway through the class at this point. Remind people where we left off last session.
KAYLEE: Last time was grip and the rock chop, getting people comfortable moving the knife instead of moving the food around it. This week was sharpening day. Whetstone day.
JESS: Which I know is a big one for you.
KAYLEE: It's the whole game, honestly. You can have perfect form and it won't matter if the knife's not doing its job. A sharp knife bites where you aim it. A dull one slides. That's the one thing I want people to leave with even if they forget everything else.
JESS: You've got the story about that, right, the reason you got into this at all.
KAYLEE: Yeah, the honest version is I ended up in urgent care over an onion. Dull knife slipped off the side instead of going through it and caught my thumb. Two stitches. And the PA there, while he's sewing me up, tells me dull knives cause more visits than sharp ones do. Which felt backwards to hear, but he was right, and I've been repeating it to people for years now.
JESS: It's counterintuitive. You'd think sharp equals more dangerous.
KAYLEE: Sharp means it goes where you tell it. Dull means it goes wherever it wants. That's the scary one.
JESS: So today in class you got everyone on the stones.
KAYLEE: Yep. Thirty dollar whetstone, lasts forever, and I made everybody actually touch theirs today instead of just watching me do it. Some wobbly angles happening. Totally fine. Wobbly is where everyone starts.
JESS: Any disasters?
KAYLEE: No stitches, so, a win. A couple people were rocking their wrist instead of keeping it locked, which is exactly what I did my first time. I watched three sharpening videos back to back, sat there for forty minutes on one knife, and it came out worse than when I started. Found out the next day I'd just been flexing my wrist the whole time instead of keeping the angle steady. Fixed it in like six passes once I knew. Felt like a genius for approximately one afternoon.
JESS: I love that you still tell that one on yourself.
KAYLEE: Because it's true, and it makes people feel less dumb about their own wobbly six passes.
JESS: Okay, give me the tip. Something somebody listening at home can use tonight without ever setting foot in the class.
KAYLEE: Here's an easy one. If you own a honing steel and you think that's what sharpens your knife — it's not. A steel just realigns the edge you already have, it doesn't put a new edge on. I learned this the hard way, bought a cheap one thinking I was sharpening, spent a week wondering why my knife still felt dull. Steel is maintenance between sharpenings. The stone is the actual sharpening. Two different jobs.
JESS: So use the steel more often, the stone less often but for real work.
KAYLEE: Exactly. Steel before you cook, maybe. Stone every few weeks or when it's actually lost its edge.
JESS: Based tip.
KAYLEE: Heck yes it is.
JESS: Okay, what's coming up next session, give people a reason to come back.
KAYLEE: Next time we're doing actual vegetables start to finish. Onion, pepper, carrot, the stuff you cut every single day. We're timing people dicing an onion, which sounds mean but it's fun, I promise. First time I did mine under a minute I actually gasped out loud and sent a video to a friend. She just texted back "based," and honestly that's still the best review anything I've made has ever gotten.
JESS: High bar.
KAYLEE: Very high bar. Come find out your time.
JESS: Class is Thursdays, six thirty, same room. Bring your own knife if you've got one, we've got loaners if not.
KAYLEE: And wear shoes you don't love, in case something rolls off a board.
JESS: Noted from experience?
KAYLEE: Noted from experience. See you Thursday.
~kaylee
Videos worth your time
Hand-picked by your instructor, with notes on what to watch for.
- 9 Essential Knife Skills To Master | Epicurious 101Epicurious
Watch how the chef curls his fingers into a claw grip to keep them safe while guiding the knife.
- Knife Skills- What Every Beginner Should Know (Home Cook Basics E08)Home Cook Basics
Pay attention to the five basic cuts demonstrated here since they form the foundation for almost every recipe.
- Master Chef Knife Skills Everyone Should KnowJoshua Weissman Recipes
Notice how he keeps the knife tip anchored on the board for a smooth rocking motion when chopping.
Practice corner
6 quizzes and 2 games. Playable by anyone, no account needed.
Open the practice corner →