529475 Mon Jun 16 05:28:18 -0700 2008 8 41 Cookware 0 3783658 I watched the video http://www.chow.com/stories/11031 about the correct technique to dice an onion, and of course I agreed with the dicing concept showed. In my comment I explained that the video is correct and that I saw professionals Like P.Bocuse, J. Oliver, G. Ramsey, and many professional training books teaching the same way. To my surprise many if not all the comments were against the technique showed in the video and. And one of the comments stated, that it was a good technique to cut your fingers. To my understading the way showed to hold the onion maneuvering the knife is not correct but also safe. Is there a new way cut cut onions that I do not know, or most of the people don't know how to cut onions the way chefs do? Mon Jun 16 05:28:19 -0700 2008 198801 luxfarah 1 3783666 Was this a Youtube video? If so could you post it so we could see the technique. If not could you describe the technique. Most techniques use a method of making horizontal cuts then vertical cuts using the tip of the knife from the front of the onion. Another method for making the vertical cuts is to use the area closer to the heal of the knife and to work from the other direction. This actually works very well and you have more control in the thickness of the cuts. You just don't go all the way through and cut through the stem end. Mon Jun 16 05:34:58 -0700 2008 3783658 89493 scubadoo97 1 3783685 It is a Chow Tips video and the link is on the post Mon Jun 16 05:48:21 -0700 2008 3783658 198801 luxfarah 1 3783843 I watched the video you talked about.. at least in my experience, that's the standard technique. It does take a bit of practice - try it on a dozen onions before you pass judgement, but I don't find it risky in any way, and it produces a nice consistent dice quickly. Perhaps some knife ninja could dice onions amazingly well with another technique, or using some weird custom blade, but for a home chef with a chef's knife, it works for me.. Mon Jun 16 07:00:32 -0700 2008 3783658 176367 grant.cook 2 3783878 The only thing that strikes me as "wrong", is that when she's doing the final slicing to make the dice, her finger tips aren't tucked under - I'd be sure to cut a finger nail, if not a finger, if I didn't tuck mine under. I have seen professionals on TV doing the slicing parallel to the root end first, the the perpendicular ones, but in my experience, that's more difficult. Mon Jun 16 07:14:56 -0700 2008 3783843 10985 MMRuth 1 3783860 jfood would add one item to the video that he heard about a few months ago. When you peel the onion's out layer(s) do not rip them away from the root end, but "fold" them back. This gives a really nice "handle" to the onion to hold onto while you dice. Mon Jun 16 07:08:37 -0700 2008 3783658 11290 jfood 1 3784257 I tend to use the classic 3 step method, but I know that many people who have seen him do it like Alton Brown's method of making clockwise(radial) cuts instead of the horizontal and vertical preliminary cuts. The resulting dice is not as fine, but it works quite well 90% of the time. Mon Jun 16 09:26:16 -0700 2008 3783658 22220 Kelli2006 1 3786671 The debate is in regards to the technique called planking, or with the horizontal cuts are made in the first step. There are two schools: this is either redundant because of the structure of an onion, or that this is necessary to get an even dice/chop/mince. It is entirely a matter of personal preference. Some of your post is confusing. "To my understading the way showed to hold the onion maneuvering the knife is not correct but also safe." Do you mean unsafe? Could you clarify? Tue Jun 17 01:30:11 -0700 2008 3783658 177643 AthleticsRock16 2 3787474 Sorry for the error, I wanted to say. "To my understading the way showed to hold the onion and maneuvering the knife is not only correct but also safe." Tue Jun 17 09:27:04 -0700 2008 3786671 198801 luxfarah