Complete Knife Skills
Brendan McDermott
Class Preview
- In-depth Instruction; over 110 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Introduction
8:21
Meet your instructor, Brendan McDermott, as he leads a discussion on his recommendations for the four must-have knives for every home cook.
Essential Knife Skills
42:55
Brendan shows you the best way to hold your knife to maximize safety and efficiency while minimizing body fatigue as he demonstrates the four main cutting techniques: low, high, horizontal and pull.
Shortcuts for Fruits, Veggies & Herbs
42:53
Master the paring knife as you learn to easily core a jalapeño, tomato or cauliflower and zest an orange then learn how to cut down butternut squash and pineapple as you tackle a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Sharpening & Honing
15:06
A sharp blade is paramount to safe and easy slicing. Learn the science behind honing and the proper technique for using a honing rod or a sharpening stone.
Become faster and more accurate with your knife work, and create dishes that cook evenly and look truly professional. Guided by chef Brendan McDermott, youÂ’’ll explore proper hand placement and the four fundamental cuts. Learn to dice, mince and julienne a range of produce. Find out how to chop herbs without bruising them or losing flavor, and never again cry when cutting an onion. Uncover BrendanÂ’’s favorite shortcuts for working with butternut squash, pineapple, chiles, citrus and more. Discover the four knives every chef needs in their kitchen, and enjoy a bonus lesson on honing and sharpening your knives at home!
Brendan McDermott
Chef Brendan McDermott's culinary technique was honed at acclaimed New York City restaurants, and his knife skills classes have been lauded by New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Today, he is a highly sought-after instructor, both at Chicago's Kendall College and here on Craftsy, where he also teaches Complete Knife Skills and 20 Essential Cooking Techniques.
Complete Knife Skills
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I learned so much! I'm excited to go cut something up now. And hey, I can even test my knives to see how sharp they are, and have some ideas how to use my honing rods.
This class was really enjoyable. I always had a hard time when it came to cutting vegetables. I'm left handed so everything seems harder to do lol. Thanks to this class I finally get to cut vegetables quicker and cleaner.
This class was just what I needed. I always struggled trying to dice vegetables, especially onions. Know I know what I didn't know. Thanks to Bendan for his his very clear instructions and injecting some humor into the class. I'll be back for more classes in the future.
I learned I knew nothing about knife skills. I was just about to throw away all my handed down knives because they were so dull. I'm definitely glad I watched this. Now I'm going to use my honing and a wetstone to whip them into shape! I remember my grandfather sharpening my mom's knives, now mine, and I was entranced by the motions. Thank goodness for this class. I enjoyed the instructor and his great humor. It sweetend the class and made me out right laugh. He knew his stuff and I know I will be viewing this class over and over if I can't recall the exact way to slice and dice. I especially liked his mention about the carrots. I have always chopped the fool out of those with uneven pieces flying everywhere. That's what Mom did. Thanks so much! I have always wanted to know how to properly use my knives and get all the various shapes he made. This class is enough to be worth the whole year's payment for Craftsy!
This was an awesome start for me with Craftsy! I saw some things I knew, but learned so much more! It so important to have sharp knives to enjoy cooking in my opinion!
Very informative learn a lot as well as some jokes in between. I also wonder how many people actually incorrectly use there knives in the first place even chefs? Who knew I have seen people use glass jars to peel garlic I guess there wrong two mental bowls is how you do it. thanks for the tips Brendan!
The pith is where all the nutrition of the orange is. The citrus part of the orange is mostly sugar water
Excellent series of knife skills. I'm pretty confident with a knife but I still learned a few tricks here. Kudos.
What a great class!! I especially appreciated how Brendan identified so many incorrect practices one uses and then demonstrated the correct way to get things done. He's a fantastic instructor. Master at conveying information succinctly and with humor!
I took this course a couple years ago. Nice to see it's still avaliable. It's very useful!