knife skills

Like the chiffonade, a julienne is a very useful and visually appealing way to cut vegetables. This cut will take many of your dishes to the next level in terms of aesthetics and texture. We're using a zucchini for our demonstration, but this technique works on any number of fruits and vegetables.

Cut a 2 1/2 to 3-inch section of your zucchini so that it stands up straight and square off the round edges.

Slice off 1/8-inch slices of the zucchini, using your knuckles as a guide.

Keep reading for more!

Chopping an onion is one of the most basic skills every home cook should have under her belt. If you're interested in a simple method, be sure to check out our onion chopping tutorial. While no tears are shed in the video, I know this problem plagues more than a handful of folks.

I, for one, used to see my tears well up in mere anticipation of the task at hand. Here are a few tips and tricks to make those painful, pesky tears stop and allow the chopping to ensue. Keep reading to learn how to stop crying and start chopping.

At Fabio Viviani's demo in South Beach, I learned a genius new method for cutting green onions. Here's what what you do:

1. Instead of removing both rubber bands, take off the one that holds together the stems of the scallion.
2. Slice off the stems and throw them away.
3. Cut the onions up until the dark green part, which should still be held together by the second rubber band. Most recipes have you discard the dark greens, so toss them in the compost bin and mince the onion according to your recipe.

Since watching him do this, I've been slicing green onions following his quick technique. Do you have a chopping suggestion? Share it with us below!

Masaharu Morimoto's cooking demo in Aspen was exactly that: a demonstration. To be more specific, it was a mind-blowing demonstration of how stupefyingly skilled he is in the kitchen.

The Iron Chef began by making a fried fish cake noodle soup, first puréeing white fish with egg whites, potato starch, and soy, then piping the tacky, moist mousse into simmering fish broth to form udon-like noodles, which were finished with a flash-fry in vegetable oil.

But the real show began when Morimoto pulled out his mad Japanese knife techniques to create the most stunning sashimi platter that I've ever seen. Read more about it after the jump.

Have you ever noticed how sticky garlic is? When you're peeling it, it sticks to your fingers, and when mincing, it sticks to the cutting board and knife. For years I've been annoyed by it, but recently I discovered an easy way to reduce garlic's stickiness. After you've peeled a clove, drop a tiny bit of olive oil on top. The oil lubricates the garlic and ensures that it won't stick.

Do you have a secret cooking tip that pertains to garlic? Please share with us below!