Top 11 Best Knife Skills Classes (Online)

by Peter Xiao | Last Updated:   March 22, 2024

Have you been hoping to brush up on your knife skills to improve your culinary prowess? If so, you’ll be glad to know that several top-notch knife skills classes are available online!

Let’s explore the best of these courses to help you choose a suitable one for your needs.

1. Fundamentals in Culinary Knife Skills – Thomas Paul

chef demonstrating how to cut up an onion

Udemy is well-known for providing online students the opportunity to learn more about almost any subject.

They also provide completion certificates to students who complete courses. So, this class could be an excellent pick if you’d like to show off your prowess with a kitchen knife.

Students can enjoy lifetime access to a one-hour on-demand instructional video covering various culinary knife skills.

Covered topics include how to hold a kitchen knife, culinary knife terminology, and identifying basic cutting techniques.

You’ll also learn how to choose the right knife for different cutting tasks. This course covers several cutting techniques that are crucial to most recipes. For example, you can learn how to peel, dice, and deseed ingredients with a knife.

Overall, this Udemy course is one of the most comprehensive choices for beginner-level cooks hoping to master knife skills.

2. Knife Skills: A Mini Class to Chop Like a Chef – Elana Karp

vegetables chopped in a julienne

Knife skills classes don’t have to be long, drawn-out affairs. You can learn and begin practicing the most basic cuts after watching the videos included in this concise 12-minute course!

The second video lesson covers knife safety basics, ensuring that you stay safe while practicing your skills.

The third lesson covers slicing and julienne cuts, which are very similar (julienning is a more precise form of slicing).

The fourth video lesson addresses dicing and mincing, and the fifth discusses knife maintenance and care. So, while this course might be pretty short, its content offers a comprehensive introduction to basic knife skills. 

Like other Skillshare courses, students will need to pay for access to the material. However, new users can take advantage of a free 30-day trial!

3. Cooking Knife Skills – Timothy Cunningham

brunoise cut

Are you looking for a quick and straightforward knife skills course? If so, Cooking Knife Skills with Timothy Cunningham could be a top-notch choice. It consists of six short video lessons, resulting in a total of 15 minutes worth of content.

However, while these videos are brief, they contain a ton of practical information.

For example, you’ll learn how to set up your chopping board and select the best possible kitchen knives. You’ll also learn to complete basic cuts, including slicing and dicing.

Those hoping to master proper technique for slightly more complicated knife cuts will also be glad to know that instructor Timothy Cunningham offers a video lesson dedicated to julienne and brunoise cuts. After watching these lessons, you’ll have the chance to complete a class project.

This project is simple; you only need to use your preferred kitchen knife to cut an ingredient of your choice, then take a picture of your knife, cutting board, and cut ingredient. You can then post this image to the class discussion board to see how your work compares to that of other students.

This course prepares beginner-level students to cut common ingredients like onions and carrots and offers a post-class opportunity to practice learned cutting skills.

4. Knife Sharpening – Ron Payne

instructor showing how to sharpen a knife with a wet stone

Keeping your kitchen knives sharp is vital to making precise and safe cuts. However, many at-home chefs are unfamiliar with basic knife maintenance tasks, including how to sharpen knives. 

This course helps remedy this problem by offering a comprehensive glance at knife sharpening techniques, steel types, and abrasive materials used to keep knives sharp.

In addition, the six video lessons in this class are concise, totaling less than 30 minutes of viewing time.

While you must sign up for Skillshare to access all six video lessons, you’ll be glad to know that new users can access Skillshare for free using the 30-day trial option. As a result, brushing up on your knife-sharpening skills has never been easier!

5. Knife Skills for Fish – Gary Howard

japanese chef cutting raw fish

Scaling, gutting and filleting freshly caught and whole fish can be a frustrating experience, even for experienced chefs.

Fortunately, you can turn whole fresh fish into delicate, bone-free cuts by sharpening up your knife skills culinary education.

This class is one of the few online courses dedicated to providing in-depth walkthroughs on how to prepare fish with a knife, and Gary is a great teacher. It consists of an hour of instructional on-demand video, so students can learn wherever and whenever they’d like. 

Because this video is pausable, you can also study at your own pace! So, if you’d like to rewatch the section on de-scaling a few times, no penalty or time limit is holding you back. And unlike other knife skills classes, this option comes with lifetime access.

You’ll also get a certificate of completion after finishing this course. After finishing up this great class, you’ll be able to de-scale, fillet, skin, and pin a fresh fish confidently.

6. Complete Knife Skills Free Mini Class – Brendan McDermott

chopping garlic

Craftsy offers students of all ages and skill levels opportunities to learn and master craft-related skills, including cooking skills. This course (hosted by instructor Brendan McDermott) is an excellent example.

Complete Knife Skills consists of four educational videos tackling basic knife skills, cutting techniques when handling fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and knife maintenance tasks.

In total, that’s slightly less than two hours’ worth of expert guidance and instructional material.

Because this class is video-based, you can study at your own pace, at any hour of the day. Students can also download bonus material, most notably a Complete Knife Skills PDF that offers image-based guides to knife types and recipes to try after completing the course. 

After completing this course, you’ll be able to handle knives safely, practice various cutting techniques, and easily prepare many of the most common ingredients. This class could be an excellent choice for beginners and intermediate-level culinary artists.

7. How to Become a Cook Who Wields a Knife with Confidence – The Kitchn Article

chef knives and cutting board

Unlike many of the knife skills classes we’ve explored thus far, this option doesn’t require you to sign-up or enroll in a specific course. Instead, it provides a straightforward article that familiarizes readers with the basics of knife handling, knife safety techniques, and cutting skills.

The primary focus of this article is to instruct readers in proper knife handling. As such, it’s top-notch refresher material for intermediate-level chefs and an educational resource for beginner-level chefs. 

You’ll also learn how to use your guide hand properly when cutting with a kitchen knife. This topic is crucial for keeping your hands and fingers safe when handling blades.

One of the unique aspects of this article-based course is that it also discusses which knife cuts aren’t essential to creating well-prepared meals. This additional tidbit of information can help you focus on practicing only the most crucial cuts and techniques.

Near the end of this page, you’ll find recommended kitchen knife gear and five practice recipes to get you started. After studying this information, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of proper knife handling and basic knife cuts (mincing, chopping, slicing, and dicing).

8. Knife Skills: Choosing, maintaining and using the right knife  – Matthew Card

cutting cabbage with a chef knife

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cooking School offers several courses for aspiring at-home and professional chefs. One of these courses is the Knife Skill class, taught by instructor Matthew Card.

This free course can help students of all learning levels become adept at performing slicing, dicing, mincing, chopping, and deboning cuts. These skills are crucial when preparing most vegetable-based or meat-based meals from scratch.

Notably, this class also includes information about how to select the best knives for your culinary needs. Students will also learn how to maintain their knives by keeping them sharp and clean.

You’ll also find several ingredient-based tutorials that explain the best ways to prepare specific ingredients, including onions and whole chickens. As such, you can immediately apply the knife skills you learn by tackling some of the most common ingredient preparation tasks.

Finally, the course ends by offering students the opportunity to practice their skills via cooking challengings and more than two dozen Milk Street recipes. Few other knife skill classes provide such a variety of recipes to students, making this free course pretty unique.

After finishing this course, you’ll be able to prepare common ingredients safely and confidently and try your hand at several tasty recipes.

9. Knife Skills HD – Jacob Burton on Youtube

How To Hold Your Chef's Knife

If you’re looking for a free knife skills course, this Knife Skills HD playlist on YouTube could be an excellent choice! Hosted by professional chef Jacob Burton, this playlist includes 42 videos that tackle a wide range of knife skill techniques, safety practices, and cuts.

For example, the first video in the playlist is ‘How To Secure Your Cutting Board.’ This first step is crucial because a secure cutting board keeps you safe while handling a knife. Additionally, getting the ideal cuts would be almost impossible without a flat and stable cutting surface.

After this initial video, Chef Burton teaches viewers how to safely hold a knife and use their guide hand. He also discusses basic cuts (slice, dice, mince) before moving on to more challenging cuts (julienne, brunoise, batonnet). 

For clarity, the chef shows viewers how these cuts work on onions, one of the most common ingredients found in kitchen pantries. However, Chef Burton also shows viewers how to cut other everyday ingredients, including herbs, peppers, mushrooms, and fruits.

Essentially, this YouTube playlist can teach beginners how to master a wide variety of knife skills. However, it’s also an appropriate option for intermediate-level home cooks.

10. Online Cooking Class: Knife Skills 101 and Vegetables – Chef Chris

demonstrating how to slice an onion

This knife skills class can help beginner-level cooks master the basic cuts and cutting techniques needed to prepare vegetables for a wide variety of recipes. Students who enroll will learn how to slice, chop, dice, mince, julienne, and chiffonade.

Chef Chris ends this class by showing students how their newfound skills can help them prepare two delicious Italian dishes: Mixed Vegetable Minestrone Soup and Tomato Basil Bruschetta. 

This online cooking class lasts about an hour and a half and is fully interactive. You’ll be able to speak with Chef Chris, ask questions, and receive instant feedback on your work.

As such, it’s best suited to students with working webcams (either on a tablet or laptop). While it’s possible to enjoy this class via a smartphone, seeing the chef’s movements can be challenging when using a smaller-sized screen.

After completing this course, students will have a primary mastery of essential knife cuts. They’ll also be able to use their newfound skills to prepare delicious food: two Italian dishes for themselves, friends, or family members.

11. GIF Tutorials: Essential Knife Skills with a Mission Chinese Cook – Henry Molina

animated knife skill

This knife skill class is far from traditional. Instead of enrolling in a course or watching a series of instructional videos, students hoping to learn from this class will simply need to watch a series of animated GIF images and read the text accompanying them.

This tutorial covers several topics related to knife skills and techniques. For example, you can learn how to pick up and handle a knife correctly and how to stay safe when chopping or mincing ingredients with a knife.

These animated GIF images also address cutting force and hand position issues, helping to reduce strain on your wrists while also decreasing the risk of accidentally cutting your ‘steadying’ hand (the one used to hold ingredients still while cutting).

By exploring this tutorial, you’ll also learn how to safely and effectively handle a wide variety of common household ingredients, including garlic, avocados, onions, and lemons! After studying these animated images, you should be able to safely and effectively tackle a wide range of common cuts.

This knife skills resource is an excellent refresher for intermediate-level cooks and a wonderful introduction to basic knife skills for beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s address some of the most frequently asked questions regarding knife skills and knife skill classes.

Conclusion

Mastering knife skills is a crucial part of becoming a culinary master.

Fortunately, there are several courses to choose from, making it easy to select knife skills classes that suit your learning level, budget, and personal preferences.

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Peter Xiao is a Chinese-American chef. He began to cook at the age of 15 he worked at his uncle's Chinese restaurant and learned the traditional method of Chinese barbecue. Peter's cooking style combines contemporary cuisine with fusion flavors, particularly Southeast Asian and Mediterranean.
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