Most home cooks learned how to use a knife from their mothers and grandmothers like I did.

I remember watching my mother slice strawberries, bananas, carrots, or celery at about the same pace as she would snap beans–one at a time, holding a single piece in one hand and a paring knife in the other, pulling the small blade through the food toward her thumb.  She would spend the afternoon preparing enough food for dinner for the five of us.

In today’s faster paced environment, most home cooks I know don’t have the time or patience to spend an afternoon in the kitchen preparing dinner. So it becomes easier and more convenient, and more expensive, to buy foods that have already had the prep work done.

Learning to slice, chop, dice, mince, chiffonade, peal, and pare foods like a professional chef will allow you to spend less time in the kitchen, serve fresher food, that cooks more evenly, and looks better.

A single two hour class can set you on the path to perfect platters.