We Asked 30 Chefs How They Hold a Knife—These Grips Could Improve Your Cuts

I was seven the first time I held a chef’s knife. It was my first cooking class, and we were making “epicurean” food for kids. We’d already made vinaigrettes and pizza, and we were about to hit yet another milestone—using a chef’s knife for the first time. Our teacher, a soft-spoken woman with a pixie cut who also taught kids’ yoga, unveiled the class knife like a magician: a true chef’s knife with a big, sturdy blade and a white plastic handle. She demonstrated pinching the blade with her thumb and instructed us to give it a go. 

Nothing about that moment felt natural to me. I remember awkwardly gripping the handle, trying not to touch the blade, and doing my best to dice celery evenly. Despite the teacher correcting my grip several times, my knife skills showed the telltale signs of a beginner: I was clutching the handle too tightly and barely making contact with the cutting board. Still, I felt empowered and wanted to keep learning.

As I began cooking more at home and, many years later, working in professional kitchens, I became more comfortable with holding knives. I learned to pinch the blade, which gave me more control over my cuts and reduced strain on my hands. After countless conversations with chefs and fellow cooks, hours spent watching online tutorials, and plenty of trial and error, I settled on a grip I still use for most kitchen tasks today: a pinch grip where the tip of my thumb lies about a quarter inch in front of the heel of the knife.

Knife grips—much like the type of knife you use—are a personal choice. But I wondered if there was a consensus in the food service industry about the very best knife grips for safety, precision, and efficiency. To determine what others consider the gold standard, I spoke with 30 experts, including chefs, culinary instructors, food stylists, and cookbook authors, who wield their knives on a daily basis. I also asked them to send photos of themselves holding their knives. While most of them swear by the pinch grip for most, if not all, tasks, many others use a variety of grips depending on what they’re cutting. 

The Pinch Grip

The pinch grip is the industry standard, and most chefs I spoke with use it. This grip involves using your thumb and index finger to pinch the blade in front of the bolster (a piece of metal connecting the blade to the handle), then wrapping the remaining fingers around the handle until it’s snug. This method offers more controlled cuts, better balance, and helps prevent hand cramping during prolonged use.

I suspected that nearly all chefs would send photos of the pinch grip, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. In fact, the more I examined the photos, the more I realized that there isn’t a universally agreed-upon pinch grip—at least, not a specific location where one pinches the blade. Some chefs pinch further up the blade, while others move their hands closer to the handle and pinch closer to the heel of the blade or directly on the bolster—the thick part of the knife located between the blade and the handle. Here’s what the chefs had to say about these variations.

Pinch Grip With Thumb on Blade

I wanted to know which grip culinary instructors recommend—since they’re teaching the next generation of chefs—so I reached out to the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Hervé Malivert, the campus’s culinary affairs director, firmly believes in the classic pinch grip. “This is how I teach my students to hold a chef’s knife,” Malivert says.”Three fingers (pinky, ring, and middle) should wrap around the handle, and the other two (pointer and thumb) pinch the blade. This allows for a strong grip, which gives the chef better control, and better control means better cuts.”

Other chefs echoed this philosophy. Chris Siversen, chef-owner of the Jersey City restaurant The Feathered Fox, believes the pinch grip results in more even cuts. Peter Som, a recipe developer and cookbook author, says the pinch grip makes his knife and arm feel like one unit. Cookbook author Katie Parla, who often prepares mountains of sofrito to use as the base of countless braises and sauces, also swears by the pinch grip for the most precision. She says, “I use a pinch grip to ensure that the onions, carrots, and celery are cut finely and uniformly so they melt into a sauce.”

Niven Patel, the co-founder of FEAL Hospitality, which includes Miami restaurants Ghee Indian Kitchen and Paya, says he generally prefers the pinch grip for better control and accuracy. But there are some drawbacks, too. “One downside is the permanent callus on my index finger because of the repeated friction with the knife.”

Pinch Grip With Thumb on Bolster

Technically, this isn’t a formal knife grip—it’s closer to a handle grip, more on that below—but plenty of chefs and stylists sent photos of themselves holding the knife by the bolster rather than the blade. Their explanations for doing so vary. While this grip supposedly offers similar control to the pinch grip, the bolster is smaller than the blade, which raises questions about the stability and control of this grip.

Handle Grip

Those who use the handle grip rest their thumb on the handle behind the bolster. Also referred to as the hammer grip, this style is often recommended for beginners or chefs with smaller hands, as it can be more comfortable. It can also offer the cook more power when slicing through tough ingredients, such as bones and winter squash, since this grip engages more muscle groups and allows the cook to apply more torque. However, it offers limited control when doing precise knife work. This grip isn’t standard among the chefs I interviewed, with a few exceptions.

Arnold Myint, chef of International Market in Nashville and author of Family Thai, believes the handle grip is the best grip for maximum control and minimal blisters, which can form on the base of the index finger where it meets the knife’s spine after long days in the kitchen. “A solid and firm grip (as if I were riding a motorcycle) is the way to do it,” he explains. “I like to choke the handle and tuck in my fingers just right to the blade for maximum control. It’s also safer and prevents blisters if you’re working on a tedious job.”

Jonathan Wu, a private chef, primarily uses the pinch grip but switches to a handle grip for maximum power. To slice tough vegetables like hubbard squash, Wu wraps all of his fingers around the handle and steadies the vegetable with his other hand. (This also works well for chopping up bones.)

Some chefs, however, have switched away from the handle grip due to repeated strain on their hands. “I used to grip the handle exclusively, and I developed pain in my wrist,” says Rachel Klein, the founder of the vegan restaurant Miss Rachel’s Pantry in South Philadelphia. “Then I noticed if I move my grip up closer to the blade, it strains my wrist much less.”

Other chefs eschew the handle grip entirely. “Only holding the handle could cause the knife to move side to side while cutting,” says Siversen. This may not be a concern when slicing straight down, but when cutting at an angle or attempting more precise cuts, the lack of contact with the blade can lead to wobbling and an increased risk of slipping.

Pointer Grip (Pointer Finger on Spine)

This grip starts very similarly to the pinch grip, except that instead of the pointer finger gripping the blade, it extends along the length of the spine. Sushi chefs and fish butchers often use the pointer grip, which allows for greater control when making delicate cuts. (Other chefs told me they avoid this grip like the plague, since it can make certain tasks longer than necessary.)

Marc Spitzer, chef and owner of Japanese restaurants BONDST and Okaru, uses the pointer grip with his finger on the spine for slicing fish. “When slicing fish, I place my finger on top of the blade,” he says. “This way, the knife feels like an extension of my hand, giving me greater precision and control.”

Chef Christine Lau swears by this grip not just for deboning fish, but also for heftier cuts of meat, including cooked dry-aged ribeye and pork shoulder. She says the grip, which is more common in Japan, feels more natural for these cuts. “It’s for everything,” she says. “Instead of tucking the finger into the grip, which is the Western way, the index finger is extended along the spine of the knife.”

Some chefs switch between the pinch grip and the pointer grip to accommodate different types of cuts and give their hands a break. Joshua Pinsky, the chef-partner at New York bistro Claud, typically relies on the pinch grip when chopping. However, he switches to the pointer grip whenever he needs to execute precise cuts for fish and other delicate proteins.

Cleaver Grip (Two-Finger Pinch Grip)

This grip only applies if you’re using a cleaver. Jenny Lau, founder of Celestial Peach and author of An A-Z of Chinese Food, owns two Chinese-style cleavers—one of which has a blade around 3.4 inches tall, which is twice the height of a typical chef’s knife. Because of the cleavers’ size and structure, her grip changes accordingly: “My hand is small. I generally hold it at the bottom of the handle. Sometimes [I hold it] quite far up the blade, depending on how much control I need. 

Li Xiaoyan, a cook at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London, typically uses a cleaver, but says his grip changes depending on the size of the knife. “A large, blade-heavy knife demands to be pinched,” says Li.

Takeaways

Most chefs swear by the pinch grip when holding a knife, but not all pinch grips look the same: Some place the thumb further up the blade, closer to the bolster or heel of the knife, or directly on the bolster. The most popular and widely taught pinch grip directs cooks to place the thumb and pointer finger on either side of the blade, so the tip of the thumb lies about a quarter inch in front of the heel of the knife. Others prefer pinching the bolster, which also acts as a finger guard, or even gripping the handle, depending on comfort, experience, or personal preference. Some chefs may use alternative grips, such as resting the index finger on the spine, when making delicate cuts or butchering fish, both to improve control and give their hands a break.

Our Panel of Experts

1. Adam Purcell, Executive Chef, De Vie (Paris)
2. Arnold Myint, Chef-Owner of International Market 2.0 (Nashville, TN)
3. Ben Chen, Chef at Sushi Ouji (New York City, NY)
4. Bob Florence, Founder of Moromi Shoyu
5. Carlos Wills, Chef at Ogawa Sushi & Kappo (Philadelphia, PA)
6. Chris Siversen, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of The Feathered Fox (Jersey City, NJ)
7. Christine Lau, Chef
8. Dan Elinan, Executive Chef at Via Sophia (Washington D.C.)
9. Hervé Malivert, Director of Culinary Affairs at the Institute of Culinary Education, NYC
10. Jenny Lau, Chef and Cookbook Author
11. Jonathan Wu, Chef
12. Joe Sasto, Chef and Television Figure
13. Joshua Pinsky, Chef-Partner at Claud and Penny (New York City, NY)
14. Kai Nguyen, Personal Chef
15. Katie Parla, Cookbook Author
16. Laurent Tourondel, Founder of LT Hospitality
17. Li Xiaoyan, Cook at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught (London)
18. Lindsey Baruch, Content Creator & Recipe Developer of @lindseyeats
19. Marc Spitzer, Chef and Owner of Okaru and BONDST (New York City, NY)
20. Marco Murillo, Head Chef at KABIN (New York City, NY)
21. Mark Bolchoz, Owner/Chef of Cane Pazzo (Charleston, SC)
22. Maureen Abood, Cookbook Author
23. Miss Rachel, Chef-Owner of Miss Rachel’s Pantry (Philadelphia, PA)
24. Nasim Alikhani, Chef and Owner of Sofreh (Brooklyn, NY)
25. Nick Tamburo, Chef-Owner of Smithereens (New York City, NY)
26. Niven Patel, Co-Founder of FEAL Hospitality (Miami, FL)
27. Patty Lee, Chef at Lei (New York City, NY)
28. Peter Som, Lifestyle Expert and Cookbook Author
29. Rick Martínez, Chef and Cookbook Author
30. Santiago Lastra, Chef and Co-owner of KOL Restaurant (London)