Vent: People cutting herbs with a dull knife and calling it fine dining

I was helping a new line cook last night during prep. He grabbed our chef knife and started chopping basil for a special. The knife was dull so he was basically smashing the leaves instead of slicing. It turned brown in like 10 minutes. Then the head chef put it on the plate and called it garnish. I mean idk, maybe it's just me but if you can't get a clean cut on soft herbs you're losing flavor and presentation. Has anyone else given up on telling people to sharpen their knives?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.emma19d ago

My neighbor used a rusty axe on her parsley once. Looked awful.

aaronrobinson18d ago

My buddy Frank tried using an old pruning saw on his basil last summer because his good garden shears were in the car. He thought it would be fine, just a quick chop to get some leaves for his pasta sauce. The saw was all rusty and dull, and it basically mashed the stems instead of cutting them clean. The plant looked like a raccoon had been fighting with it for an hour. He ended up having to toss half the basil because it was so torn up and slimy near the cuts. I kept telling him to just buy a $5 pair of snippers but he never listens.