The fact that I have been working in the restaurant industry and around food for such a long period of time has shown me a couple of things. For starters if you don't know what you're doing with a knife you're going to cut yourself. It seems like a simple idiotic thing to say but you'd be surprised how many people I've had to send to get stitches thanks to inappropriate handling of sharp objects. No matter how many times you preach about being careful or show someone how to handle a blade, the percentage is still very high that they're going to nick themselves at some point. People are hurried and think they are certified ninjas once that edged instrument is in their hands.

Chefs Olivier Said and MikeC. started Kitchen on Fire's culinary classes some time ago and teach in Berkley in case you want to attend a course rather than watch it via stream or DVD. As it stands this is apparently their first release on this format so it's interesting to see the way they approach the material. As you'd expect watching a video that teaches you how to use a knife can be kind of dry at times. Thankfully MikeC. and Olivier bring a lot of fun to the front of the camera and their style helps keep the tutorial moving forward at a brisk pace.

The first thing we learn from this disc is the tools of the trade. MikeC. tells us the three types of knives that every chef must have: paring, serrated, and cook's knife. Coming from my background this was nothing new but if you're a rookie in the kitchen this basics from the ground up instruction may just be what you need. From there we get some nice instruction about the proper ways to hold a knife and what to do with your hands which is key if you don't want to lop off a digit. MikeC. appropriately displays the way to gripe the blade and handle as well as how to curl your fingers and the positioning them. Again these are basics but this DVD is dubbed "The Basics Series" for a reason.

The third chapter of this DVD is all about sharpening which can be done a few ways and is one of those things that you just want to be really careful with. I've seen people cut themselves trying to show off their sharpening skills so these techniques that MikeC. shows are very valuable. Likewise is the presentation of a cutting surface and how to properly set it up is a big component here. Think safety and sanitation because cross-contamination is a very nasty thing. From here the DVD goes through a few different cutting techniques for whatever kind of slice you're looking for.

After learning the basics the DVD takes you through the process of cutting various things. Bell peppers, zucchinis, onions, garlic (don't forget to yell at it!), apples, tomatoes, and herbs all meet MikeC.'s knife during this segment. He offers some simple tips at making easy diced and chopped versions of each of the aforementioned items which is useful for beginners. Also going back to the start of this disc where they talk about safety is the transportation of knives around the kitchen. In a restaurant environment you always want to let someone know you're behind them with a blade. Also, it's true what MikeC. says, if a knife goes to fall a person's first instinct will be to catch it; don't! Let it hit the ground and be sure to move your feet!

In the end I found Mastering Knife Skills to be an entertaining look at how to utilize one of the most important components in a chef's arsenal. MikeC. goes over some real basics from the types of knives to safety and how to use them. This DVD isn't necessarily designed for people with experience in this department but if you're someone that wants to experiment in the kitchen this is a good place to start.

Mastering Knife Skills is presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. The quality of the video is fine enough for what it is with a very limited amount of grain appearing here and there. The overall image is fairly soft and the contrast is kind of high but I don't think anyone's debating the budget that this production probably had. The bottom line is this instructional disc serves its purpose with fine enough detail since it's safe to say that you're not coming to this release to showcase your home theater.

Likewise the Dolby Digital 2.0 presentation of the material suits the tutorial just fine. It's not like we really needed to have 5.1 surround immersion of MikeC. chopping a tomato. The quality of the sound is clear and there are no technical issues such as dropout or distortion. Again, there was absolutely no need for a grandiose presentation here and what we get in the final product is perfect enough.

The disc offers the ability to play the whole thing or select chapters and that's it. There didn't need to be any extra features here though an additional tutorial would have been appreciated.

Mastering Knife Skills: Cutting-Edge Tips, Tricks and Techniques Used by Professional Chefs is an entertaining tutorial about how to get around with a knife in the kitchen. If you're an aspiring chef or just want to expand your repertoire beyond toast and canned soup this is a fine way to start. The presentation of this DVD is simplistic to be sure though I don't feel that it needed to be anything elaborate. The content of the instruction is the driving factor of this release and in that regard Mastering Knife Skills is a success. MikeC. and Olivier bring charm kitchen and watching the disc made me want to see more of what they offer. I live on the other side of the country but I'd definitely like to see more from Kitchen on Fire.

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