50 Kitchen Mistakes You’re Probably Making—and How to Fix Them

Holding knives wrong

Most people hold a knife by wrapping all their fingers around the handle or with their pointer finger on the top of the knife blade, but these grips aren’t only wrong (big kitchen mistake!), they are very unsafe. According to Robert Ramsey, Chef Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, you’re actually supposed to hold your kitchen knife with your thumb on one side of the blade and your pointer finger on the other side with your remaining three fingers wrapped tightly around the top part of the handle. “If you’re holding your knife properly, you’ll be able to make straighter cuts,” he says.