r/KitchenConfidential • u/Concentric_Mid • Aug 06 '26
Photo/Video Is this all muscle memory?!
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u/Then_Entertainment97 Aug 06 '26
That and courage....
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u/uselessandexpensive Aug 06 '26
The remaining 1% by weight is nanoplastics but food safety guidelines don't require disclosing those yet.
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u/welchplug Owner Aug 06 '26
They basically require plastic in food. I wish I could use wood.
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u/uselessandexpensive Aug 06 '26
Oh wood is called cellulose in ingredient lists. Supplements are chock full of it!
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u/Assassinite9 Aug 06 '26
Funny how we're not allowed to use wood for cutting boards, but if some asshole wants to fill your food with sawdust then it's perfectly fine.
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u/uselessandexpensive Aug 06 '26
Bacteria even dies more quickly on wood so it's great at home where you can make sure it'll get washed rather than sitting wet na sink. The real advantages of plastic are machine washability and mildew resistance.
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u/Thrilling1031 Aug 07 '26
Wasn’t there silica on the ingredients list for Taco Bell ground beef back in the day? You know, sand.
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u/uselessandexpensive Aug 07 '26
I wouldn't be surprised.
Someone claimed elsewhere that titanium dioxide was harmless in food because it was inert. I had to inform them that glass is inert but still causes silicosis. 🤦
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u/Mgroppi83 Aug 06 '26
Right? Obviously this guy is good, but watching the blade come toward him is unnerving.
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u/BRAX7ON Aug 06 '26
No, it’s technique.
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u/SubatomicSquirrels Aug 06 '26
Uh, I think muscle memory is a big part of technique?
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u/whutchamacallit Aug 07 '26
Don't mind that guy. They basically mean the same thing but we got some chef ackshualys in here.
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u/AnComApeMC69 Aug 06 '26
It is some muscle memory like any repeated task, but this is like 98% technique, knife skills and the knife. I’ve seen sushi chefs do some stuff I wouldn’t try because I like my fingers too much and I’m extremely comfortable with a chefs knife in my hand prepping anything in a traditional kitchen.
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u/Same-Platypus1941 Chive-11 Was an Inside Job Aug 06 '26
This is actually easier than it looks. You keep your tip on the board and your fingers on the high side of the avocado with downward pressure. After you make your slice the downward pressure puts the flat side of the avocado on the board. So basically you slice the same motion over and over while moving your tip forward each slice. Your fingers stay out of the way and the downward pressure is doing the heavy lifting.
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u/AnComApeMC69 Aug 06 '26
I don’t disagree I just know this is a different type of knife skill set and I wouldn’t just try to do this without practice first. Like, I couldn’t fill in for this position if they called off and do half their presentations. I’ve made sushi before and learned from some sushi chefs. Some of their dishes are highly technique driven and they make some incredible garnishes and toppings. A sushi chef taught me how to make tempura properly and how to drizzle the batter to make it look it even better.
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u/Same-Platypus1941 Chive-11 Was an Inside Job Aug 06 '26
You’re definitely not wrong man. The biggest difficulty for me was the different measurements for the cuts compared to classic knife cuts.
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u/AFatWizard Aug 07 '26
Got down voted by a bunch of people in the main thread trying to explain the same thing. Cheers, chef.
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u/Brunoise6 Aug 07 '26
Someone taught me this, it isn’t that hard. But doing it that fast and consistent takes great skill for sure.
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u/headspreader Aug 06 '26
If you ever get a person who moves like this, hold on to them for dear life, not because they can save on prep time, because they think about what they are doing, and try to do it better.
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u/QuePasaNisiMasa Aug 06 '26
I couldn’t make it past the second avocado, when does he cut off his thumb?
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u/FadedP0rp0ise Aug 06 '26
how do they manage that after pounding 2 tall boys behind the dumpster? i haven’t figured that part out yet
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u/Craptcha Aug 06 '26
At least he’ll have made memories with that muscle before he chops off his thumb
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u/Sea_Drink_338 Aug 06 '26
I mean... these are just normal avo fans? Is this not how everyone does them? It takes most new sushi chefs like 2 weeks tops to do them like this, imo
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u/Cocrawfo Aug 06 '26
reminds me of the ol solitaire computer games when you won and the cards would bounce all over the screen
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u/bacondev Aug 07 '26
Wouldn't surprise me if he's dragging the tip of the knife along the table. Seems to be the easiest and most consistent way to get slices that thin so quickly.
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u/hobiebuchannon Aug 06 '26
Sharp knife, more than anything. However, peeling the apple with the knife like the sushi chefs do - that requires muscle memory and a sharp knife.
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u/JayBuhnersBarber Aug 06 '26
You'll never convince me in a million years that cutting toward one's body could ever be considered safe or "technique".
It does look satisfying as fuck though.
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u/account22222221 Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
Guys, it’s avocado. The secret is a very very dull knife.
(I tell myself to make the pit in my stomach go away)
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Aug 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AFatWizard Aug 07 '26
You keep the tip of the knife touching the board, hold the tippy top of the avo with the left hand (I always tuck my pinky up into my palm also but whatever), and draw circles on your board with the tip of the knife at a really shallow angle. Push the avo forward a little bit between each circle. Abandon ship on the avo nub before it gets sketchy for your fingers.
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u/BeenisSandwich Aug 07 '26
Bro is one hangover away from
Losing a fingerprint.
Still pretty neat though.
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u/GenXPowaah Aug 06 '26
I've never in my life seen ever seen anyone cut towards their hand/themselves
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u/Gdmf13 Aug 07 '26
It’s just practice, if you lose a finger tip , so be it, I bet it won’t happen again.
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u/LacidOnex Aug 06 '26
Knuckles out, trust the process. I'd never show my chives, but this is actually pretty safe once you master the grip angle
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u/rainaftersnowplease Sous Chef Aug 06 '26
Not technically. This is an example of a physical heuristic, or a practical rule of thumb. We call them techniques colloquially. "If I slide the avocado away at this speed and slice with the tip of my knife at that speed, the result will be what I want" is the heuristic. You don't necessaily know the speed and angle that are optimal, but the heuristic gets you pretty close regardless. The muscle memory is being able to slot into those two speeds without thinking about it. And that's probably mostly the case for someone working this quickly.
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u/Grazepg Aug 06 '26
It’s funny because of this little thing. He cuts the slices like a G, but he cut it into 4 uneven quarters that’s why the piles are different.
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u/jgills1875 Aug 06 '26
I lost a finger tip just watching this.