The king of chopping

Even the most menial jobs in the kitchen can bring unexpected joy, Peter Würth has learned.

Even people who have two left hands when it comes to cooking, who feel overwhelmed when making microwave rice or who view food as nothing more than a way to fuel the body can develop an unexpected set of skills with one specific kitchen activity – chopping. Now, we’re not saying that they’ll be able to chop up onions at lightning speeds like the trained chefs you see on TV (that probably also wouldn’t be very safe), but at least they can help out with something. Proud to make themselves useful and contradict the cliché of being gastronomically  challenged, they fully devote themselves to preparing the aforementioned onions, leek stalks or a bunch of parsley. Finally, some productive work and a result that they can see and eat.

Finally they're useful

That fact that the pieces aren’t cut evenly and it all takes a lot of time doesn’t detract from this new-found passion. They can see and appreciate the results of their hard work. After cutting up half an onion, they might ask: “Is that enough?” and then you can see the joy on their face when they get to continue chopping because, of course, half an onion isn’t enough. Finally, they’re useful in the kitchen. They’re needed and without their vital work, their family’s stomachs would certainly remain empty. The onions, leeks and parsley that they prepare are, naturally, the most important part of any Sunday lunch, otherwise they wouldn’t have been left to the master of the house.

Alone with their onions

Most importantly, chopping is a lot of fun. There is something contemplative about sitting with an onion and a (hopefully sharp) knife and just forgetting about the world around you. Chopping is a craft that can make you feel like a kindred spirit of the Takumi, legendary Japanese craftsmen who are unrivalled in their field of expertise. It all depends on experience and technique. But how do you get experience and develop a technique? Where do you start? How do you guide a blade? How exactly do you chop an onion? There must be a few life hack videos for chopping onions on YouTube that will have a few handy tips... Quick, where’s the phone? Ah, there we go: peel and halve the onion, leaving the stem on. Make cuts, two millimetres apart, then thinly slice the onion in the other direction. This way, you end up with pieces of onion that are more or less all the same size – and it’s pretty quick to boot.

Isn't there an easier way?

You simply have to approach the complex process in a structured way in order to work efficiently and productively. Talking about productivity, didn’t an advert for an electric onion chopper just pop up while I was on the phone? Well-designed, practical, quick and dishwasher-proof. The ideal household appliance and the perfect birthday present. It would make chopping a lot quicker, wouldn’t make you cry and leave you plenty of time on to watch all your favourite Sunday programmes. But we don’t want to reinforce any clichés ...

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