KNIFE SKILLS MASTERCLASS SERIES

Vegetables, Poultry & Fish in One Class

Knife skills are the foundation of all good cooking. Whether you’re a confident home cook or an aspiring professional, improving how you hold, move, and care for your knife will instantly make you faster, safer, and more precise in the kitchen.

This class is a single hands-on session covering the three things most home cooks want to be better at: cutting vegetables cleanly, breaking down a whole chicken, and filleting a whole fish. You learn not only how to cut, but why technique matters, and how knife work directly changes what comes off the pan.

Everything you prepare becomes food. Your frames go into a stock that you eat before you leave, and the rest goes home with you.

HIGHLIGHTS 

• A hands-on knife skills masterclass, led by an expert chef instructor
• Learn essential knife techniques used in professional kitchens
• Work with vegetables, poultry and fish in a single session
• Gain confidence in blade control, precision cuts, and waste reduction
• Individual workstations — you cut your own chicken and your own fish
• Practical tips and chef insights you can apply at home the same week
• Take-home recipes, preparation notes, and knife care guidance

ON THE DAY

• Runs for approximately 3 hours
• Chef demonstration covering technique, safety, and knife control
• Hands-on practice at your own workstation
• Sharpening and honing on a stone, and how to keep an edge between classes
• Tastings throughout, with time to discuss results
• A complimentary drink after class
• Take home your prepared chicken and fish, plus online notes

KNIFE CARE & HANDLING

Grip, guiding hand, board height and cutting motion. How a blade is built, how to put an edge back on with a stone, and how to hold it steady with a honing rod. Most people cook with a blunt knife and blame themselves — this is where that stops.

VEGETABLE CUTS

Seasonal mirepoix · julienne and brunoise root vegetables · onion diced without tears · chiffonade herbs and leafy greens

Cut until the pieces match. Even sizing is the whole point — it’s why a professional plate cooks evenly and a home one doesn’t.

Skills: slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing, consistent sizing, claw grip and safe handling.

POULTRY BREAKDOWN

Whole chicken broken into eight classic cuts · thigh boned out flat · carcass reserved for stock

Legs off at the joint, wings at the shoulder, breasts off the crown. Feel for the gap with a thumb before the blade goes near it — anyone cutting through bone hasn’t found the joint yet.

Skills: joint identification and clean separation, deboning, portion control, yield optimisation and waste reduction.

FISH FABRICATION

Whole round fish scaled and filleted, skin on and skin off · pin-boned and portioned · frame reserved for stock

A different knife entirely. The blade laid flat and drawn along the spine in long strokes, not short sawing ones. Finer work than the chicken and less forgiving — one wrong angle and half the fillet stays on the frame.

Skills: scaling, filleting round fish, blade control, pin-bone removal, skin removal, precise portioning.

THE MENU

Chicken and sweetcorn soup from your own stock and brunoise 

Pan-fried fish fillet with brown butter and capers

Julienne salad with a hand-whisked dressing

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Knife skills’ master classes are a perfect solution for your private and corporate events. We can organize this cooking class at your home or any chosen venue for 20+ people.
• We can cater to different dietary requirements, however this class only include some small tasting – please let us know by email hello@otaoktichen.com.au
• For rescheduling made more than 14 days prior to the event, there is no charge to change to your new date. After the first date change, there will be $49pp per date change. For rescheduling made within 14 days prior to the event, we can only accept that you are being sick with a medical certificate, and we will still charge $49 for administration fee.
• No refund or reschedule will take effect (1) if you fail to arrive at the venue at the time stipulated, (2) if you voluntarily leave your class after it has commenced, (3) if you need to leave the event for reasons of bereavement, injury or illness.  Travel insurance and medical insurance are therefore strongly recommended.
• In the event that you are unwell, we ask that you send someone in your place. The participants who are not unwell will still be expected to attend.
• Lateness: please arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the class. We cannot accommodate or refund for those who arrive after the scheduled start time, even if you call ahead. The instructor will be expected to start on time and will not be able to repeat the health and safety and/or demonstrations at the beginning of the class.
• Read more of our FAQs and booking terms