Chopped Parsley Can Change Your Life.

No, really! A little thing like garnish on a plate takes you from a home cook to a pro, just like that.

This is flat leaf (also known as Italian parsley). This one is for chopping and using on food and has a bold flavor; curly parsley, the one with ruffled leaves, is mostly used for decoration.

Next time you have a recipe that calls for parsley, you'll probably have a lot left over.

All you have to do is chop the remainder, and store it covered in the fridge. It'll last for a few weeks, and you'll find yourself scattering it over everything! You're going to be amazed at the difference a few green flakes will make!

Now for a short lesson on knife skills...

First off, you need decent knife. You can't chop anything unless you have a knife designed for chopping. It will need an offset handle, so your knuckles don't get smashed into the cutting board...

If you don't have knife that looks like this, or one you haven't sharpened since 1986, get yourself online or to a housewares store AND GET ONE. They aren't expensive, and you'll use it everyday. You're welcome.

This knife is called a Sankuro. You don't need anything fancy, something with a 8" blade will do the trick.

The trick to chopping anything small has only one rule: KEEP YOUR FINGERS OFF THE CHOPPING BOARD. That should be common knowledge, but it's not. The way you do this is simple: one hand on the handle of the knife, the other hand has a couple of fingers on the tip of the blade, like this:

If you keep your fingers out of the way of the blade, you won't cut yourself. Trust me, I have a lot of experience with this.

And just for fun, here are some example of poor knife handling skills. I'm really not sure why this guy would be sticking a knife into a roast, while holding a 375° roasting pan, but this is generally a bad idea:

Don't try this at home.

And then there's this:

This is always a poor way to handle a knife, unless you're a pirate of course.