Gordon Ramsay Shows How to Finely Chop Herbs Without Turning the Cutting Board Green

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Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay's new show Culinary Genius gives him a brief opportunity to cook instead of simply berating others and offering advice as he does on shows like Kitchen Nightmares and Hotel Hell. The new cooking competition debuted in April in the UK and pits amateurs cooks against one another as they attempt to replicate work done by the celebrity chef. (Don't worry, the show is slated to do a test run in the US beginning August 7.)

In this latest clip shared on Ramsay's YouTube channel, he demonstrates how to finally chop herbs without bruising them and leaving behind a big green mess on your cutting board. Even if you don't care much about preserving your cutting board, using proper technique is all about keeping the herbs as flavorful as possible.

Ramsay demonstrates the "three-finger rule" for chopping, with the knuckle of the middle finger forward, protecting the ring and index finger, which are positioned further back. (That is significantly different than Heston Blumenthal's "three-finger rule," which is about how much food you can cram in your craw.)

He showcases the technique on chives first. He then moves to the basil, demonstrating how to make a fine chiffonade of basil without allowing "the goodness" come out. ("The goodness" is exactly as technical of a term as Karl Pilkington's "belly badness.")

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He believes old cold fixes the belly badness. Follow him @dlukenelson.