Simple Butchering Techniques

Over the years, Jacques Pépin has honed this efficient technique for cutting up a chicken. His secret? He does as much work with his hands as with his knife, finding where the bird naturally separates, before cutting. See Jacques Pépin on How to Cut Up a Chicken »

Rabbit is a great starting point for cooks looking to extend their repertoire to butchering. What’s more, buying a whole animal from your butcher or at the farmers’ market (or online) and breaking it down yourself is more economical, because you pay more per pound when someone else does the work. **See How to Butcher a Rabbit »**

It’s easy, and worthwhile, to filet your own salmon: not only is doing so far more economical than buying presliced filets, but the practice gives you access to all the tasty, overlooked parts of the fish, such as the belly, head, and collars. See How to Filet a Salmon »

Butterflying a whole trout entails removing the ribs and backbone in order to lay the fish flat. Use a sharp, flexible knife to best navigate the tiny bones. See Butterflying Trout »

It’s not as hard as it sounds—but like any cleaning task, you’ll want to use a good, sharp knife. See Fileting Sardines »

This technique uses a thin-bladed paring knife to carefully scrape away the tiny hairlike bones. See Deboning Anchovies »