A clip of chef Anne Burrell’s creative and memorable teaching style has resurfaced following her death.
The Food Network star and frequent TODAY guest died at age 55 at her home in Brooklyn on June 17, her reps confirmed to TODAY.com, noting her “trademark spiky blonde hair and sparkling personality” in a statement.
The cause of death is pending an autopsy with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, but she may have suffered cardiac arrest, per an FDNY report.
Host of Food Network’s hit show, “Worst Cooks in America,” among many other cooking shows and competitions, Burrell was known for her skill in the kitchen and engaging education style.
Now, Burrell’s tutorial on how to hold a knife properly has resurfaced, shared on Threads June 18.
“Just now realized Anne Burrell and her red sharpie are the reason I know how to hold a knife correctly,” wrote user @thetanitashow. And they’re not the only one: Multiple X posts mention learning how to hold a knife from the “red Sharpie technique.”
The video, which was posted to the Food Network TikTok on Feb. 4, 2023 starts with an off-screen producer tossing Burrell one of the markers.
“A red Sharpie,” she starts in the clip. “Shall we give a little chit chat about a red Sharpie and why I love them, and why I use them so much, and what the significance of a red finger is on ‘Worst Cooks?’ That’s if you’re a Rocking Red Star.” (“Rocking Red Stars” is the name of Burrell’s Red Team on “Worst Cooks.”) A clip from the show plays, with the chef marking a contestant’s index finger with red Sharpie for not holding his knife properly.
Then, it cuts back to Burrell who explains that the idea is to hold a chef’s knife in the most secure way possible.
“You pinch it between your thumb and forefinger, and you drop your other three fingers down,” she says, while showing viewers the correct form. “This is how you are the most stable and the most secure with your knife.”
“This is how we hold a chef’s knife,” she continues. “You pinch it between your thumb and forefingers and drop the other three fingers down, so you think of this as an extension of your arm.”
Burrell concludes by debunking the idea that if you put your finger out on the knife when cutting, it will be more stable.
“That is incorrect. It is like this,” she says. “So if you are in boot camp and you are using your shops, knife with your finger out like this, I promise you I will come and color it red.”
“What a huge loss today. 💔,” commented one TikTok user under the video.
“Worst Cooks was the only thing I watched on Food Network—oh, I miss her already!💔,” another person wrote on Threads.
“I learned how to correct some bad habits in the kitchen from her. She made cooking fun and funny,” someone else added.