Tip: Using Your Knife as a "Scoop"

A good tip for amateur cooks like me: When you're gathering chopped veggies from the cutting board with your chef's knife, DON'T drag the cutting edge of the blade against the board--you'll dull and damage the knife. Instead, grip the handle the same way you normally do, but turn your wrist to flip the knife over and use the non-cutting edge (the spine) to scoop your food.