Prevention of cuts to finger - mesh glove?

The safest, quickest, and cheapest solution is to learn the "claw grip" for your off-hand, grip the vegetable with your thumb and little finger with the three intervening fingers, pointer, middle, and ring, curled down on top of the vegetable, forming a "wall" with the second joints of those fingers for the knife blade to press against and the tips of those three fingers curled under so the fingernails rest on the vegetable.

See: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knifeskills/ss/knifegrips_3.htm

I'm with you Wyan!  Being a musician my fingers are my livelihood.  I try to chop slowly and carefully but you're right, things happen and nobody means to cut themselves when they do.  I'd be interested in this glove you speak of.

I'm with Pete and think that learning the right way to use your off hand (claw, combined with "cut and retreat") is the best way for most people to prevent injury.  Also, if your prep includes anything besides cutting, a mesh glove is impractical. 

The most important thing to remember about the claw, is that no finger, expressly including the thumb, points to the knife.  It's almost impossible to cut yourself while chopping if you do that. 

BDL

Look up Youtube videos on knife skills. You will notice a technique chefs use when cutting as someone else described a ''claw.'' It will feel really weird to do at first, and you won't like it, but once you keep doing it you get better at it and it feels comfortable. 

Early in my career I worked at a place that required the use of the mesh gloves when using a knife, period.

Fireable offense if caught without one.

This did nothing for my knife skills, in fact it promoted sloppy skills.

Those gloves are good for one thing imho, and that's wearing one while cleaning an electric slicer or other such equipment for added protection.

They are not puncture proof and you can cut through them eventually.

How do I know?

I used a glove that had a small hole in the thumb, and sliced into mine pretty deep, the worst cut I've had.

As others have said, practicing your technique is the way to go.

Also, get your mind around cutting yourself, burning too.

It's going to happen.

Proper skills and a sharp knife will minimize the occurances, but everyone gets careless occasionally.

I cut meat daily, and bone out poultry and large fish. I can tell you that for butchering purposes they are great. For other things they are not. I have 2 , one made from Kevlar(like bullet proof vest) and one from stainless steel link

I use the steel one for large pieces meat, ie chucks, hind and forequarters the kevlar for smaller things. The kevlar one absorbs blood from meat where chain one does not.(thus not as sanitary). Do not develop a false since of security using them because on a straight puncture cut with the knife , you will get cut, but not a slice type cut..

The best way to avoid cuts is not only to develop your knife technique, but to train yourself to "always keep your eye on the blade."

Cuts often happen when you are working and a sudden distraction occurs-"Hey Joe, where's the gorgonzola?" or a hotel pan crashes to the floor just as you are chopping away.

One distracted look up from what you are doing, and under the blade goes your finger.

Once I learned to stay focused on the blade, my fingers never went under it-thus, no more knife cuts.

That doesn't protect one, however, from the cutter on the cling wrap or the sharp edges of new hotel pans. Ouch!

Sorry don't quite agree with keeping eyes on blade. Many of the guys I work with including myself could hold a converstion with you while making eye contact and not get cut. In fact one day we had a contest who was fastest blindfolded .The trick is keep those fingers rolled under. Do this and you wont get cut from Chefs French Knives while mincing, shredding , diceing , or chopping .When sliceing  meat or cheese another story then keep eye on it.