I would add to this: learn how to sharpen a knife with a cheap wetstone and learn how to cut correctly with a chef's knife... it speeds up your prep time immens

I would add to this: learn how to sharpen a knife with a cheap wetstone and learn how to cut correctly with a chef's knife... it speeds up your prep time immensely and is also a lot safer. i can basically cut up most veggies without thinking about it or looking at the board and it doesn't take very long to learn.