Been a home cook for a long time and I make everything from scratch so thank you very much for that :)

Yes freehand cuts. I think it’s just doing it a million preps, my tools are el cheapo $5 German steel knives and I use a metal wheel quick sharpener and a pro hone. I’m a bit of a sinner lol

I don’t have time to fuss, and I’ll just throw out my knife and get a new one every 3 years