How To Properly Cut In Food Service

Every professional chef knows that the shape and size of an ingredient tin make or break a dish. Why? Because ingredients cut into uniform pieces at an appropriate size not only cook more than hands, just likewise taste better.

Before you lot prep your next meal, practice these eight culinary cutting terms and main the fine art of slicing and dicing once and for all.

one. Brunoise

Recommended Tool: Chef'southward knife

To exercise a brunoise cutting, the food must starting time be julienned then turned a quarter and diced again to create approximately 1/8-inch cubes. This cut technique is ideal for carrots, onions, leeks, and celery, but can also be used with bong peppers and hard root vegetables like beets and turnips. Steer clear of this cut when preparing softer vegetables like green beans and cauliflower.

two. Chiffonade

Recommended Tool: Chef'south or dent knife

The chiffonade method is best for cutting herbs into long ribbons. Stack fresh basil or mint leaves, gyre them upwardly tight, and cut across hamburger fashion. This technique likewise works well for leafy greens like spinach, collards, and kale.

3. Chop

Recommended Tool: Chef'due south knife

Used for a diversity of foods, chopping is a casual, imprecise term that simply ways to roughly cutting food into seize with teeth-sized pieces.

4. Cube

Recommended Tool: Chef'south pocketknife

Using a more precise method than chopping, cubed ingredients are cut to a compatible size (e.grand. "one/two-inch cube"). This cut is used with many foods, from potatoes to meats to bread.

five. Die

Recommended Tool: Chef's knife

Generally smaller than a standard cube, the dice cut also creates compatible squares for even cooking and a polished await. Dicing is often used to brand a classic salsa or mirepoix (a mix of carrots, onions, and celery).

6. Julienne/French Cut

Recommended Tool: Chef'due south or paring knife

In julienne (or French) cut, the ingredient is cut into long, uniform strips similar matchsticks. Julienne cut is often used for salad ingredients and green veggies, similar cucumbers, bong peppers, and zucchini.

7. Mince

Recommended Tool: Chef's pocketknife or food processor

Minced ingredients are cut very, very finely. Mincing is the ideal cutting technique for aromatics, similar onion, garlic, and ginger, where a paste-like consistency is a desirable end result.

8. Piece

Recommended Tool: Chef'due south, paring, or serrated pocketknife

Slicing is a general term that means to cutting across the grain into sparse, uniform pieces. Well-nigh every fruit or vegetable can be sliced, as well as other ingredients like cheese and staff of life.