In the kitchen, the different cuts of vegetables will give a different texture and a refined appearance to the prepared dishes. To succeed in the cutting techniques below, it is important to use good knives and a quality wooden cutting board to protect the blades of these knives.
The first technique to master is the Brunoise. It will allow you to make thin cubes of vegetables and fruits. Normally, the food is cut into sticks and then cut again to create small dice of 2 mm. This cutting technique is mainly used for turnips, onions and carrots.
Macedoine is used to cut vegetables and fruits in large cubes, which is ideal for preparing the vegetables that will be used in soups. Cooks also cut melons and other types of large fruit using this technique. When cutting in macedoine, it is important to be on a flat surface.
The paysanne is one of the easiest technique to master. Simply cut the vegetables in semi circles that are about 1 cm thick.
The tagliatelle is a very thin and long cut that gives the appearance of a vegetable ribbon. Since the cut is very thin, it is difficult to cut with a knife. We recommend using a Y peeler or a mandolin for optimal results. The vegetables most often cut in this way are carrots, zucchini and sometimes radishes.
The julienne is a very fine cut in length. They are sticks about 2 mm in size and 5 cm long. They are perfect for many oriental dishes such as spring rolls.
The minced cut consists of cutting the vegetable, often the carrot, zucchini or cucumber in very thin slices of about 2-3 mm.
This technique is similar to the previous one. It consists of cutting the vegetable in very thin slices, but this time at an angle, which offers a larger surface and thus decreases the cooking time.
These are the most popular cutting techniques. It’s now time for practice! If you need a cutting board to make delicious dishes at home, take a look at our catalogue of customizable boards. In addition to being useful, they will embellish your kitchen.
