How To Chop, Slice and Dice With A Few
Techniques In Between
Chopping onions, shallots and garlic
Cut off stem end and cut in half, through the root. Peel back skin and remove, leaving
root intact. Place a half, flat side down. Using the tip of the knife, cut vertical slices
towards the root end, leaving slices attached at the root end. Slice through with
horizontal cuts again leaving the root end intact. Slice crosswise up to the root end. Be
certain to follow through with a forward motion.
Chopping Parsley and other herbs
Cut off stems and place leaves in a pile on the cutting board. Hold the handle of
the knife firmly in one hand, the other hand lightly on top of the blade. Keeping
the tip (forward quarter of the blade) in contact with the board, rapidly move the
heel of the blade up and down in a rocking motion until chopped as fine as
desired. Very fine chopping is also known as mincing.
Slicing Cylindrical Vegetables - Cucumbers, Zucchini,
etc.
Trim and peel the vegetable, if necessary. To keep
vegetables steady on the board, you may want to cut
in half lengthwise. Cut off the stem end. Hold the
vegetable with curled fingers and thumb tucked
behind them. The side of the blade (not the edge)
should rest against your knuckles. With the tip of the
knife on the board, the heel of the knife raised above
the vegetable, slice in a downward, forward motion
from tip to heel, slicing through using as much of the
blade as needed. After completing the slice, raise the
heel of the knife while pulling back. Slide your
guiding hand down the vegetable and repeat the
slicing motion: your guiding hand will determine the
thickness of your slices. The tip should always remain
on the cutting board.
Dicing
All the square shaped cuts end up the same size. These square cuts are known as:





Fine dice (brunoise), 1/8" square
Small dice (macedoine), 1/4" square
Medium dice, 1/3" square
Large dice, 3/4" square
Cube, greater than 3/4" square.
Trim and peel vegetables as needed. Then square the sides. Cut into slices of
desired thickness. Stack the slices and cut these slices equal to the thickness of the
previous cuts, ending up with stick shaped pieces. Holding the sticks together with
your guiding hand, make crosswise cuts through the sticks.
Chiffonade
Chiffonade is a technique that means to cut into
very thin strips, much finer than shredding. A
leafy green such as spinach or a leafy herb such
as basil is often prepared in this way. Remove
stems from leaves, and stack a few individual
leaves together. Roll tightly into a cylinder and
slice into fine shreds.
Julienning
Another technique of cutting into thin strips. Two classic cuts are known as:


Julienne, 1/8" x 1/8" x 1" to 2" long
Batonnet, 1/4" x 1/4" x 2" to 2 1/2" long
Trim the vegetable cutting into desired length and squaring off the sides.
Stack the slices and cut these slices equal to the thickness of the previous cuts.