Knife Skills

I always say that a sharp knife is a safe knife but knowing how to use a knife is even better. Neat and uniform knife cuts in a dish will elevate and impress. All it takes is practice and patience. Below are common knife cuts used in everyday recipes.

·      Julienne: This and the Batonnet cut are long rectangular knife cuts. In fact, the cuts are so similar that the only difference between the two is their measurements. A Julienne is 1 to 2 inches long and a 1/8-inch square. To make this shape of cut, square off the vegetable and make slices lengthwise. Then stack two or three of the slices on each other and make cuts of the same thickness as the slices.

·      Batonnet: A Batonnet cut is much larger than the Julienne, measuring around 2 to 2.5 inches long and a 1/4-inch square.

·      Brunoise: A Brunoise, Small Dice, Medium Dice, and Large Dice are all cube shaped knife cuts called a dice. Brunoise is the smallest size of this classification. Start by making a Julienne cut and cut 1/8-inch squares.

·      Small Dice: A Small Dice starts with a Batonnet cut and is then cut into 1/4-inch squares.

·      Medium dice: A Medium Dice is a 3/8- inch square and is a good place to start for beginners looking to hone their knife skills.

·      Large Dice: If you have never in your life picked up a knife before and are a little scared of the size of the Medium Dice, try this cut. It is a good size for stocks. A Large Dice measures as a 5/8-inch square.

·      Mincing: This is the smallest knife cut on this list, cutting foods to a finer size than a Brunoise. This cut is usually used for garlic, shallots, or herbs.

·      Chiffonade: This and the following two knife cuts are highly specific but vital to know in a kitchen, the Chiffonade is used to cut wide leaves of herbs or leafy greens. First, you de-stem clean leaves and stack individual leaves together. Then you roll the leaves into a tight cylinder and make parallel cuts from end to end for a shredded texture.

·      Supreme: This cut is mainly for citrus. Start by cutting off the ends of the fruit to make two parallel flat surfaces. Make angled cuts from end to end, removing the zest and pith without cutting off the meat. After cleaning the orange, use a utility or paring knife to cut between the membranes to clean out segments and remove any seeds found.

·      Concasse: This is a way of cutting vegetables, it is mostly applied to tomatoes. Start by cutting an X on the base of a tomato and blanch. This means to place in boiling water for about 10 seconds to loosen the skin, and remove from boiling water into a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel, starting at the X you cut, if the skin gets stuck re blanche the tomato for about 5 seconds more. Then either quarter the tomato to cut out the insides and seeds or make a cut from one cut end to another and slide your knife between the seeds and meat of the tomato while slowly rolling the tomato into a flat sheet.

Note: A Tourne cut is a football shaped knife cut 2 inches long with seven sides. This cut is less popular now and is usually only seen in the classroom nowadays. I have a deep seeded hatred for this knife cut even
though it’s pretty.