Basic Culinary Knife Cuts

Developing your knife skills will help to improve the quality of your food.  Food cooks at all different speeds and to ensure even cooking it is important that your food is all cut the same size.  Sloppy knife work also leads to sloppy dishes.  No one wants to eat food that looks unappetizing on the plate.  The first impression is everything.  Skilled knife work indicates a cook who takes pride in their work and doesn't take shortcuts. It's a way of paying a compliment to whoever you're serving the dish to — saying to them, in effect, "You're worth the trouble."

EXAMPLE

Large pieces of vegetables take longer to cook than smaller ones. So if you're sauteing carrots that are cut to different sizes and shapes, you'll either overcook the smaller pieces by the time the bigger ones are done, or you'll cook the smaller pieces properly but leave the bigger ones undercooked. Consistent cutting technique ensures your food is cooked to a uniform degree of doneness.

9 BASIC KNIFE CUTS

Large Dice - The large dice is a culinary knife cut measuring ¾ inch × ¾ inch × ¾ inch.

The Batonnet - measures ½ inch × ½ inch × 2½-3 inches. It is also the starting point for another cut, the medium dice.

The Medium Dice  - measures ½ inch × ½ inch × ½ inch.

The Allumette - Measuring ¼ inch × ¼ inch × 2½-3 inches, the allumette is sometimes referred to as the "matchstick cut." It's also the starting point for the small dice.

The Small Dice - measures ¼ inch × ¼ inch × ¼ inch and is produced by slicing the allumette into ¼ inch sections.

The Julienne - cut measures 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 2½ inches.

The Brunoise - (pronounced BROON-wah) measures 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch.

The Fine Julienne - measures 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch × 2 inches. It's also the starting point for the fine brunoise cut

The Fine Brunoise - (pronounced BROON-wah) measures 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch. Tiny!

Mise en Place - GET ORGANIZED AND HAVE FUN

Mise en place (pronounced miz a plas) - literally means "putting in place."  It is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as "everything in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare during his/her  shift.

BEFORE COOKING

Recipes are reviewed to check for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls. Equipment, such as spatulas and blenders, are prepared for use, and ovens are preheated.

Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is desirable in recipes with time constraints.