Vegetable Cut Technique Chart (by Registered Dietitian)

A chef once told me the simplest method to master knife handling: Buy 10 lbs of onions or potatoes, then practice a basic cutting technique by cutting them over and over and over and over and over and over.

The catch is to deliberately make slow, perfect cuts. Aim to do them smoothly. The speed will naturally come after that.

As for the ingredients you’ve cut, just make some caramelized onions or French onion soups from it.

After that, choose other cutting techniques and practice the same way.

So, what are the cutting techniques you can practice on? You can download this printable list foar a cheat sheet by clicking the button below.

Below is the summary of vegetable cut techniques chart on this page.

The Cutting Techniques for Cooking

When I was studying to become a registered dietitian, cutting ingredients is one of the things I learned (albeit half-hearthedly at that time). Below is a comparison of various cutting techniques I’ve met since. Think of it as a note I made for my culinary nutrition course in those undergrad days.

1. Chiffonade (Shredding)

Chiffonade in France means “in rags”. However, it’s more understandable to think of it as “little ribbons” because you cut the ingredients into long, thin strips.²

To make a chiffonade, first stack and roll the vegetable leaves. Then, shred the roll into fine cuts of 1-2 mm (0.04 inches).

These cutting techniques have varied applications in daily cooking activities. You can chiffonade the mint leaves to garnish your dishes. You can slice the vegetable leaves to give your soup or sauces some thin, ribbony texture. You can also add some toppings to your meals by cutting unexpected ingredients like crepes.

Chifonnade is mainly used on leafy vegetables and herbs, such as spinach, lettuce, basil, and cabbage.^{2 3} It’s easier with broad-leaf vegetables because you can roll them easily.

The slight downside of this cutting technique is that it darkens the edges of your vegetables quickly. The thin ribbon cuts give a lot more surface area for oxidation to occur compared to bigger cuts. Don’t leave the leaves too long after cutting them. It’s better to wait until the last possible moment to chiffonade so you’d get more fresh results.

2. Julienne / Alumette

The julienne or alumette technique is more commonly referred to as the matchstick cut because the final shape and size are similar to that of a matchstick.⁴ The cut is usually 3-4 cm (1.1–1.5 inches) with a thickness of 1 mm (0.04 inches).⁵

This cutting method can be used to make garnishes or prepare vegetables for stir-frying. The most common vegetables prepared using julienne are zucchini, carrots, and paprika.

3. Baton / Batonette

Baton or batonette is somewhat similar to julienne as it produces long strips of 3-4 cm (1.1-1.5 inches). The difference is that the batonette has a 5 times thicker cut of 0.5 cm (0.2 inches).⁵

Batonette offers a handy way to make the vegetable uniformly cooked and visually appealing when served on the plate.⁶ You usually use this cutting technique to prepare the vegetables for soup or salad.⁵

4. Brunoise (Fine Dice)

You might already be familiar with this widely used cutting technique. Simply put, brunoise is cutting the ingredients into very small dices. [4] The results are around 0.2 x 0.2 x 0.2 cm (0.08 inches) in size.⁵

Brunoise is usually used to decorate dishes, fill the omelet, or mix vegetables with sauces. Radishes, onions, and carrots are the typical candidates for burnoise cuts.³

5. Macedoine (Small Dice)

Macedoine is similar to brunoise in that you cut the vegetables into small dice, but with a larger size of 1 x 1 x 1 cm (0.4 x 0.4 x 0.4 inches).² Using a flat surface for your chopping board is recommended to get better cutting results.³

Ingredients cut using macedoine cut are usually for soup or salad. It’s most common to cut hard-textured vegetables like carrots into dices.⁷

6. Parmentier (Medium Dice)

Parmentier involves cutting an ingredient into medium-sized dice of 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm (0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 in).⁸ This technique is ideal for preparing vegetables for soup.

7. Carre (Large Dice)

Carre is similar to the previous techniques but uses big dice, 2x2x2 cm (0.8 x 0.8 x 0.8 in).¹ It’s the biggest dice-cut technique and is usually used for soup vegetables.

8. Slicing

Slicing is the cutting technique you usually use at home. You divide the ingredients into broad, thin cuts.¹ Since this method has no standard size, you can cut according to preference.

You can apply the slicing technique to many vegetables, although it’s usually used for potatoes.¹

9. Concasse

Concasse means to crush or pound something. This technique differs from other cuts in this article as it involves boiling the ingredient (so the skin peels easier), cutting, removing the seeds, and then chopping it roughly.⁹

You can mince the ingredients according to your preference and need, as there’s no standard size.¹⁰

People often consider concasse roughly copping tomatoes with no skin and seeds. It actually doesn’t have to be limited to tomatoes. You can use other ingredients or vegetables, but it is most commonly used for tomatoes.

10. Chopping

Chopping is, well, chopping an ingredient into smaller pieces with no standard size.^{11 12} A very straightforward, fundamental cooking technique. Usually used on garlic, onion, or other ingredients when you want to cook a soup and stew.¹³

11. Mincing

To simplify, mincing is chopping an ingredient into very small and fine pieces.¹¹ Significant emphasis on the “finer” and “smaller” parts. The finer you mince an ingredient, the stronger its flavor and aroma will come out.¹²

There’s no standard size for how small you need to mince your ingredients, but you need to mince them several times over if you want a fine texture.¹¹

This cooking technique is great for preparing seasonings, such as garlic and ginger.

12. Crushing

As the name implies, you crush the ingredient by placing it on a flat surface, positioning your kitchen knife on top, and then pushing the blade with your palm down.¹³

There’s no standard measurement or size for crushing. This method is usually used to bring out the flavor and aroma of garlic, onion, or ginger.¹⁴

13. Tourne / Noisette

Tourne or noisette is a football-shaped cut with seven sides and a 5 cm (2 in) length.^{15 16} You can make the ends flat or leave them as is.

This cooking technique is mainly for aesthetic presentation. For example, cutting the potatoes into a tourne to make your main dish more compositionally pleasing.¹⁷

14. Chateau

Chateau basically is a tourne in bigger size.¹⁸ There’s actually no standard size for it, but it’d be better to cut it at least 5 cm (2 in) in length. It’s usually used for potatoes and carrots.¹⁹

15. Rondelle / Washer

When your soup has round-shaped carrots, it’s the rondelle cut. This technique has no standard size, but a rondelle usually has a 0.3-1.2 cm (1/8–1/2 inches) thickness.²⁰

As you might expect, this cutting method is commonly used for carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplant.²⁰

16. Paysanne

The characteristic of paysanne is a thin cut with the ingredient’s shape still intact. ²⁰ The cut usually has a thickness of 0.3-1.2 cm (1/8–1/2 inches). Usually applied on vegetables to cook a soup and stew.

17. Parisienne

Parisienne is very distinguishable from other techniques. You use a small scoop to make small balls from melon, watermelon, or other fresh fruits.^{22 23}

18. Olivette

In simple terms, an olivette is cutting your ingredient into an olive-like shape with a 5 cm (2 in) length.¹⁸

Food cut in an olivette manner usually has a consistent size and shape. So, it’s mainly used to make your food presentation more visually appealing and interesting.

19. Wedges

One of the more widely used cooking cuts. You usually use this technique to cut round-shaped ingredients.

To make wedges, you need to cut a food diagonally into two pieces. After that, you cut each piece at an angle to produce two or more big chunks.²⁴ There’s no standard size for wedges, so change them according to the meals you’re cooking and your preference.

Potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, and onions are the most common ingredients to wedge.²⁵ You often find this cut in soup and stew. However, as wedge cuts increase the surface area of your foods, they are also great for roasting, glazing, or even frying.

20. Lyonnaise

Lyonnaise is cutting an ingredient into thin slices, normally 1/4 inch thick, in a half-moon shape. This technique is usually used on onions, as you can mix the cuts into stir-fries and salads.

References

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8. https://foodandbeverageknowledge.com/parmentiermedium-dice-cuts-size-uses/ (Accessed 7 Feb 2024)
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14. https://frixospersonalchefing.com/2020/02/05/basic-cutting-techniques/ (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
15. https://www.escoffieronline.com/how-to-tournee-cut/ (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_culinary_knife_cuts#:~:text=Tourn%C3%A9%3B%202%20inches%20(50%20mm,inch%20(5%E2%80%937%20mm (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
17. https://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t–37904/tournee-cut.asp (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
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20. https://fnsharp.com/blogs/fns/fn-sharp-guide-knife-cuts (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
21. https://foodsguy.com/paysanne-cutting/ (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
22. https://www.simplehomecookedrecipes.com/parisienne-cut-knife-skills/ (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
23. https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/what-is-parisienne-cut (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
24. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cut-potato-wedges (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)
25. https://www.kikkoman.com/en/cookbook/basic/vege_cut/comb.html (Accessed 11 Feb 2024)