The classic cuts
Julienne, brunoise, dice and the rest: the handful of cuts behind most recipes, and the grip and workflow that make them quick, even and safe.
Why it works
Every named cut is a size. When a recipe says brunoise or medium dice, it is telling you how big the pieces should be, and size decides how fast they cook. Heat moves into food from the outside, so a 6 mm cube of carrot is tender long before a 20 mm one. Cut everything the same and it all finishes together. Mix sizes and you get small pieces that have collapsed alongside big ones that still crunch.
Size also shapes texture and flavour. Fine cuts like brunoise and mince expose a lot of surface, so they soften fast, release their flavour into a sauce and almost disappear. Large dice hold their shape through a long braise and give you something to bite. Choosing the cut is choosing how present that ingredient will be in the finished dish.
Then there is the look. A soup with even dice, a salad of neat julienne, a garnish of fine chiffonade: they look cared for, and they eat better because every spoonful is the same.
The good news is that nearly every cut comes from one workflow. Square off the vegetable, slice it into planks, cut the planks into batons, then cut the batons across into cubes. Change the thickness of the planks and you change the cut. Learn that sequence with a steady grip and the rest is practice.
What you need
- Chef's knife: A 20 cm blade suits most hands; it must be sharp, because a dull edge slips and crushes instead of slicing.
- Large chopping board: Wood or plastic, big enough that trimmings and finished cuts have their own space.
- Damp cloth or kitchen paper: Laid flat under the board, it stops it sliding.
- Paring knife: Useful for trimming small vegetables and taking out cores.
- Bench scraper: Moves finished cuts off the board without dragging the knife edge across it.
- Bowls: One for finished cuts and one for trimmings you plan to keep for stock.
Step by step
Fix the board
Wet a cloth, wring it out and lay it flat under your chopping board. Press down on a corner: the board should not shift. Stand square to the counter with the board close to its edge and at a height where your forearm is roughly level.
Tip: A rubber shelf liner works as well as a cloth and does not dry out.
Take a pinch grip
Hold the handle with your lower three fingers, then pinch the blade itself just in front of the bolster between the side of your index finger and your thumb. This puts your control right at the blade. Keep your wrist straight and let the knife do the work.
Tip: If your index finger is pointing along the spine, move it down to the side of the blade. It feels odd for a week, then it feels natural.
Make a claw with your guiding hand
Curl the fingertips of your other hand under, so your knuckles sit in front of your nails. Rest the flat of the blade against those knuckles and tuck your thumb behind your fingers. Each cut, the knife comes down against your knuckles; then you walk the claw back a little to set the next slice.
Tip: The distance you move the claw is the thickness of the slice. Move it the same amount every time.
Square off the vegetable
Cut a thin slice from one side so it sits flat and cannot roll. For a carrot, cut it into 5–6 cm lengths first, then trim four sides to make a rectangular block. For an onion or a round root, halve it and lay it cut side down. Keep the trimmings.
Tip: How much you trim is a choice. For a stew, leave some rounded edges; for a garnish, square it fully.
Slice into planks
Lay the squared block flat and slice it lengthways into planks as thick as the cut you want: 6 mm for small dice or batonnet, 3 mm for julienne and brunoise, 1.5 mm for the fine versions. Use a forward and down motion, with the tip on the board for long, flat vegetables.
Cut planks into batons
Stack two or three planks, no more, and slice them lengthways into sticks the same width as their thickness. You now have square-sectioned batons. At 6 mm and about 6 cm long these are batonnet; at 3 mm they are julienne; at 1.5 mm, fine julienne, sometimes called matchsticks.
Tip: Stacks taller than three planks tend to slide apart. Keep them low and hold them with the claw.
Cut batons into dice
Line up a bundle of batons and cut across them at the same interval as their width. 6 mm batons give small dice; 3 mm julienne gives brunoise; 1.5 mm fine julienne gives fine brunoise. For medium and large dice, start with 12 mm or 20 mm planks and work the same way.
Tip: Push finished dice aside with the spine of the knife or a scraper, never the edge.
Cut paysanne, rondelles and bias cuts
For paysanne, make 12 mm batons and slice them across into thin tiles about 3 mm thick. For rondelles, slice a cylindrical vegetable such as a carrot or courgette straight across into even rounds. For a bias cut, angle the knife at about 45 degrees to the vegetable: the slices come out longer and oval, with more surface for stir-frying.
Tip: A carrot that is cut on the bias and then each slice cut into julienne gives longer strands than you can get from a short carrot.
Mince garlic and herbs
Slice or roughly chop first, then gather it into a pile. Rest the fingertips of your guiding hand flat on the spine near the tip, keep the tip on the board, and rock the handle up and down while pivoting across the pile. Scrape it back together every few passes and keep going until it is as fine as you want.
Tip: For garlic paste, sprinkle a little salt over the minced garlic and press it across the board with the flat of the blade.
Chiffonade leafy herbs and greens
Stack large leaves such as basil, sage or spinach, roll them tightly into a cigar, then slice across the roll with the claw holding it. You get fine ribbons. Use a sharp knife and slice in one clean pass so the leaves stay clean-edged and unbruised.
Tip: Cut basil just before you use it; the cut edges darken within minutes.
Which cut for what
| Cut | Size | Typical use |
|---|
| Fine brunoise | 1.5 mm cube | Garnishes, fine sauces, shallot for vinaigrette |
| Brunoise | 3 mm cube | Soffritto and mirepoix for quick sauces, salsas, stuffings |
| Small dice | 6 mm cube | Soups, risotto bases, salads, fried rice |
| Medium dice | 12 mm cube | Stews, chunky soups, roasted vegetables, hash |
| Large dice | 20 mm cube | Long braises, stocks, roasting under meat |
| Fine julienne | 1.5 × 1.5 × 50 mm | Garnishes, slaws, quick stir-fries, broths |
| Julienne | 3 × 3 × 50 mm | Stir-fries, salads, quick sautés |
| Batonnet | 6 × 6 × 60 mm | Crudités, glazed vegetables, the start of small dice |
| Paysanne | about 12 × 12 × 3 mm | Rustic vegetable soups such as minestrone |
| Rondelles | rounds, 3–6 mm thick | Glazed carrots, sautéed courgette, soups |
| Bias cut | ovals, 3–6 mm thick | Stir-fries, roasting, plating spring onion and celery |
| Mince | as fine as possible, irregular | Garlic, ginger, chilli, herbs for sauces and marinades |
| Chiffonade | ribbons, 1–2 mm wide | Basil, sage, mint, spinach and other leaves |
Troubleshooting
My dice come out all different sizes.
The planks were uneven, so everything after them is too. Slow down at the plank stage and move your claw the same distance each time. Squaring the vegetable properly first also helps, because a flat, stable block gives you a straight starting edge.
The vegetable keeps rolling while I cut it.
It has no flat side. Always trim a thin slice off first and turn the vegetable onto that face. If the board itself is moving, put a damp cloth underneath.
My herbs turn black and mushy when I chop them.
A blunt knife is crushing the leaves, or you are chopping over and over in one spot. Sharpen the knife, and for soft leaves like basil use a chiffonade with a single clean slice. Make sure the herbs are dry before you start.
The knife sticks to slices of potato and the slices pull apart.
Starchy and wet vegetables cling to the blade by suction. Wipe the blade, and use a slightly forward slicing motion rather than pushing straight down. A knife with a hollow-ground or scalloped edge helps with potatoes.
My hand gets tired and my cuts get worse as I go.
You are probably gripping the handle too far back and too hard, and forcing the knife through. Use the pinch grip, keep your wrist relaxed, and let a sharp edge do the cutting. If the knife needs force, it needs sharpening.
Minced garlic ends up in big and small bits.
Keep gathering it into a tight pile and rocking through it again. Slicing the clove thinly before you start mincing gives you a head start on evenness. A pinch of salt and the flat of the blade will finish it to a paste if that is what you want.
Knife safety
Most cuts in a home kitchen come from a blunt knife, a sliding board or a rolling vegetable. Fix those three and you remove most of the risk.
- A sharp knife is safer than a dull one: it bites where you aim it, while a blunt one skids off the skin.
- Keep your guiding hand in a claw, fingertips tucked behind your knuckles, every cut.
- Put a damp cloth under the board and give every vegetable a flat side before cutting.
- Never try to catch a falling knife. Step back and let it drop.
- Lay the knife down flat, edge away from you, well in from the counter edge, and never leave it in a sink of soapy water.
- Carry a knife point down, close to your side, and say so if someone is behind you.
