Cutting techniques in the kitchen

Anyone who is even slightly fanatical about cooking wants to be able to cut like a top chef. Apart from the fact that it is good for your ego to be able to impress others with a fast cutting technique, there are a number of very good reasons why every amateur chef should know the different cutting techniques.

This article therefore answers the question of why it is important to use cutting techniques in the kitchen, what methods there are and what the differences are between all those techniques.

Why it's important to master cutting techniques

First of all, using the right cutting method ensures uniformity. Let's take a carrot as an example. A carrot has a rather typical shape, from very thick to very thin. Many people cut a carrot into very large pieces, because that is easier. The disadvantage of this straightforward cutting method is that the pieces are of unequal size. Large pieces take longer to cook than smaller ones. If the pieces were all the same size, everything would cook more evenly.

A second important reason to use cutting techniques is that the eye also wants something. Vegetables and fruit that are cut in the right way simply look a lot more attractive and therefore tastier.

A third reason is that using cutting techniques correctly is a lot safer. Being able to handle a large chef's knife gives you confidence and when you master the cutting technique, the chance of cutting your fingers is a lot smaller.

The basic cutting technique: the claw technique

Actually, this doesn't sound like a cutting technique, but it is. The claw technique is the basis of all cutting techniques and you can cut both thick and thin slices with it.

The important thing with this technique is that you use the hand that you are not cutting with to hold the product. Place your fingers on the product like a cat's claw. Take your chef's knife and place the point on the cutting board. With a cutting movement, lower the knife and then raise it again. By sliding your knife along your inward-curved finger, you can determine the thickness of the slice. Repeat this movement after each slice.

Other commonly used cutting techniques

Below you will find an overview of the different ways in which vegetables and meat can be cut. Most of the names of the cutting techniques, like much other kitchen terminology, come from French.

Chiseling

A common cutting technique is chiseling. This method is often used for herbs, leafy greens and softer vegetables such as mushrooms, courgettes, gherkins and cucumbers.

If you want to learn this cutting method, it is important that you master cutting with the guiding hand. Chiseling is done at high speed. It is a form of chopping and when cutting, the knife comes completely loose from the cutting board. With a quick up and down movement, slices are cut. In order to be able to chisel well, you need a good mastery of this cutting technique as well as a sharp knife.

Julienne

When we talk about julienne, we mean that the vegetable is cut into long thin strips. The matchstick strips are 1 to 2 mm thick and 4 to 5 mm long.

This method is often used for vegetables, but meat or fish can also be julienne cut. It is a very fine cutting technique and therefore often used for the ingredients in soups and sauces.

Tourne

The Tourné is a cutting technique from the classic French kitchen. You will recognize this way of cutting by the oval, elongated shape and 7 equal surfaces. Vegetables that are often turned are potatoes, pumpkin and carrots. The method is mainly used for show, because turned vegetables look beautiful and luxurious. When 'turning' you use a turning knife, which is a special knife with a curved blade. If you do not have one, you can also apply this cutting technique with the help of a potato peeler.

Brunoise

Brunoise is, next to julienne, one of the most used cutting techniques in French cuisine. It is also one of the finest ways, because with a brunoise, very fine cubes of about 2 mm are cut. The cut vegetables can then be used in fillings, for example meat or pies. The brunoise is also a very suitable technique for cutting vegetables for soups.

Macedonia

The macedoine cutting technique is similar to that of the brunoise cubes. There is one difference and that is that with a macedoine the cubes are 5 mm in size. That size is not chosen completely at random, because it is the same size as that of the peas that are part of the 'macedoine de legume', a salad of various vegetables that are all cut in more or less the same size.

Chinese

The name of this cutting technique may already give it away a little; the chinoise is a way of cutting that originates from Chinese cuisine. When cutting, vegetables, such as carrots or leeks, are cut diagonally twice, so that a diamond shape is created. Vegetables that are cut in this way are often blanched first and then processed in a salad or soup, for example.

Garden

This way of cutting is also called baton. The technique is related to the Julienne cutting technique. With julienne the intention is to cut super fine strips; with the jardinière it can all be a bit coarser. The dimensions of Jardinière come close to the dimensions of our fries, namely about 4 to 5 cm long and 1 cm wide.

Emince

When we talk about emincer in the kitchen, we mean cutting mushrooms, truffles or garlic into very thin slices or discs. There are no fixed dimensions associated with this cutting technique.

Square

Cubes, apparently they can't get enough of them in the French kitchen. A carré also means a square cube. This time a larger cube of 1 cm by 1 cm. Important with this cutting technique is that the cubes are nicely square and therefore have the same dimensions on all sides.

To shred

Chopping is a cutting technique that we all use almost daily in the kitchen. How many recipes do not start with the well-known 'chop an onion'? When we chop something, we make a number of horizontal cuts in the product, but we do not cut the product all the way through. Then we make a number of vertical cuts. The last step is to reduce the size of the product. Chopping is something we often do with onions, because they consist of layers. If you were to use the brunoise cutting technique, the onions would fall apart when cut.

Cutting techniques and sous-vide

We have already explained that cutting techniques are important for the presentation and even cooking of a product. If you want to cook like a real chef, then as an amateur chef you will of course already use sous-vide . The way in which you prepare a piece of meat, fish or poultry largely determines the end result and with sous-vide that result is always perfect. But cutting techniques are also important for a good result.

If you want to learn cutting techniques, you will mainly have to practice a lot. Make sure you have a good sharp chef's knife (important!) and first master the claw technique. Once you have that under your fingers (not literally ;-)) you can continue practicing the other cutting techniques.